The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-04-20
SUPPOSED WIFE.sLiyER RELEASED
Planter Told Careful story and Was
Contradicted Little in Material Facts
by Succeeding Witnesses.

Columbia, Special-The inquest in
The case of Rebecca Planter, the neg
20 woman found some days ago in the
river near the Broad river bridge, was
leld Tuesday night in the court
house. There was the usual lengthy
amount of testimony and although
some of it was easily obtained because
If the intelligence of the witnesses,
lie remainder was tangled up in
shroud of hesitation and stupidity.
Few facts were really developed but
his was not the fault Of Coroner
Walker, for he carefully and painsta-
singly and without impatience cross
examined the densest Of the witness
IS.
The jury retired about II o'clock
and were out but short time before
they returned a verdict that the dead
woman came to her death at the hands
Of unknown parties. The woman's
husband, who has been in jail under
suspicion since Saturday, will be re-
leased today.
The Testimony.
It was the opinion Of DR.. l.. A. Grill
fifth, who conducted the autopsy, that
the woman was strangled to death,
not drowned. This he was led to be-
lieve by the fact that there was no
water or mud in the lungs. DR.. Grlr-
fifth said that there were no marks OF
external violence, but had there been
they would have been masked by the
fact that the body was so badly de-
composed that the skin was loose and
slipping. One thing which he noticed
during the autopsy was that the hyoid
bone, which is located just about the
region Of the collar button, had be-
come detached from the trachea. This
may have been done II the woman
was choked to death. but may have
been caused by the effect Of the water
on the body.
Some little delay occurred while the
main witness, Henry Planter, was be-
Ing brought to the court house. he
finally appeared in the custody OF
Jailer Meadows. Planter Is quite an
ordinary looking negro, but was quite
calm and self possessed from the time
that his handouts were unlocked un-
til he completed his testimony.
Planter went carefully and slowly,
but with little hesitation, through q
wealth Of testimony, describing exact
ly where he lad been from Saturday
afternoon until he met the sheriff on
Wednesday morning, when he was ar.
rested. Planter says that he met the
sheriff and was told to come to his
office next morning. Arriving there
he was arrested.
His inquiries included visit to po
lice headquarters with the womans
father. According to Planters story
his search for his wife after she did
not appear at their home on Saturday
night, April 1, was thorough. II he
can be believed. he visited almost ev.
cry place where he could find clue.
He gave without difficulty the names
Of the people he had seen and those
whose homes he had visited during
the interval, until he had the fact OF
his wife's disappearance published,
visiting The State Office on Tuesday
following the night she had first been
absent.
Planters tale was a pretty straight
one, and he was not materially contra.
dicted by the witnesses who followed
him. However, several assertions
were made which were significant,
and some which were not alluded to
in his own statement Col. John C..
Haskell was at the inquest to see that
Planter received fair treatment.
William Perry, father Of the woman
was examined first. The salient por-
ton Of his testimony was his assertion
that when Henry Planter had told
him on Sunday morning of his child's
disappearance he felt that something
must have happened to her. His i'm
plicit faith in his daughters habits
and virtue led him to this belief.
He testified that Planter told him
Tuesday morning that his daughter
was undoubtedly dead, and further.
that at his solicitation Planter went
with him to police headquarters. Perry
seemed to imply that the domestic re.
lations of the Planters were not al.
ways smooth.
The first new statement injected il
the testimony was the statement made
by David Grant, whose home Planter
had visited early Sunday morning
while searching for his wife. In
course of conversation Planter told
him that Anderson Strand had threat
ened to kill his wife and he believed
she was dead.
A very intelligent witness was the
small negro girl, Maggie Perry, who
testified that Planter came to her
home on Saturday night and after ask
ing for his wife he had taken the key
to his home and a kerosene can. She
said that this was the front door key,
while Planter had been positive that
It was the back door key. She said
that she had been at the Planter home
on Saturday afternoon when both were
there, and had heard Henry ask his
wife to ride out to Ridgewood park
with him.
David Grant Is one of the men whom
Planter had visited Sunday morning
while looking for his wife; and Rosa
Perkins is Planters sister, at whose
home he spent some time since the
disappearance. Young Multry lives at
the home where Planter came to get
the key and oil can. He and his wife,
Bebecca Multry, testified, and so did
Elsie Adams, an aunt Of the dead
woman. The latter was particularly
good witness and worthy of note in
her testimony was the fact that Plan
ter had not been to visit her in i've
II his wife was there.
VIM. Coultry, we'll known as hack
driver, testified that when Planter