The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-03-17
And One Will Go to the peniten.
tiary for Life.
SAYS THIS VERDICT.
A Darlington Jury of White Men Con.
ylcts Two Lawless White Men for
Numbering an Inoffensive Ne.
gro on the Public High.
way February 9th.

a dispatch from Darlington to The
S1ale says a verdict unprecedented i'm
oou0h Carolina was rendered thera
ffluay when one white man was con.
victed OF murder and another of mur.
DER with recommendation to mercy.
both for killing a negro.
The sentence under the law for
murder Is death and for murder with
Recommendation to mercy is life i'm
prisonment. The judge has no discre.
IlOn ia either case, and only a rever.
sal OF the courts ruling by the su.
preme court or the mercy of the gov
ernor can alter the sentences. The
court records Of South Carolina can
doubtless be searched in vain for a
case wherein q white man has been
hanged for the murder of negro.
Inc Two men are Bob Small. con-
Victed or murder and Bob Noll, con-
Victed with recommendation to mer.
cy. .0hey killed Frank Scott. negro.
on the the public highway four miles
from Darlington on February eth
not six weeks ago.
Small and Noll were from North
Carolina and worked at Harper's saw
mill, nine miles from Darlington.
dney came to town on Monday, Feb.
oGh, eacn bringing shot gun. After
sbaylng In town several hours, and. IL
Is said, drinking heavily, they began
their homeward march. Ali alone
the roal they are said to have been
polsterous and abusive to nassersby.
shooting at travellers horses and
mules. Finally they met this negro
on load OF cottoo seed for his EN-.
ployer, w. 2. DuBuose, with wnom
lie had been working IL years, which
Is testimonial to his good cnarac ser.
BOD Small hailed The negro and af.
| Ter lew words shot him. His com.
panion, Noll, drew his gun to snoob,
him again, when b. F. HoWie, cpnntr.
treasurer ssaYeiiGg : Jlis road !. came
up In his buggy. Knowing the me-
gro, he protested against the act and
Noll turned his gun on Howle and
hfed, hltting him in the face with one
shot and the horse receiving the bal.
ance of the load in his head and neol,.
Ihey continued their on ward march
70 thelr shanties at the saHmill Mr.
Howle cared for the negro and drove
pack 10 town for the sheriff, who.
with his deputies, pursued the man
and With several neighb1rs captnrad
Them at o'clock Monday nigh6 In
their shanties at the mill, tied them
and brought them to Jail.
Tne negro was pcaceable, reliable
workman. It was developed that
these characters had become a dread
20 The people In the community of the
saw mill aud had been coming to Oar.
lington for several successive sale days
10 drink and carouse on their return
home.
The trial Of this case took up the
whole OF the session Friday. The de-
fendantS We're represented by Senator
George W. Brown as attorney. The
jury remained out one hour and 30
minutes and rendered a verdict of
guilty as to Small and guilty with
recommendation to mercy as to Noll.
Ihe case OF the State VS.. Dock Moore
and William Simms for tLe a:..ic. Of
Jim Young, ell colored, in 1908, was
disposed OF Tuesday night. Simms
was acquitted. Moore was found guilty.
OF manslaughter with Recommendation
to mercy.
John Noll was sentenced toFimpris-
onment for life in the State peniten.
tiary, and the date Of execution of
Bob Small was fixed by the court for
The 9Th Of May.