The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-04-04
HElRIors CROSSROADS KILLING.
evidence Given at the Inquest Over
the Body of John Gaylord Coron-
. er's Jury Holds Grover Mathis Liza
ble for the Death Of John Gaylord.

Bishopville, March 2S.-Coroner
Brown Of Lee county held an inquest
over the body Of John Gaylord on
saturday night last at Heriot's Cross
Roads, at which the following evi-
lence was given:
Miss Alma Caughman, being duly
sworn, deposes and says: live in Lee
county. was at Mr.. w. F. Outlaws
house last night, March %, 1906. That
was the second time ever met MI.
Grover Mathis. and he asked me to go
with him for some water, and just as
we got out of the hallway he threw his
arms around me. O made an alarm
and returned back in the house. Mr..
! John Gaylord saw me when came
back and asked me what was the mat
Ter. told him and he said he was
going to fight him for it. I came to
Mr.. W.@F. Outlaws with Mr.. Gaylord
and I considered myself under his
protection until I got back home. I
had no brothers at Mr.. w. F. Out
laws.
w. f. Outlaw, being duly sworn,
says that he,nves in Lee county. There
came in good many young
people last night, the $50 inst.
"A good many Of them were
strangers to me, and I thought that
they were all behaving themselves
very nicely. They danced one. set and
3 never heard q harm word said by
any person When the dance was
over heard somebody scuHing in the
plaza. took my lamp and went in
the piazza as quick as could. Mr..
Grover Mathis and Mr.. John Gaylord
were chnched together. and I tried
SO part them. They were not down on
The floor, but standing up, and they
went through the second door Of the
house, I saw Mr.. Mathis hit Mr.. John
Gaylord If he had anything in his
hand never saw It. Isget them apart
and Mrs Grover Mathis Shot salE John
Gaylord one time. GAYLORD said; 4'I
am shot to death Mathis disap-
peared for a few seconds and then re-.
turned. Grover Mathis said then: "He.
is shot bad. have not got any pis--
tol, and I don't carry any gun" Cay
lord only lived about twenty minutes
after the shooting.
". f. Outlaw, recalled. Mr.. Gaylord
was standing still, about five feet from
Mathis, right in front Of him. was
( IN two or three feet Of Gaylord when
he was shot. Mr.. Gaylord was not
doing anything at all.
Mr.. Dawson e. Scarborough being
duly sworn, said that he lives in Lee
county; came over to w. F. Outlaws
about half past 8 o'clock on the right
of March 90, when walked in the
room, where they were dancing, and
he (Gayiord) asked Miss Alma Caugh-
man what was the matter, and Miss
Alma said that she had been insulted.
Gaylord asked her what was the trou-
BILE, and who did It. She said Grover
Mathis, and then she told what he at
tempted to Go. John Gaylord told her
that he would see Grover Mathis about
1t, when they stopped dancing; not to
Not Ily06 a.
This time and Gaylord told Mathis he
wanted to see him, when they stopped
dancing, and then asked Mathis what
he meant by what he did to Miss AL
ma Caughman.s Then they stopped
dancing and Mathis said to Gaylord:
e-Come on now and they went out on
the front piazza. Then I heard a fuss,
fumbhng on the floor; in q few sec
onds they passed me, going towards
the back piazza. Then went to the
next door in the direction they went,
and by that time they were coming
hack. John Gaylord stopped. Just at
this time I heard a pistol fire. When
the pistol was fired looked round
and saw Gaylord had his hand to his
stomach and fell to his knees, and said,
Dawson, pick me up. am shot in
the stomach I picked him up and
stood him on his feet. carried him
TO the bed, and sat him on it. He told
me to rub his head. After few mo-
ments he said not to rub his head any
more He was gone. Then he died at
once. I did rot see any pistol, and
when picked up John Gaylord he had
no pistol, for I searched him, and it
he had knife never saw it.
Dannie Outlaw sworn: Lives in Lee
county, came over to Mr.. W. F. Out
laws about o'clock on the night Of
fheN23d. When I got there John Gay
lord and Miss Alma Caughman were
coming through the passage towards
the back porch. In about 25 minutes
saw Grower Mathis talking to Miss