Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-11-23
MURDER NEAR GAFFNEY.

There was a horrible murder near
Gaffney some time during last Tuesday
morning and during the afternoon and
night the country surrounding was in
a ferment lest there should also be a
lynching: but since then the situation
has quieted down somewhat and 1t is
reasonably certain that the law will
be allowed to take its course.
The victim. was all aged widow, Mrs.
Hortensia Morgan, the murderer, a
sneaking vagaband known as Tom
Harris, alias Tom Childers, and the
sole. object Of the crime was robbery.
The woman had about $3.50, which she
wore in belt, about her person, and
Harris got possession Of 1t by cutting
her throat. He was arrested within q
few hours after the commission Of the
terrible crime.
: Mrs. Morgan lived alone in a dilap-
idated little three room cottage about
two and one half miles to the north Of
Gaffney. She was the owner of some
three hundred acres Of fine land, and
being a hard worker, good manager
and frugal liver, had accumulated
quite a snug sum Of money, which, be-
cause Of her ignorance of banks, etc.,
she kept concealed about her person.
Though living alone during the day,
Mrs. Morgan was In the habit of sleep
ing in the house Of Mrs. Webb, a ten
ant en- her place. She did this for pro-
lection, being afraid that thieves might
come after her money If she remained
alone. She spent Monday night with
Mrs. Webb, going to her own home
Tuesday morning. Mrs. Webb went to
Mrs. Morgan's house for some purpose
at shortly after l o'clock Tuesday and
being unable to get any response to her
knocks at the door, peeped through q
window and saw the bloody corpse Of
Mrs. Morgan lying across the foot Of
her bed, with the feet dangling on the
floor.
Mrs. Webb was Of course, almost
prostrated by the sight, but she man
aged to give the alarm, and investiga-
tion of incoming neighbors disclosed the
fact that the dead woman had been
murdered and robbed. Her throat was
horribly gashed, and there was evil
dence that the murderer had torn OF
her clothes sufficiently to get at and
secure some bags Of money attached
to a string around her waist. One Of
the bags, smeared with blood, was
found on the floor, and the gen.
orally disturbed condition Of affairs
in the room showed that there had been
a thorough search for any additional
cash that might have been hid away.
No time was lost In instituting a
hunt for the murderer. ]. ]. Quinn, a
farmer who lived between the residence
Of Mrs. Morgan and Gaffney, remem-
bered that forbidding looking stran-
ger had that morning asked him where
had passed the house Of Mrs. Morgan
at about 1 o'clock and had noticed the
old lady on the porch reading and a
stranger standing near by. He had not
remembered the man with particular
care: but from the description given
by Mr.. Quinn was quite sure that he
was the same man. Further inquiry
showed that g. stranger had gotten off
Of passenger train No. 80, at half past
nine that morning, and from informa-
tion given by first one and then an
other, this stranger was traced first to
Mrs. Morgan's cottage and then back to
town. Mr.. Quinn spotted him across
a street. He had on a new overcoat
and was carrying a new grip, both OF
which had evidently been acquired
since he had been seen in the morning
Mr.. Quinn pointed out the suspicious
stranger to Policeman Hallman, and
the policeman followed him to the
Southern railway station. In reply to
questions the stranger admitted that
his name was Harris. Claimed that he
had arrived that morning but denied
that he had been out Of town during
the day. Persistent cross examination,
however, showed that he was evident
ly lying, and the officer took him In
custody.
The prisoner was searched at the
station house and among the things
found in his pockets were two rolls OF
money. One was in a cotton bag like
that found on the floor Of Mrs. Nor
gan's house and the other was tied
with the same kind Of a string, looked
as If it had been in a bag also. AL
together the money counted out $726.1O.
Another article Of particular interest
was a pocket knife that was smeared
with blood. Asked where he got his
money, Harris first said that he had
worked for 1t and then he claimed that
he had gotten some Of 1t gambling.
He declared that the red substance on
the knife was not blood but paint,
which had gotten there some time ago
while he was painting buggy. He
professed the utmost innocence gener-
ally and asked the officers to give him
his BlDle out OF his grip.
When all the facts began to get into
warm circulation the excitement grew
intense and there was free and open
talk Of lynching This talk was allay-
ed, somewhat, however, through the
Of a petition to the govern
or asking for the convening Of a spe-
cial term of the court for a speedy
trial. The petition was quite numer-
ously signed.
There are lots of people in Gaffney
who know Harris and his connections,
and from one and another, 1t came
out that Harris's wife had spent night
with Mrs. Morgan some time previous,
and that his brother-in-law Jim Chill
ders had been picking cotton for the
old woman this fall. These circum-
which all three seemed to be impli-
Gated Childers was employed in one
of the mills and when inquiry
was made for him 1t turned out that
he had left a short time after the ar
rest Of Harris. He was arrested on the
road to Blacksburg, where he was sup
posed to be going to join Mrs. Harris,
she having passed through Gaffney
that morning. She was also arrested,
and 1t came out that when she left
Hickory Grove last week, she gave out
that she was going to get money to
pay a fine that was hanging over her
husband.
Harris was born and grew up in the
vicinity Of Hickory Grove. His faith
er was named Childers and his mother
was named Harris. He had a hard
time Of it. From the time he began
to come in public notice, his reputa-
ton was that Of a hard citizen. He
was known as a liar thief, drunk
ard and a wife bcater. He was con-
sidered pretty bright in some res
poets: but was also thought to be
cranky. At one time he was sensible
enough and again he was silly. He
has no education.
Some two or three years ago, at a
kind Of a revival meeting held at Uni
ty church about a mile from Hickory
Grove. Harris took up the idea that he
had been converted. Unity Is weak
little church and the congregation Is
mostly Of more or less illit-
crate class from Blue Water" and
Sandy Branch" They claim to be
Baptists; but the church is not recog-
niZed in the association as standing
very high. At any rate Harris began
praying and exhorting and finally got
the endorsement of his congregation as
a preacher. Some time ago he was
convicted of violation Of a contract and