The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-08-22
HUNG AND RlDDLED
WITH BULLETS.
A FIENDIsH CRIME.
Brutal Negro Attempts to Assault a
Young Lady in Her Fathers Store
ang Cuts Her Throat, in Greenwood
County.

Greenwood, August 14.-Onc Of the
most diabolical attempts at criminal
assault possible was made today upon
the person of Miss Jennie Brooks, the
20-year-old daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Bob Davis. The fiend did not accom-
plish his purpose, but he came near
numbering Miss Brooks, who is not
yet out OF danger.
The crime is horrible one. Mr..
Brooks is farmer who lives between
Greenwood and Mt. Moriah church,
about four and half miles from town.
He is very successful farmer and has
accumulated property, In connection
with his farm he runs store. The
store building is about fifty yards or
less from his house. The public road
runs between the two. 1t is a very
public place and it seems incredible
that the tiend would have been SO
bold as to attempt such a crime in
such public place and in broad, open
daylight. 1t is the custom of the
family to keep the store locked and to
open it when customers come. To-day
Mr.. anG Mrs. Brooks had gone to at
tend a protracted meeting at Reho-
both. They left their two eldest
daughters, Misses Jennie and NOla,
and their grandmother. Miss Jennie
was called to the store by some negro
customers and while they were there
the negro Bob Davis came in. She
says she did not like the negro s looks.
He waited until the others had gone
out Of the store, then he asked to see
some shoes. He selected pair and
then bought a pair of pants, then he
told her he wanted some bacon. She
told him she was out of bacon. He
pointed to some that suited him in the
counter to get it. AS she did SO he
grabbed up the meat knife and came
towards her saying: "You are what
| Want.'
A BRAVE GIRL.
Miss Brooks, who was perfectly cool
when relating her awful experience,
saws she saw an iron bar before her
and attempted to get it to defend her
self. The negro made murderous
onslaught. with the knife, and she
threw up her hands involuntarily to
her face. The blow of the knife
almost severed two of her fingers. AS
soon as she dropped her hands, he
again struck at her with the knite,
this tim making ghastly wound in
the throat. This wound is about four
inches long and missed the carotid
artery by the mere fraction of an
inch. With her blood squirting from
the wound in her throat and disabled
in her right arm by the other wound,
Miss Brooks successfully fought Off
her assailant, finally in some way
securing the knife, though she says
she does not know how she got it.
BECAME FRIGHTENED.
The thing that saved her was Mr..
John Tolbert, coming to town III his
buggy, the passing frightened the
negro. He fled and Miss Brooks
came to the door and had strength
enough left to call to Mr.. Tolbert.
He had heard, he said, a peculiar
noise in the store. He led her to the
cate. where he was met by her sister,
Who said she wonld take her in and
for him to go for her help to catch the
negro. He did so. In short time
men were leaving town in droves. DR.:
G.. P. Neel went to the wounded girl
at once.
The brute after the ATTEMPTED as
sauit on Miss Brooks, made a success
ful assault on a colored girl living
few miles away, and while the party
was in pursuit of him.
Soon between 800 and l,OOO Ceternl-
ined persons with dogs. guns, pistols.
a,c., were on his trail searching
swamps, houses and in fact the whole
country was secured for forty-eight
hours and finally he was located on
creek nineteen or twenty miles away.