The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-08-29

the House.
st. George, August 23.-Willie
Spain. a. negro, was lynched near Bad
>ham, two miles west of this place, this
ofternoon. The negro was charged
with having attempted to enter the
residence of Mr.. S. L. Connor, being
frightened away by the screams OF
Mr.. Connor's little daughter. He had
been captured by a searching party,
turned over to Sheriff Limehouse, and
placed in the, Jail at this place, being
subsequently retaken by party OF
men who came to st. George on
handcar. They took the negro from
the iail and he was carried back to
Badham and there hanged to an oak
sapling and his body shot to pieces.
The story in detail is as follows:
Today at about y o'clock, at the
town Of Badham, two miles west OF
this place, Mr.. S. L. Connor, who is
the manager Of the Dorchester Lun-
Der Company's stores. was notified by
2 negro who came into the store, that
he had seen a negro run away from
the residence ofSMr. Connor, which is
about $50 yards away from the main
store of the Dorchester Lumber Com
pany. The view from the store to the
house is obstructed to a considerable
extent by a large field Of sugar cane,
which is growing between them, and
the negro, upon running away from
the residence of Mr.. Connor, was seen
by the negro who informed Mr.. Con-
nor. lodging into the sugar cane, en-
deavoring to control himself.
Mr.. Connor, knowing that there
was no one at the house at the time
except his 11-year-old daughter, went
towards the house. He went through
the sugar cane field, and came upon
the negro hiding among the sugar
cane, getting within three feet Of the
negro before he saw him, whereupon
he laid hands upon the negro, but the
clothing of the negro was rotten and
his hold was broken. The negro I'M
naediately offered to give battle to Mr.
Connor, whereupon Mr.. Connor
struck him on the head with his fist,
breaking several bones in his hand,
without visibly wounding the negro.
When Mr.. Connor hit him the negro
rolled about in the sugar cane and
ran out OF the field into the adjoining
woods, and was soon lost to sight.
Mr.. Connor was very severely
wounded on his hand, and folks in the
vicinity where this affair happened
Immediately formed posse, VINO
went in search of the negro. They
also telephoned to this town, and a
posse left here on horseback for the
scene of the trouble. After securing
the country in the vicinity of Badham
for about two hours, they located the
negro, whose name was Willie Spain,
and brought him through the town OF
Radhar, on to this town under guard.
! The was delivered into the Gus
todv Sheriff Limehouse who placed
him in Jail.
The negro had not been in jail
NOR than 80 minutes when without
warning, a lever car on the Southern
Railway, which runs within $50 feet
of the county Jail, was stopped, and
a crowd of men wen ato the. jail ana
took the prisoner out, placed him up
| ON the hand car and sped away. 1t IS
not known how many Of the persons
we're present when the prisoner was
rescued from the sheriff or whether
any of them or not participated in the
lynching.
4 0iNl iIOl " ioIS''e 49,
+! cence, but admitted that he had gone
to the residence of Mr.. Connor ana
| intended to enter the house, but was
frightened way by the screams o.
| Mr.. Connor's little daughter, VINO
saw him approaching through the
window and by a buggy passing along
| the road, which is quite near the resi-
dence. The admission upon the part
of the prisoner evidently satisfied
those who had him in custody thai
! he was the guilty party, but out OF
abundance of caution your cores
!! pondent was Informed that he wa:
taken by the parties who rescued hin
from the sheriff back to the house
and was positively identified by tht
little girl.
After this nothing is known of tht
affair until volIey of perhaps 5o'
shots rang out just west Of the tow1