The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-01-31
BY a CORONER'S JUDY
A Disreputable Weman f,gur:s in The
Case, aud al rg'y Scandal Is Re-
vealed by the Erquiry Into
the Death of B. F. Reed
at Bambe,g.

day, and was concluced about eight
O'Clock that night. The jury render.
ed q verdict that his death vas caused
by arsenic poisoning and that POISON
vas admin istered ty q Care Dickin
son. John r B7llinger, E a., repre-
sented the State, beirg employed by
Mr.. G. B. Z ttrell, who has been &C.
tive in working up the case.
On Tuesdaysfcllowlng the body was
disinterred, the stomach removed by
Drs. Cl ckley and Hoover and taken
to Augusta for examination by a
chemist. DR.. G eckley testified: as
also did D.. Hoover, that he could
see from the condition Of the stomach
when it was removed from the body
that poison had been administered
DR.. C.@cklsy also testified as to the
condition OF tie b-ail when it was
opened Fliday. H. said the brain
also showed that poison had ben ad
min!stered.
DR.. John Schneider o Al gusta, Ca,
the chemist who anaIyzsd the stom,
acb, testified that he found arsenic In
the stomach, and that the * Con-
tanning same had the seal intact when
it reached him. Dr. Cleckley had
testified to sealing the jar when he
placed the stomach therein, putting
on it his certificate that it contained
the stomach OF B. F B ed.
Dickinson had been under suspicion
for several days. Week befyre last
search warrant was sworn out and
his loom searched, oue nothing was
found. This search was for the pur-
pose Of finding out if there was any
arsenic In bis room. he was not ar
rested, but knowing OF this suspicion
his relatives employed q. NJ. Graham
ESQ to represent him at the Inquest
Tae jury was composed If the fnl
lowing: W. D. Rhoad, merchant; N
B. F9lder, merchant; g. 2. Bamberg
farmer; ]. G. U5sey, mechanic; Wall,
nechsni !; Morris, clerk; J. W. Hill,
farmer; NJ. C. Sandifer, merchant; NJ
NJ. Smoak, stccs dealer; George a..
Sneak, whee!i:glt and vehicle dealer
a number OF witnesses we're ez
amined ard a mass Of testimony
taken. TIE testimony was taken
down In shorthand by MI. b. n. Bal,
linger, vic recently acted as stenog
raphsr at q special term OF curt in
Hampton The procee dlngs we're all
secret and othing was known Of the
testimony until the verdict Of the
Jury was rendered.
The most important witness vas
e IN Bunch, a white prostitute, who
swore that Red was given drink Of
whiskey at her hcu by D ckinson.
It will be remembered that Reed went
TO Bamberg on Saturday morning,
January Is, and went to this wonan's
house. Ia the afternoon he came
down town and said he was SICK, had
started home but came back because
be was i'll. He tcll a friend be believe
be had been poisoned and gave this
friend some money to deposit In the
bank, which was done. Physicians
were at once called in hut he grew
worse and died about 6 o'clock the
next morning, the death being myster
ious.
The Bunch woman, whose arrest Is
noted above, testified that Dickinson
visited her, also Reed. Taat on the
Saturday mentioned Red came to
house between 10 and II O'Clock;
that shortly after wards Dickinson
came in and gave Reed drirk OF
8hiskev out OF a bottle whic &c sook
from his pocket. That Dickinson
took none himself nor offered anybody
else any. Shortly afterwards seeing
some other people cSmipg Dickinson
jumped out Of the back window and
ran off. Taat Reed stayed at her
house about three hours or more. She
said the same afternoon Dickinson
came back and said to her: II guess
I've fixed the now" that Dick
inson had said to her about ten days
before that II Reed did not keep away
from her he was going to kill him;
that after she was arrested Dlckin-
son had saen her at the j lii and told
her not to say any ythtngsWhat be had
said about Reed.
AS soon as D ckinson heard Of the
verdict OF the jury he did not wait
for warrant to be sworn out, but at
once went and surrendered to the
sheriff 1t is supposed that he will
apply for bond as soou as the testi.
mony can be transcribed and the mo.
tion made. The correspondent Of The
State says Dickenson Is the last man
be would have suspected OF commit
ting such crime. He comes OF q
honorable family. His
large connection consists Of some ct
the best people OF the community. l.
is hard to believe that Clare Dickin
son poisoned Ben Reed, and 1t Is only
fair to him to say that the chief wilt
ness against him is a woman Of the
lowest type OF character.
She testified that Dickinson was
paying her expenses and it seems that
while she had room with white
family she took her meals al a negro
house. She fully admitted her char
acter while tesuifying. 1t is interest.
ng to note that her testimony was
that Dickinson gave Reed the Whis
Key about IL o'clock on Saturday.
Reed was tasen sick about 8 O'Clock |
jhe same AFTERNOON and died the ne1t
morning about 6 o'c:ock. II poison
1as administered at the time she tes
;ifed, certain it is that 1t took long
lime 10 produce death.
An Old Ring.
When Kilaen Van Rensselaer, ana
Mss Dorothy Mason were marrleo
q New York recently q Weoolns 1lng
vas used which had been USED Oy an
.ncestor OF the groom when be mar