The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-03-23
DID HE MURDER 9 !,
STEPHEN HOWELL3
JOHN BAILEY ARRESTED BY
SHERIFF BUFORD or NEW
T. r. BERRY. So s5J -.
Circumstantial Evidence There Re-
3; mains for the Accused to be Iden-
titled By Philip Epstin and
His Wife. % H..


as the following account of his cap
ture of John Bailey will show. Tho
story is taken from the State of the
21st. r j." IL ~.'..... 5s.. ...
John Bailey, colored, has been ar
rested on u warrant charging him
with having taken the life Of Stephen
Howell near this city on the 23rd of
December, 1908. So shocking was
that tragedy that it's details are yet
fresh IN the memory of the peopl Of
the city and it seems that it was
just year ago instead of two years
and quarter. .....-.
Stephen Howell, a white boy, about
l6 years of age, was sent by Philip
Epstin, a Jew, to gather holly, cedar
and mistletoe for the Christmas trade.
Stephen Howell went in wagon and
was accompanied by an unknown, ne
gro, nearly grown. The negro came
back late in the evening without the
white lad and was not seen any more.
Stephen Howell's body was found ID
days later by two hunters. It had not
been known definitely up to that time
that the boy had been murdered, al
though his grief stricken mother had
a strong presentiment of evil. A re-
ward of $500 was offered for the ar
rest nfTthe unknown negro. Several
suspects have been arrested and re-
leased. ...... ...,.... .....
Sheriff Coleman and Sheriff Buford
of tNewberry have worked the case
2up to gether, Sheriff Buford, soon af-
ter the tragedy, was called to Clinton,
where .he was sygiven a clue. The man.
ner of the murder was very much like
one which had occurred Mt Whitmire
a short time before, and it was sus-
pected that the same party was guilty
of both. John Bailey had been going
to Whitmire with stolen tobacco to
dispose of to a young man named Lee,
who was murdered one night. 1t is
said that this negro, John Bailey, was
seen in possession Of a knife WHICH
had belonged to Lee, but there was
not enough evidence to cause his ar
rest. 1t was proved that he was in
Columbia at the time Of the murder
Of Stephen Howell, ando that he was
engaged in doing odd jobs Of the kind
mentioned. 3.. ..". .,.. -
On the 22nd of December, 1904, the
warrant was sworn out for Bailey's
arrest by Philip Epstin, This was
placed in Sheriff Buford g hands and
he has been trailing John Bailey for
nearly q year and half. In that
time the suspect has been in New
York and Philadelphia and several
parts of South Carolina. He does not
know for what, he was arrested, and
thinks he is being taken north to be
tried for some offense Of which his
conscience is probably guilty.
. The man in arrest has described his
travels to Sheriff Buford, and 4 the
narrative fits into the accusations
very we'll indeed. The negro answers
/ the descriptions given Of the unknown
negro who accompanied Stephen
Howell. In one point there is slight
discrepancy, but that might be ac-
counted for in the fact that the ne.
gro was but Is years old at the time
that Stephen Howell was killed and
may have changed in that time,
q John Bailey is about 81 years Of
age, and since 1902 has worked at
!. Clinton for Mr.. Rob Vance, has been
a train hand for the Seaboard Air
Line; went to New York with Mr.. r.
FL. Davis Of Clinton in the fall Of 1902,
and stayed there several months |;
came to Columbia in July, 1908, stay
led hers three weeks md went to work
Ion the Seaboard as train hand quit
hat and was employed BY Mr.. w.
Galloway Of tho Columbia Paper
my as q wagon driver, and from
kent to work for the Columbia
company, where he was en-
ntil three weeks N before
Stayed with his mother
and was engaged in do