The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-09-24
CONVICTED IN LAURENS.
Wash Young alias John billiard Ar
rested from Chain Gang in New
berry for Murder IConvicted.

The readers Of The Herald and
News will recall the arrest of Wash
Young, alias John billiard, by Sheriff
Buford some months ago.
Young was at the time working on
the chain gang in Newberry. At the
Laurens term of the court last week
he was convicted of murder, but rec
commended to mercy, which gave him
life sentence in the penitentiary.
The following account from the
Laurensville Herald of last week, in
regard to the case, will, not doubt,
be of interest to the readers of The
Herald and News:
On Thursday morning Wash Young
alias John billiard was placed on trial
charged with murder, it being alleg-
/ ed that he killed old Dan Fuller,
near Mountwille, in December, 1904.
Young was arrested in Newberry
county where he went by the name
OF billiard, by Sheriff Buford. He
was on the chain gang in Newberry
county, and Sheriff Buford, always
Vl"llant, learned that he had made
statements to other members of the
cham gang which connected him with
the murder Of Fuller. Sheriff Buford
investigated the case and secured the
statements of those who said that
Young had talked to them. He wrote
Sheriff Dueket in regard TO the kill
ing, and the information he received
from Sheriff Duckeu corroboratcd
the statements alleged to have been
made by Young, and Sheriff Buford
arrested Young and turned him over
TO the Laurcns authorities. Dan Eu)-
l'r' an old negro. was found dead in
ills home at Mnumvillc, on Christ
mas day, 1904. His home was lockcd
and ii was necessary to break in.
Prior to that time he had not been
seen since week from the Friday
before, and the supposiion was that
ne had been dead about Ten days when
his body was found. He had been
Drained with an axe, and his throat
cut with knife.
On the night he was supposed to
have been killed, the testimony de-
veloped that it rained and froze, and
that during the latter part of the
night some little snow fell.
The testimony Of the State devel-
oped that Wash Young had lived in
that community prior to the killing,
and the witnesses did not recollect
having seen him in that community
afterwards. Witnesses from Newber-
ry who had been on the chain gang
there with Young said that Young
had told them he had killed a man in
| Lanr1nS county: that he got the man
to make aim wash board, and that
when he went for it he struck him
with an axe. The testimony was that
| Wash Young made wash boards.
One OF the witnesses said Young,
who had assumed the name of John
| D1llard III Newbcrry, told him that
the man he killed was Dan Fuller.
and one of the witnesses also said
that Young alias billiard had told
him that the reason ne couldn't be
tracked Oh the night Of the killing
was because it showed. Sheriff Blu
ford testified that when he arrested
Young Young told him that ne knew
who gave him away, naming John
Brown, one of the States witnesses.
The credit for the arrest is due to
Sheriff M. M. Buford, of Newbcrrv,
one OF the most capable sheriffs in
South Carolina. The murder of old
Dan Fuller was brutal, the theory
being that the motive was robbery,
Many efforts have been made to TO-
cate the guilty party, but heretofore
the efforts had been unsuccessful.