The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-04-11
CRIME IN BARNWELL.

CRIME IN BARNWELL.
Negro Murdered and His Body Hid
den in the Swamps.
"A long distance telephone message
was received last night from Barn.
we'll detailing horrible crime COM
mitted more than one week ago
which has just come to light. The
facts as furnished by our Barnwell
correspondent are as follows:
On Wednesday of last week man
giving his name as DR.. Jeems and
claiming to be an Indian doctor,
was in Allendale, accompanied by a
negro woman. He claimed that the
woman was his wife. After making
some inquiries about the town the
couple called at the house of negro
named Stokes and hired him to take
them across the country in his wagon
to Barnwell. After some explana-
tions and upon the urgent appeal of
the doctor" and his "wife," Stokes
agreed to take them and started out
for the county seat.
Stokes failed to return to'his home
Wednesday. Thursday he did not
show up and some uneasiness was
felt. When Friday came and he was
not seen or heard of his family or
ganized a searching party and start
ed out toward Barnwell to gather
some information from people living
along the road. They were told by
various parties on the road that a
wagon with the three occupants as
described was seen to pass along the
Barnwell-Allendale road on Wednes-
day.
They found no difficulty in tracing
the wagon to a point within about
three miles of Barnwell. They were
told by some parties that the wagon
turned off at this place and was
driven in the direction of a swamp.
Later it was seen to come back with
only two of the occupants, the man
described as the Indian doctor and
the negro woman. The negro Stokes
was missing.
Search was made for the body of
the Allendale negro, it being then
believed that he had been murdered
and his body secreted, but no trace
of him was found.
Negroes and whites have looked
for the negro the past week, some
expecting possibly to find him alive,
while others have searched for his
body. Days went by without their
searches resulting in anything.
Yesterday the attention. Of some
parties was attracted to a large
number of buzzards lowering over
the swamp, near where Stokes was
last seen, some distance from the
road. Investigation resulted in find
ing a badly decomposed body, after
wards identified as Stokes by means
of his coat and shoes. The buzzards
had eaten almost all the flesh off the
bones.
The body was face down when
found and there were evidences
which showed that it had been drag
ged some distance, from a point near
the road.
The theory is that Stokes was mur-
dered either in the wagon or on the
road side and his body dragged into
the swamp by the heels. What the
motive was is not known, unless it
was robbery. The. mule and wagon
is all that the negro Stokes had.
It is certain that doctor" Jeems
and his negro wife never went to
Barnwell, but they were seen to turn
toward Williston. The next day,
Thursday, they were in Williston and
tried to trade off the mule and wag-
on.
It is claimed that the negro woman
with the alleged Indian told several
that her home was in Sumter.
Stokes was a farmer. He was
about % years of age and was a qui-
ct, hard working, honest negro and
was liked in his community. The
coroner will hold an inquest at Barn
we'll this morning. Every effort will
be made to apprehend the doctor"
and his colored spouse and police Of
fcers and sheriffs are urgently re-
quested to keep a sharp lookout for
them.-The State.
All Alone.