The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-01-22


being too intimate with Mr.. Arms. T
asked him where the shootingt took
place. He said he won't into his
wife, S room and took seat and COM
menccd to quarrel with her about
the intimacy with Mr.. Arms when
she picked up a pistol and shotfhim.
[ asked Mr.. Blair whose pistol it was.
He replied by saying that it was
that mans / asked him if he
meant Mr.. Arms. He said yes
asked Mi. Blair if he had a scuffle
and he said Her and I were quarrel
ing, not fighting.'"
a negro woman, Florence Dyles,
the cook, testified that Mr.. Blair came
home about 1915 as nearly as she
could tell, She saw nothing unusual
in his appearance. He came to the
kitchen door and spoke to her pleas
antly. She knew nothing of the ira
gedy as she was in the kitchen. The
children were in there with her, as
was Mrs. John Neal. Mrs. Neal was
standing by her when the shots were
fired. She exclaimed, "Take care or
the children' and ran into the house.
Witness started to work there Jan. /.
Arms was there that day.
Miss Manning West.
The next witness was Miss Man.
ming West, niece of Mrs. Blair, and
an orphan. Her father was killed in
the terrible wreck at Boston Bridge
near Charlotte a few yearh ago and
her mother died in this city about
two years ago. She is very pretty
Young woman, not unlike Ms. Blair
i'll fcatme, eyes large =; q ium:nouS
and. general appearance very refined
and attractive. She wa, re, fectly in
control of Lerself, although the or
deal was Die which wou'.' have frigh-
tened many man. There in the
building in which but few hours be-
fore was stretched in death the man
in whose home she had been living
for months, with the paraphernalia
of the grave and the symbolism and
accoutrements Of death on all sides !;
with the jury Of inquest scanning her
face intcntly, to see if by any chance
they could divine her inmost thoughts,
with the solicitor of the circuit exam
ining her with deft questioning, all of
these would have contributed to 'un-
nerve a disintcrestel party, not to
speak of Young woman who had
been almost within the grasp of trag-
edy. And to make the situation
more eXacting upon her nerve force,
the weather was intensely warm, stiff
ling in the small room in which were
gathered possibly rs people. But she
spoke deliberately, seemed to have en-
tire possession of her wits through
out and answered with no show of re-
sentiment when the questions were
somewhat confusing, or intended to
probe to the very bottom of her testi-
mony.
Her statement is that Blair was at
home possibly an hour before the
tragedy. Tie was quarrcling with his
his wife all Of that time. Later she
said that "they" were quarrcling.
Mrs. Blair had gone to the dinner
table, but she could cal nothing.
"The strain was too much for her
nerves. said the witness. Miss West
had gone into the room twice. Mrs.
Blair was not in her own room at the
time, but was in the room of Mrs.
Neal, adjoining, and had tainted.
/; Miss West stated that she had re-
Vived her aunt, and then had left the
room but went back, fearing that Mr..
Blair would try to hurt Mrs. Blair.
He shook her roughly when she had
tainted, she testified. On Miss West s
return to the room they all went into
Mrs. Blair's room, according to her
testimony. Mrs. Blair was first, fol-
lowed by Blair and then by witness.
At this time Mrs. Blair picked up
the revolver. Miss West stated posi-
lively that the revolver had been
there for months. It's regular place
was on the mantel.
Asked whether or not Blair was
seated, witness said he was seated
only once during this period of quar-
rclin%. He had struck Mrs. Blair and
she had backed into corner Of the
room and he was seated on the trunk
daring her to shoot. She replied: eff
Won don Il Strikn mo | won I shoot >,