The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-09-19
MRS, BLAIR GUILTY.
Woman Who Shot and Killed Husband
Convicted With Recommenda-
tion to Mercy.

Mrs. Ethel w. Blair, charged with
the murder of her husband, M. V.
Blair, a conductor on the Columbia,
Eewberry and Laurens railroad, in
January last, was convicted Of man.
slaughter in Colum bia, S. c., with a
recommendation to mercy.
Inasmuch as the verdict was not
reached until noon Sunday, sentence
was postponed
Mrs. Blair, who is about thirty years
of age, and the mother Of two chill
dren, is an unusually handsome VIC
man and stood we'll in the community.
When Mrs. Blair was brought into
the court room there were no visible
signs of the ordeal that she has passed
through, but, on hearing the verdict,
she tainted and had to be lifted from
IuS SOUl 1OOuu
Within an hour after the verdict,
Mrs. Blair had recovered sufficiently
to be taken to the county Jail.
On the 18th of last January McCul-
ley w. Blair, conductor on the road
between Columbia and Laurens, was
shot to death at his home on Marion
street In Columbia. The fatal wound,
it was charged, was inflicted by Mrs.
Blair.
Columbia was thoroughly shocked
by this great tragedy. At the inqui-
sition made by the coroner there was
startling evidence and the wife Of the
deceased was placed under arrest A
term Of court has intervened, but in
terest has been none the less Tagging,
and this tragedy is still fresh in the
mines of the people Of the state.
Captain Blair was SO years Of age,
his wife 80. He was victim of a
terrible disease of the stomach which
required constant medical treatment.
There was apparently no affinity be-
tween the two. The homicide pre-.
sented many points of interest, not
alone from the criminal side, but from
the psychological. Evidence submit
ted shows that Mrs. Blair appreciated
the lack of affinity between herself
and her husband. Three brothers
married three sisters, and two Of the
others met death by violence.
In the most sensational trial Of the
year only a day was required. The
Jury in the case assisted very ma.
terially by denying itself of several
privileges.
The prosecution produced no eyi-
dence to prove the infidelity Of TIE
wife, although there were insinuations
in the testimony. And on the other
hand, the defenses witnesses contra
dicted centradicted nearly everything
to which they had testified at the in
quest.
Mrs. Blair, who was not required to
make any statement at the inquest,
but nevertheless made at that time
q declaration which she contradict
ed in several particulars, declared
that she had no recollection Of some
details of her statement on the night
Of the killing. Mrs. Neal, another
very important witness in the case,
denied some statements she had made
at the inquest.
Since the killing Mrs. Blair had
been out on bond. The trial was de-
layed for some hours at the beginning
on account Of five state witnesses be-
ing absent
Bench warrants were issued for
them and Judge Johnstone directed
that these and all other witnesses In
the future ignoring their bonds be
arrested and held in jail until they
have testified, regardless of who they
are.
CAPTAIN Buck Arms, conductor
ON the Southern railway. between
Charlotte and Washington, was one
Of the principal witnesses in the trial.
Arms was a close friend to Captain
and Mrs. Blair, and it was alleged
that there were improper relations
between the two.
The case went to the jury late Sat-
urday night.