The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-06-19
MAN IS KNOWN.
Who Left Coffin in Front of Rev.
{. NJ. Lightfoots Door.

Threats Against Orangeburg Minis
ter Had Some Developments. Man
Seen Around the House.
The Orangeburg correspondent OF
the Columbia State says Monday
June 10, was the day on which some
violence was to have been done to
Rev. E. NJ. Lightfoot of Orange
burg, according to the threat incor-
ported in a note placarded on cof-
fin left on Mr.. Lightfoot's door by
some cowardly person or persons in
the dead Of the night. That day has
passed and Mr.. Lightfoot is yet un-
harmed.
But another has suffered from the
deviltry aimed at the minister, and
his wife, who is very much broken
in health. has had to leave Orange
burg for visit to Summervllle in
order to get away from the excite
ment surrounding the incident which
caused such a sensation in the State.
Mr.. Lightfoot himself expresses no
concern, for he appreciates the fact
that the coward who under cover Of
darkness thus attempted to frighten
him from his field Of labor and his
post of duty will not meet him face
to face.
It was one night early in May that
the coffin was left on the porch of
Mr.. Lightfoot's home in the business
part of the city Of Orangeburg. One
of the policemen on duty at that
time stated that he saw a bright mu-
latto negro driving a gray mule about
/ o'clock in the morning and that
there was something in the wagon
covered with old corn sacks. He made
no further inspection. The owner
Of the mule has been located and the
name of the negro is known. These
things have been learned within the
last week.
WRITER OF NOTE.
For some time it has been known
who wrote the note. 1t was written
on the back of a printed notice sent
out by Walker. Evans & Cogswell
company, it has been learned to whom
the Charleston stationers sent those
notices. There were but a few in Or
anpeburg. and by elimination it was
easy to learn whence the piece of pa
per was secured on which the notice
was written. Furthermore the writ
ing was made with an indelible pen
ell, and there are marked character
istics in the chirography which make
it a very easy matter to trace the
writing to an Individual in Orange
burg. Furthermore, there is some
proof of malice, and the same party
under suspicion is known to have had
i'll feeling toward Mr.. Lightfoot.
Circumstantial evidence against a
certain party is strong, and it is en-
tirely probable that somebody will
serve a long term in the penitentiary
when the Investigations are over. A
short time ago it was reported that
a certain party in Orangeburg had
confessed the whole matter. Mr..
Lightfoot denies this. He states that
the man in question came to his study
one night and said that he was under
suspicion. Mr.. Lightfoot added that
the man was indeed under suspi-
cion, for he had been under the in
huence Of liquor at the time that the
outrage was perpetrated and that the
suspected party had failed to use an
official position which he occupies to
ferret out the mystery.
When Mr. Lightfoot charged him
with these things the party under
suspicion proved an alibi, but also
proved that Mr.. Lightfoot's suspic-
ions as to the animus behind the
whole thing are in the main correct.
The handwriting of the note in the
coffin has been identified at first
sight by half dozen men who have
| had business dealings with the man
under suspicion, and no one Of those
who identified the writing knew at
the time that any one else had done
so.
1t appears to be a clean cut case
against this man. The animus is
Hnown. It came from Mr.. Lightfoot's s
fearless denunciation of certain civic
wrongs and slack-twistedness. The
writing is known to be that Of the
party said to have been aggrieved by
the action of Mr.. Lightfoot in GER
tain matters, and the same party is
known to have communicated by
phone on the night of the outrage
with the owner of the mule which
pulled the wagon in which the coffin
was carried to the house Of Mr..
Lightfoot. The circumstantial evi-
dence is strong.
Last Sunday was the eve Of the
day set for violence to be done Mr..
Lightfoot according to the threats
made by those who put the coffin on
his porch. The man under suspicion
was observed to be bestirring him
self in a peculiar manner on that
day.
That night by some freak of chance
the lights on Mr.. Lightfoot's street
were not burning, although they are
said to have been burning brightly
in other parts Of the city. Mr.. Light
foot observed a man sneaking behind
a tree in the neighborhood. He and
his wife were sitting on the porch at
the time. Mr.. Lightfoot went to-
ward the man and called to him but
the man made off, and Mr.. Lightfoot
returned to his house to get a shot
gun. AS he was leaving the house in
pursuit of the man who was acting
so queerly, Mayor Doyle 'phoned him
that on account of the excitement he