Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1907-04-11
AWFUL CRIME.
Negro Murdered and His Body
Hidden in a Swamp.
BY "INDIAN DOCTOR. !"

The Murdered Man was q Peace
able, Industrious Negro and Was
Well Thought OF.
A most awful and brutal murder
came to light over in Barnwell Coun-
ty on last Thursday. On Wednes-
nay. Feb. 81, man giving his name
as DR.. Jeems and claiming to be an
Indian doctor" was In Allendale.
accompanied by negro woman. He
claimed that the woman was his wife
After making some inquiries about
the town the couple called at the
house OF a negro named Stokes and
hired him to take them across the
country in his wagon to Barnwell.
After some explanations 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 home on
the afternoon of the day he left with
the strangers. Nor the next day did
he show up, and his folks became
uneasy about him. The third day
came. and not having been seen or
heard from his family organized q
searching party and started out to-
ward Barnwell to gather some infor-
nation from people along the road,
They were told by various parties on
the road that wagon with the three
occupants as described was seen to
pass along the Barnwell-Allendale
road on Wednesday. Feb 27.
They found no difficulty In tracing
the wagon to point within about
three miles Of Barnweli. They were
told by some parties that the wagon
turned of at this place and was driv-
IN In the direction of a swamp. Later
was seen to come back with only
.wo OF the occupants, the man de-
scribed as the Indian doctor and the
negro woman. The negro Stokes was
missing.
Search was made for the body of
the Allendale negro. II being then be-
lieved that he had been murdered
and his body secreted, but no trace
Of him was found.
Negroes and whites looked for a
week after he was missed. some ex-
pecting possibly to find him alive,
while others have searched for his
body. Days went by without their
searches resulting in anything.
Thursday the attention of some
parties wa" attracted to a large num-
ber of buzzards lowering over the
swamp, near where Stokes was seen
last. some distance from the road.
investigation resulted In finding a
badly decomposed body. afterwards
identified as Stokes by means Of his
coat and shoes. The buzzards had
eaten almost all the flesh of the
bones. The body was face down
ces which showed that 1t had been
gragged some distance. from a point
near the road.
The theory Is that Stokes was MUIR
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 Il
was robbery. The mule and buggy
is all that the negro Stokes had.
1t Is certain that Doctor" Jeems
and his negro wife never went tc
Barnwell, but they were seen to turr
| toward Williston. The next day
| Thursday, Feb. 2S, they were in Will
| 'iston and tried to trade of the mule
and wagon.
| 1t Is claimed that the negro woman
with the alleged Indian told severa
hat her home was in Sumter.
| Stokes was farmer. He wa
about % years OF age. and was /;
| luiet. hard working. honest negr,
and was liked in his community. Ev
,ry effort was made to apprehend th
Doctor" and his colored spouse an,
,olice officers and sheriffs are urgen
ly requested to keep a sharp look
ut for them.