The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1908-12-17
OCCURRENCES OF interest
At HARPERS and VICINITY.
xeHOOTlNG AFFRaY At ROSEMARY-BODY
OF NEGRO WOMAN FOUND IN THE
WOODS OTHER NEWS.

narpeTS, DtcehloeA
Thompkins, merchant and farmer
of Georgetown (his home being near
Lenudpostofice) was probably fat
ally shot Wednesday night, Decem-
Der 9, at Rosemary by his nephew,
Henry Berring. The details of the
affair, as nearly as your correspond
ent can ascertain, are as follows: On
the night stated, Mr. Thompklns
called on his kinsmen, the Behring'S,
being we'll supplied with @hiskey'an
they began drinking. An Italian
named Neal Busk was also present
The four men,it is SAID, drank three
qua, is of whlskey a half piRt to the
drink, so that each man drank three
half pints in three drinks. They
then got into drunken row and the
Behring'S and Neal Busk began
shooting. One bullet entered MIR
Thompkins' left lung and another
Killed his horse, which was hitched
to a post of the piazza of the build
ing.
A preliminary hearing was held
before Magistrate Porter at Rose
mary on Friday and Henry Berrlns
and Neal Busk were lodged IL
Georgetown Jail to await develop
mentS.
DR. T r Howle, the A G L Cor
poration physician at Rosemary,who
is attending Thompkins, thinks his
CHARGE for recovery is slight.
n Thompkins is an honest, up
business man. his greatest en-
,eing liquor. The Behring'S
usk are Italians or Danes.
r correspondent is informed
Ir John Mcdonnell, who lives
Morrisville, while hunting
! the woods between Cedar
} and Morrisvllle recently,
found newly made grave near
large bay. Opening the grave he
unearthed the body of a negro wo-
man with the neck broken and be-
side the remains were several yards
of white homespun made into a rope,
which is supposed to have been used
in hanging the woman. Also a
satchel was found in the grave con-
tanning clothing supposed to belong
TO the dead woman. The matter
having been reported to- Magistrate
Nesmleh be at once impaneled jury
and held an inquest. We have not
heard the verdict of the coroner's
jury of inquisition. Later we have
been Informed that the woman whose
remains were found was from the
Cedar Swamp section, and that
her relatives had taken the body in
charge.
These murders are becoming far
too common in the lower parts OF
Williamsburg and Georgetown coun-
ties. There have been five or SIX
murders within s or 10 miles OF
Harpers this year, 1908, and in not
single case has anyone been pun
ished. If the executors of the law
10 not fulfill their duties more effic-
Piently this kind of crime will IN
drease daily and the country relapse
into a state of lawlessness pltlable
w COHVcAbp bploOe'.
Mr. Editor, I want to call the at
tention of the readers of The REC
ORD to a stumbling block IN the
way of our farmers in the cotton
belt. | refer to the so-called glnners
reports. Few people know the harm
inc by this pretended protection to
Armers. Do you know that these re-
ports are largely a matter of guess
ework? See the ginners' report for the
year-nearly twelve million bales up
to December 1. These reporters make
up their estimates by guess-work ana
the large report sent out depresSes
the price. The speculator gets the
cotton at very price now and IN