Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-06-11
DUNCAN RULED
BY the State Supreme Court on q
Serious Charge.
AFTER HE HAD FILED !

'"' ihere was COnSpi-
r"cy in Columbia to Injury Him
professionally, and That Certain
hecords Have Disappeared.
Anhdavits containing sensations,
statements and charges were nreso,,t
GU 10 the Supreme Court TUESDAY -,
,ne argument of the case of Ios,.
iuh'er' negro, represented nv NJ
'ohh L. Duncan, of Columns, At.a
nearing the case the Court dis,,,a..,
,"e hotlon for a new trial on .s,ou
discovered evidence "h'er
MI duncan, who has put ~,
nara hght for his clients. Jesse H.
Ter and his wife, Frances uunt
convicted of assault and batto.,,
.ois. lengthy affidavit from him.
~ "hich he set forth the progress.
VI 'he case and charged that cor,
'"'" attorneys of Columbia and otbers
are IN conspiracy to injure him nro.
esSiohaiiy' and that certain ra-
cords In this and other casas =,
"hich he was attorney have haa,
'os' OF stolen from the Office of the
',erk or the Circuit Court and the
'ieIh OF the Supreme Court.
O"e OF the principal affidavite in
ene case was that of negro Iofs
laylor' who stated that il was bir,
ser and not Jesse Hunter who Ala
the shooting for which Huntor No..
.on,ic'eu' and that he had feared to
.S'iy 10 the truth OF this matter n,
ene trlal by reason of intimidation
ms afhdavit was probated bv NJ
ashlngton Clark, an attorney n,
Columbia. VI
solicitor Benet presented an a@-
uavlt from NJ. Clark. stating that ho
had one day been called into tha ~.
ice OF MI. Duncan and asked to nro-
pdte paper signed by a negro. and
'hat the negro who afterwards owned
10 the name of JEFF Taylor was NOT
the negro he saw III the office of nm
can. but was of entirely different a.,
pearance.
solicitor Zimmerman also denied
.n"' ne hau received the papers said
I'd nave been served on him bv Mr.
duncan, but on the other hand Mr.
duncan presented afidavits to show
that he had been at the Drafts
Hotel, in Lexington, and seen Mr.
zimmerman on certain date. In
MS own affidavit Mr.. Duncan denoun-
;es Mr Zimmerman as coward IA
WeII as liar, and filed with the
court note addressed to Mr.. Tim
norman containing these epithets.
Mr.. Duncan also charges the new
Mr
neinG In the conspiracy against him
ana denounces him. He names Mr..
ID. w. Robinson. an attorney of this
bar, and Mr.. Robertson's father-ip-
law, Mr.. w. G.. Childs, president of
the Bank of Columbia. as among the
CHIEF conspirators. and declares he
might name many others to the court.
Mr.. Duncan made the race for the
United states Senate in 1896, and On
the stump made grave charges against
then Governor Gary Evans. and in
his lengthy affidavit he refers to this
fact and to Governor Evans.
He presents an affidavit from his
former stenographer, now married.
which contradicts that of Mr.. Clark
in regard to the description of tho
negro who gave the affidavit signed
by JEFF Taylor.
The two negroes whose escapad-
es brought about this sensational
state of affairs, Jesse and Frances
Hunter. were convicted Of assault
and battery with intent to kill In
June, 1908, and Jesse was given five
years and Frances was given 12
month. The shooting for which they
were tried occurred in January, 1906.
They lived in lower portion of Rich
| land County and it was asserted that
Jesse Hunter had put his aged moth
er out of the house where she had
lived for years, and which was said
to be her own property.
Her other children demonstrated
| and the officers of the law were call
| ed in. Magistrate Lykes, with a
posse, went to the house and they
were fired on by some one. Jesse
Hunter and his wife were arrested.
indicted, tried and convicted for
shooting the officers. and at the trial
Jeff Taylor was a witness for the
prosecution, but since that time ii
has been stated that Taylor was the
man who fired the shots and IL was
on this after-discovered evidence
that Mr.. Duncan asked for a new
trial for his clients, which motion was
refused.
The Supreme Court Tuesday after.
noon of it's own accord. issued ar
order requiring Mr.. John T. Duncan
an attorney of the Columbia Bar. tC
show cause before the Court on Mon
day, June s, why he should not b,
be attached for contempt of Court OF
disbarred as an attorney for sub
hitting what are declared an oatl
to be false and fictious'' affidavit
in the case of Jesse and France
Hunter. argued before the Court las
Tuesday.