Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-06-10
ConUMBrA's SENSATIONAL CASE.
May End I'm Disbarring Of Lawyer Of
that City.

T. Duncan, OF the Columbia bar, re-
quiring him to show cause Monday
morning why he sho lid not be at
tached for contempt or disbarred for
submitting false anc. fictitious afr
davits in a case before the court to
secure a new trial for negro named
Jesse Hunter, charged with assault.
The order grows out of sensa-
tional charges and counter charges
between afidavits which Duncan sub
mitted. The other side claims these
were fictitious, while Mr., Duncan
claims that the real affldavits were
stolen. He involves several Columbia
attorneys in his charge of conspiracy.
After hearing the case the court dis
missed the motion for a new trial on
after-discovered evidence.
Mr.. Duncan presented lengthy af-
fidavit from himself in which he set
forth the progress Of the case, and
charged that certain attorneys of CO.
lumbia and others are in conspiracy
to injure him professionally and that
certain records in this and other
cases, in which he was attorney, have
been lost or stolen from the office of
the Clerk Of the Circuit Court and
the Clerk of the Supreme Court. One
OF the principal afldavits in the case
was that of a negro. JEFF Taylor, who
stated that 1T was himself and not
Jesse Hunter, who did the shooting,
for which Hunter was convicted, and
that he had feared to testify to the
truth of this matter on the trial by
Wit was probated by Washington
Clark, an attorney of this city. So
licitor Benet presented an affidavit
from Mr.. Clark stating that he had
one day been called into the Office Of
Mr.. Duncan and asked to probate a
paper signed by negro and that the
negro who afterwards owned to the
name of JEFF Taylor was not the ne
gro he saw in the office of Duncan,
but was of entirely different appear
ance. Solicitor Zimmerman also de-
MED that he had receiver the paper
said to have been served on him by
Mr.. Duncan, but on the other hand
Mr.. Duncan presented affidavits to
show that he had been at the Drafts
hotel in Lexington and seen Mr.. Tim
norman on a certain date. To his
own affidavit Mr.. Duncan denounces
Mr.. Zimmerman as a coward as we'll
nd l.,l With ha ~
note addressed to Mr.. Zimmerman
containing these epithets. Mr.. Dun
can also charges the new solicitor,
Christie Benet, with being in the con-
spiracy against him and denounces
him. He names d. w. Robinson, an
attorney of this bar. and Mr.. Robin
sons father-in-law, 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 John Gary
Evans and in his lengthy affidavit
he refers to this fact and to Cover
nor Evans.
He presents an affidavit from his
former stenographer, now married,
which contradicts that of Mr. Clark
in regard to the description of the
negro who gave the affidavit signed
by JEFF Taylor.
The two negroes, whose escapade
brought about this sensational state
Of affairs, Jesse and Frances Hunter,
were convicted Of assault and battery
with intent to kill in June, 1905, and
Jesse was given five years ana Fran
ces was given twelve months. The
shooting for which they were tried
occurred In January, 1906. They
lived in the 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 Off
istrate 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, hut since that
time it has been stated that Taylor
was the man who fired the shots, and
1t was on this after-discovered evil