The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-12-17

AoA " AOoC OCdIA ny DEOWN"
ing was Absolutely Proven by
Circumstantial Evidence Re
appears After Four Months -
No Explanation Offered of a
Very Strange Case.
One of the strangest and most
complete cases on record of cir
cumstantial evidence which was
knocked into a cooked hat has
just come to light at Fair Bluff.
A chain of circumstantial evil
dence that proved absolutely that
a man was dead was built up,
and the only thing the matter
with it was that the man was
not dead at all and he turned up
just in time to stop the suits
against the insurance companies,
which had resisted payment of
death claims, preparations for
which suits had about been COM
pleted.
The man who was supposed to
be dead was Harley Hayes, who,
about the first Of last April, NOV
cd from Marion county. S. c., to
Fair bluff, Columbus county, just
across the line from Robson
county. The story of his disap-
pearance, proof of his death and
his recent temperance is as fol-
lows:
While living at Fair Bluff
Hayes was engaged chiefly in
fishing in Lumber river. He has
a wife and two or three small
children. About the latter part
of July he went fishing with a
companion about one mile below
Fair Bluff and fished until about
II o'clock at night. The other
man suggested that they go
home, but Mr.. Hayes said he
wanted to try his luck lower
down, so he roWed down the riv-
er so or Is yards. After wait
ing a while the other man called,
but received no answer, and af-
ter waiting Is or 20 minutes
longer he called again, louder,
but still received no answer. Be-
coming alarmed, he went to town
and told Mrs. Hayes that he fear
ed her husband had been drown
ed, At daylight a party went to
the river to search and Hayes
boat was found showed up to the
bank, with its chain around a
stump, and on the paddle in the
boat was found Hayes hat.
Search was continued all that
day-which was Sunday-and
for several days thereafter, but
no further trace of the missing
man was found.
About three weeks later, after
a freshet, about one mile below
where Hayes was supposed tt
. have been drowned, a man saw
a body floating on the river. He
went back to town and reported
and the coroner, with the wife
and father of the deceased and {
jury composed of some of the
most prominent citizens of Fail
Bluff, went to the river to inves
tigate. The body was only {
trunk-the head, arms and legS
5 were gone, and there was every
indication that the missing mem
bers had been nibbled off by
fishes. Thorough investigation
seemed to prove conclusively tina
the body was that of Hayes. Tht
coat, buttoned tight around thu
body, was identified as the Goa
worn by Hayes on the night ht
disappeared and his wife pro
duced from her home among he
husbands effects the vest tt
match the coat; the belt anC
watch chain, trousers and shir
were all positively identified al
belonging to the missing Hayes
and if any doubts remained aftel
these evidences, they were al
dispeIled when the coat was un
buttoned and a search was mad
of the pockets, where tax receipts
a bank-deposit book-showinl
drafts and checks receipts fo
sales of cotton-all belonging t.
Hayes--and a memorandum
book, with many entries il
Hayes hand, were found. Tn,
body appeared to have been il
the river several weeks.
The cOroner's jury returne
for it's verdict that the body wa
that of Harley Hayes and tina
he came to his death by acciden
tai drowning in Lumber river
and the father carried the bod
to his old home in South Care
lima, where a funeral was hel
and the body inferred, and Han
, ley Hayes was mourned as deaC
Now Hayes life was insured i
the Metropolitan Life Insuranc
Co. of New York and the Life II
surance Company, of Virginia
three policies, aggregating S.
s. 600. In due time proofs c
Hayes death were fixed up an
!, forwarded to the insurance con
panies, but they refused to pa
4 on the ground that they did NJ
believe Hayes to be dead. The
were criticised severely by cit
zenS Of Fair Bluff for treating
widow and orphans in such
manner and friends advised Mr.
Hayes to employ counsel, whiC
she did, and just as the attorne,
were getting ready to bring ST
Hayes turned up at the home
his father, Mr.. J. B. Hayes, wi
lives near Pages Mills, S. c.
Mr.. HaVeS senior was in Iul