The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-08-31
CoLoRED MAN SHOT TO DEATH
WHILE ON HIS WAY HOME.
Charles Davis Assassinated While
Walking Up the Southern Railway
Track Just Above Branchville.

One Of the most brutal murders
that has even occurred in the
Branchville neighborhood took place
on Friday evening when Charles Da-
ris, colored, was shot to death while
walking up the railroad track, on
his way home from work. Davis
had been in the employ Of the South
R-E-H-A-S-H(?) -XYZ
ern railway for the past fifteen years
and for many years past he had been
acting as engineer at the coal chute
in Branchville.
He did not live in town, but lived
about three miles above town, close
to the railroad, and every evening
after his work was over he would
go home to spend the night. Fri
day night he started home as usual
and had got within about one mile
of his home, about one-Quarter mile
below the residence Of Mr.. Art Bruce
and within few steps Of a road
crossing, when he was shot to death.
There was whole load of buck
shot fired into Davis, striking him
just above the right nipple and pen
etrating his right lung, a wound
which the doctor said was sufficient
to produce instant death. A very
peculiar incident in connection with
the murder was the fact that Davis
was shot with a load of small shot
in the back, just opposite where the
load of buckshot entered the body
in front. The assassin planned the
murder well, for the body Of the
dead man lay on the railroad track
between the rails, evidently put there
in. order that the train might run
over the body and conceal the crime.
An old coIored man named Allen
Davis crossed the railroad track later
1T the road crossing near where the
crime was committed and saw what
he supposed to be the body Of man
lying on the railroad track. He i'm
mediately reported the find to Mr..
Art Bruce, who investigated the mat
ter with the result as told above.
Mr.. Bruce went to Branchville at
once and reported the matter to
Magistrate Dukes and the magis-
trate had the body removed from
the railroad track and guarded until
y coroner's jury could be summoned
and empaneled and view the body.
The next thing, then, was to try
to find out who the murderer was
and while the officers did not have
q good clue, suspicion pointed to
a colored man, Mood Reed, who liv-
ed in the same neighborhood as the
deceased, and who in times past has
had some trouble with the deceased.
Unexpectedly Mood Reed went to
Branchville about midnight Friday
night and bought ticket for Dem
mark and the suspicion pointed so
strongly to him as being the man
that did the shooting that it was de-
cided to have him arrested.
The officers at BranchVllle 1mme-
diately telegraphed to the police
at Denmark, and had the SUSPECTED
man arrested and carried back to
Branchville. The testimony taken
at the inquest, which had been held
by Magistrate Dukes, was not suf-
flcient to warrant the court in hold
ing Reed. He was therefore turned
loose. The coroner's jury was not
dismissed but adjourned until e fur
ther call of the court. The coward
ly murderer is still at large, but it
is to be hoped that he will soon be
captured and made to pay the penal
ty for his dastardly crime. The
crime of assassination is getting en-
tirely too common in this section,
and the dastardly towards who are
guilty Of them should be run down.