The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-07-08
ADMITS KILLING
Unexpected Confession Made in
Murder Trial.
HORRIBLE DETAILS

OCOnee on tTe NlSSnt VI MsliCl O,
Claims He Fired the Shots That
Proved Fatal.
Yes, killed the Corbins.' With
these startling words did Bob Belch-
er clear up Tuesday the mystery as
to who fired the fateful shots that
removed forever Deputy United
States Marshal W. B. F. Corbin and
and his deputy, Chris" Corbin.
Four persons, j. B. Palmer, Charley
Palmer, father and son, and Lou
Belcher and Bob Belcher, mother
and son, stand charged with murder
ing the two officers near Walhalla on
the night of March s, 1909. Their
case was begun in the Sessions Court.
Although nearly score of witness
es had been examined, not before Bob
was placed on the stand had the au-
thor of the shot been revealed.
Belcher, nervous and perspiring, told
the following story OF the event OF
chat night:
About 2 o'clock that night some
one Knocked on the door. l start
eu to open it, but my grandfather
said: Let ME open it. He asked
VINO was there. The reply was Cor
uln. Open the door or l Will Dust
i, down. Pap, ]. B. Palmer, uh-
pu1loneu the uuor and the Corbln
the ola one CIV. Il. f., came lnto
the room wnere We were sitting about
tile nre with cooked pistol III his
rlsnl hand. / ulu noL r.n and niue.
ulu not KNOW VINO they were, nor
what tney wanted. backed into
| room To The lett, and W. Is. r. Cor
pln glanced al me, but salu noun
| ing. Pap asked hlm his Duslness'
anu he made no answer tie went
INTO the cook room, took up lamp
there, and climbed up ON the stove.
Lou told him to get down, as we
mad stolen nothing. He said: Il hats
all right Lou said he could not
walk around the house with cooked
pistol. Again he replied: lhat
all right Lou and Cnarley Palmer,
NV uncle, followed him. lie search
ed around in there about flve min
| utes. | stayed in the front OF the
house watching Chris COrDln, VINO
was standing with pistol drawn
in the front door. Bill Corbin came
back into the big room, and with
out word walked up TO ME anu
out his big pistol barrel right over
INV heart. Charley knocked the pls-
tol to one side just as IT was hrea
He wanted to kill me, but did not
have time to fire. | lodged. chris
then ran in and grabbed my hand,
and in jerking loose from him my
elbow knocked a board from the
side of the house. Chris grabbed
me by the coat, and pulled me to-
ward the front door, firing again.
lust then Lou said: oh, you snot
me- and | grabbed the pistol to pro-
tect my mother. He dragged me out
of the door and fired twice at my
head, but / turned the pistol. He
dragged me out doors toward an
apple tree. About that time, when
Charley and Lou were begging them
not TO kill me, heard Charley say:
oh, Lord, you have killed me, and
fell. jcrked loose from Chris TO
run to Charley, when | saw Bill
Corbin trying TO chop my mother
with an axe. ran in the house
and got my shotgun. E:ll kept COM
ing with his axe as If he meant TO
| kill either ME or Lou, SO when he
was three feet off, shot and he
fell. Chris Corbin then fired again
at me, and | returned the fire and
he fell. thought Charley WAS dead
on the ground. | shot because ! saw
they were trying to kill me. never
did know what they were trying to
| kill me for. saw no papers.
could have escaped through the win
dow when they came.
If there was ever any doubt as
to the plea of the defendants it IS
now removed. Illegal invasion OF a
mans house and firing to Kill all
the defendants will be charged
against the two dead men. On cross
examination by Solicitor Bonham, the
witness was considera bly, confused.
1t was truly a gruelling examination.
Court adjourned for the day with the
witness still on the sand. The State
rested its case before the dinner
hour.
1t was evident that they will try
to prove a conspiracy to prevent the
arrest of Bob Judge Dantzler ad-
mitted testimony going to show that
the defendants knew that Il warrant
for Boh'S arrest for shooting into
a mail box would be issued. Wit
ncsSrs were introduced to prove and
disprove that some one had been in
the loft, where. the State contends,
Bob was told by the others to hide.