The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-02-11
FOUR RARRESTSFOR MURDER

FOUR ARRESTSFOR MURDER
PROMINENT MEN TAKEN BY
SHERIFF OF DORCHESTER.
In Jail at St. George on Warrants Ac'
cusing Them of Assassination of
Presley Reeves.
News was received here yesterday
to the effect that four white men OF
prominence in Dorchester county had
been arrested yesterday on the
charge of being implicated in the as
sassination of Presley Reeves on the
23rd of last September.
Gov. Ansel, with the cooperation
of Mr.. r. Lon Weeks, of St. George,
and Solicitor P. T. Hildebrand, has
had secret service men at work on
the case for some time. Their report
was submitted last week and thereon
were issued the warrants which
caused the arrest of these persons
yesterday. The nature of the evil
dence could not be learned last
night, but it appears that it is quite
strong.
! The phone message stated that
the men under arrest are e: o. Ar
rant, A. H. McAlhaney, Thomas S.
Fairey and L. E. Reeves, the latter
being a distant relative of the deceas-
ed. They were arrested by Sheriff
Owens and special deputies from Co.
lumbia, who had been sent down to
assist in case of trouble. The arrests
were made upon warrants sworn out
by the father of the assassinated
young man, who bases his charges
upon information and belief"
The sheriff and deputies and their
prisoners arrived in st. George in the
afternoon and the men in arrest were
placed in the county Jail. They will
insist upon having a preliminary at
once, but it is doubtful if they can
get it before Monday. 1t is stated
that they have employed as counsel
Mr.. J. A. HERS, of St. George.
The killing occurred 10 miles
northwest of st. George, in the Cattle
Creek section. The town of St.
George is said to have been greatly
stirred over the arrests yesterday,
and public sentiment is reported to
be strongly in favor of finding and
Furnishing the assassin of Presley
Reeves-if the guilty man can be
found.
E. o. Arrant is man so years of
age, and is said to have had stood
well in his community. The others
are young men of about 80 or 33
each. 1t is stated that warrant was
to be served on C. D. McAlhaney and
that he CO Id not be found, but that
he will be apprehended Saturday.
The States correspondent at St.
George says that there. has been a
kind of feud in the Cattle Creek
neigh borhood for number Of years
and that Reeves was not at all popu-
lar there. Furthermore, when he re-
ceived the appointment as game war
den, it aggravated and intensified the
feeling against him, for there has
been on the Edisto river an utter
disregard of the laws regulating the
catching of fish, and Reeves was
warned that his life would be put in
danger if he should make himself ac-
tive in the effort to enforce the law.
A gentleman in Columbia who is
familiar with the details of the kill
ing yesterday gave the State the fol-
lowing summary of the case:
Some time ago six men were seen
walking across lands cultivated by
young Reeves. He gave them warn
ing not to do so any more. However,
it was but a few days later that some
of the same persons stole his watch
from his coat, which was hanging on
a persimmon tree, while Reeves was
in the field. A negro saw the theft,
it is said.
Reeves was greatly incensed and
had the men arrested. Just about
that time he got his appointment as
game warden from the State of
South Carolina and that served to in
crease his unpopularity, for he was
active in the effort to enforce the
law.
On the afternoon of the 23rd Of
September he had taken wagon
load of cotton pickers home and was
returning to his home. While some
distance from his home he was met
by an assassin, who, from behind a
tree, poured into his body death
dealing load of buckshot. So close
was the assassin to his. victim that
the wadding from the shells was
found in the wounds. 1t was further
found that the wadding corresponded
with that in shells of an unusual kind
bought at St. George by two of the
men whom Reeves had warned away
from his place and later had had ar
rested on the other charge.
When he was shot by the assassin,
for there appears to have been but
one man who did the actual deed Of
stealth, Reeves fell back dead in his
wagon and the mules carried him
home. 1t was not difficult to find
where in the road he was shot, and
close by was found the tree behind
which the assassin stood. Thence the