The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-07-10

the COrb1nS." With these startling
words did Bob Belcher clear up today
the mystery as to who fired the fate
fui shots that removed forever Dep
uty United States Marshal w. B. F.
Corbin and his deputy, Chris" Cor
bin. Four persons, J. B. Palmer,
Charley Palmer, father and son, and
Lou Belcher and Bob Belcher, moth
er and son, stand charged with MUIR
dertng the two officers near Walhalla
| OH the night of March 8, 1909. Their
case was begun in the Sessions Court
here yesterday.
Although nearly a score Of witness
es had been examined, not before Bob
was placed on the stand had the au-
thor of the shots been revealed. Bel
cher. nervous and perspiring, told the
following story of the events of that
| night:
about 9 o'clock that night some
one Knocked on the door. I started
to open 1t, but my grandfather said.
Let me open it, He asked who was
there. The reply was 'Corbin.' Open
! the door or I will bust it down. Pap,
j. B. Palmer, unbuttoned the door
and the Corbin's, the old one (w. B.
| F.) came into the room where we
were sitting about the fire with q
cooked pistol in his right hand. did
not run and hide. I did not know
who they were, nor what they want
ed. I backed into a room to the left.
and w. B. F. Corbin glanced at me,
but said nothing. Pap asked him his
business. and he made nd answer. He
went into the cook room, took up a
lamp there and climbed up on the
stove. Lou told him to get down. as
we had stolen nothing. He said:
That's all right Lou said he could
not walk around the house with a
cooked pistol. Again he replied
That's all right Lou and Charley
Palmer. my uncle, followed him. He
searched around in there about five
minutes. stayed in the front of the
house watching Chris Corbin. who
was standing with a pistol drawn in
the front door. Bill Corbin came
back into the big room, and without
| word walked up to me and put his
big pistol barrel right over my heart
Charley knocked the pistol to one
| side just as 1t was fired. He wanted
to Kill me, but did not have time to
fire. I lodged. Chris then ran in
and grabbed me by the coat and pull
ed me toward the front door. firing
again. Just then Lou said: oh, you
shot me- and I grabbed the pistol to
protect my mother. He dragged me
out Of the door and fired twice at my
head. but I turned the pistol. He
dragged me out doors toward an ap-
pie 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. jerked loose from Chris to run
to Charley, when I saw Bill Corbin
trying to chop my mother with an
axe. I ran in the house and got my
shotgun. Bill kept coming 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 1 returned the
fire and he fell. I thought Charley
was dead on the ground. I shot be-
| cause I saw they were trying to kill
| me. 1 never did know what they
were trying to kill me for. I saw no
papers. could have escaped through
the window 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 xiii all the defen-