The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-01-29
|TRADEGY IN LAURENS
! IN RAILROAD YARDS
OCCURRED AT 2:15 O'CLOCK
YESTERDAY MORNING.
(Safe- Cracker Was Killed By Com
panion Officer Of the Wounded
Policeman.

An unknown yeggman dead and a
! policeman Of the city Of Laurens fat
ally and probably mortally wounded
, is the result of a pistol duel at 2.l5
'elock yesterday morning in the rail-
road yards at Laurens, in which the
unknown safe-breaker, who had come
!. in on the through freight from Spar
tanburg, and Patrolman McDuffe 81.
s Stone, the wounded policeman, and
Patrolman W. F. Walker, Of the
Laurens police force, were partici-
pants. Patrolman Stone received five
bullet wounds, the most serious Of
which was in the abdomen. Yester-
day morning it was thought there was
a chance for his life, and DR.. LeGrand
Guerry, of the Columbia hospital, was
wired for to come to Laurens on the
Columbia, Newberry and Laurens
train, arriving at Laurens about two
% 'elock yesterday afternoon, and per-
form an operation.
The wounded policeman did not
get in a shot, the yeggman being kill
ed by Policeman Walker after the
yeggman had fired at Policeman
Stone, hitting him five times, and
then fired once at Policeman Walker.
The first news of the tragedy was
! received in Newberry at an early
hour yesterday morning, and The
Herald and News secured Immediate
connection with Mr.. S. E. Boney, edi-
tor of the Laurens Advertiser, both
1 by Western Union wire and long dis
tance phone. Mr.. Boney gave the
following details Of the tragedy:
Details Of The Tragedy.
::On the arrival at 2.15 a. N. Of the
through freight from Spartanbrrg,
bound for Augusta, Patroimen Nc
Duhfe H. Stone and ". F. Walker
were in the railroad yards, II the
course Of their rounds. Patrolman
Stone walked down one side Of the
train and Patrolman Walker walked
down the other side. Patrolmau Stone
met stranger on his side Of the
train, the stranger carrying 4 little
sack in his hand. Patrolman Stone
aesosted him, saying:
"'What are you doing here?
1.-The stranger answered, I am a
train hand
Where are you going?' asked
Stone.
"'Going back to tie. caboose,' re-
plied the stranger.
+s'It is strange you haven't g3t q
hight; train hands always have lights,
said Stone.
with this remark, Patrolman
Stone stepped up little nearer to the
stranger and laid his hand on him,
Ewhereupon the stranger whipped out
.45 callibre magazine pistol from his
YES. pocket and emptied it at Stone.
firing eight shots, five Of which took
effect in Stones body-one in the
abdomen. three in the leg. and one in
the lower lip.
"The shots from the magazine pis-
Itol came Immediately after it was
drawn, and before Policeman Stone
had time to realize the situation, and
the shots were in such rapid success
sion that Stone did not have an op-
portunity to get out his pistol. Stone,
however, clenched the stranger, and
they fell together. Stone, Of course,
was growing weak, and the stranger
worked loose from his grasp.
A Clever Ruse.
"Patrolman Walker, in the mean
time. had crawled under the cars to
Stones side Of the train. AS Walker
appeared on the side Of the train
where the shooting had occurred, the
stranger said:
"'Don't shoot; I am already shot
to pieces
"This, Of course, was false, the
Istran@er not having been shot at at
all. and was a ruse to give him time
to reload his pistol. Slipping another