The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-09-21
BRANCHVILLE LETTER
NEGRO, woMAN RUN OVER AND
KILLED BY TRAIN.
Engineer Saw Body on the Rails but
Not in Time to Stop Train With
SaSety-Foul Play Suspected.


Sagety-Fo,,l Play Suspected.
Branchville. Sept. 17.-Special:
Another negro was killed on the
right of way of the Southern Rail-
way Company last night. This time
1t happened to be q woman. The
body of this woman was laying on
the tract of the Southern Railway
Company and as train No. IA, which
is the regular passenger train that
runs between Charleston and Colum-
bia was making her trip to Charles
ton as she was nearing an abandon
ed station that was called "5S" which
| is q few miles below Branchville
and in Orangeburg county, the body
of q negro woman by the name OF
Patience Banhester was seen on the
track a short distance ahead of the
engine, but the train was so close
to the body of the woman when she
seen that it was impossible for the
engineer to stop the train without
endangering the lives of the many
people that were on his train at the
time. The train was running at a
heigh rate of speed and when the
body of the woman was hit by the
train she was knocked some distance
off of the track to one side. 1t is
not known. whether the train killed
this old woman or whether she was
murdered and put on the track to
cover up the crime, but very singu-
lar incident in the case is the fact
that there is a hole through her
head that is at least two inches
big. This hole went through the
head from ear to ear and it does not
seem that the train could have
knocked hole through the head of
this nature. The arms Of the Wo-
man was broken and one of them
looked as if the train had passed
over it. There are no bruises on
the woman below the waist. This
old woman was about sixty years old
and was respected by all who knew
her. She had just married a few
weeks ago. to a man that is not
known very we'll in that community.
It is reported that her husband Is
from Columbia. THIS new husband
of hers did not show any signs or
worry when he was informed that his
wife was laying dead by the side OF
the railroad track near his house and
this fact has caused great many of
the people to believe that there has
been foul play in the killing. Capt
Barney Fair, who was in charge of
the train, left his fiagman to guard
the body until a message could be
sent to the coroner. When Magis-
trate Dukes was Informed of the
tragedy he at once had coroner's
jury summoned and started to view
the body, it being on the rail road
right of way and the railway COM
pany not being satisfied as to wheth-
er the woman was killed by their
train or by the hand Of an assas-
sin the company very readily agreed
to take the magistrate, acting as
coroner, with his jury and deputy
and a physician to hold the post
mortem examination down to the
scene Of the killing. This was done
and after the jury viewed the dead
body the court then continued the
hearing until next Sunday morning
at II o'clock a. m, at which time
testimony will be taken and rigid
examination had in the premises. It
is most certain that If the facts show
that the woman was not killed by
the railroad company that some ar
rest will be made. This old woman
had been to town yesterday to do
some shopping and near by her side
last night lay some Of the merchan-
disc that she had bought.
Not Intended So.
1t has been reported by some that
an injustice has been done Magis-
trate A. S. Dukes in the article
headed "Branchville letter" that ap-
peared in The Times and Democrat
under date of September 14th. This
article was written by the Branch
Vile correspondent of The Times
and Democrat and he had no desire
whatsoever to do anyone any injus-
tice in the matter. The article re-
ferred to the testimony of the State
VS.. Mood Reed, that was taken in
the preliminary hearing before Judge
Dukes on the 18th of September. In
this article it was stated that the
testimony in the case was not at
all strong and while that is what
your correspondent thought about
the matter, he did not wish to init
mate that the testimony was not
sufficiently strong to warrant the
Magistrate in committing Mood
Reed to Jail, as he did. Another
statement that was in part an error
was that Collins Dannelly said that
Mood Reed told him that he would
kill Charlie Davis unless Davis gave
him satisfaction, when the statement
should have been that collins DAN
nelly said that Mood Reed came to
house on the afternoon or night of
August 9th, and told him that he
was going to kill Charlie Davis and