The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1910-03-30
TWO NEGROES SLAY
THREE NEAR PARKS
Claude Ferguson and Jim
Davis the Perpetrators.
THEY SKIP COUNTRY
Toney Anderson, Ida Mccoy and Alex
Ray Meet Their Death In Cold.
BlOOded, Brutal Manner.

w "A tTlple Killing, the commission OF
which embraces some very unusual
circumstances, occurred in the neigh
borhood of Parks station, three miles
east of the city, Saturday night, when
Toney Anderson was murdered in the
cabin home Of Ida Mccoy Nelson, the
negress herself mortally wounded, dy-
ing few hours later, and Alex Raw.
living mile distant, was called to his
front door and shot through the body.
falling dead in his tracks.
Claude Ferguson, as the arch exc
cutioner and Jim Davis, both negro
farm hands living in the same com
munity, are charged with the crimes.
They fled the country Saturday night
and, although the sheriff, his deputies
and special officers, with the assistance
of numerous citizens have put forth
every effort to apprehend them, up
until yesterday at noon the fugitives
were still at large. 1t was reported
that two negroes believed to have been
the parties wanted, We're seen near
cross Anchor, in Spartanburg county,
Sunday afternoon. Deputy Sheriff
Culbertson and Rural Policeman Sulli-
van spent Monday in that country, but
were unable to trace the negroes any
farther. Yesterday Sheriff Owings and
his deputy took another trip in search
of the murderers.
The cause for the triple tragedy is
said to have been the existence of trou-
Bile too common among the colored
race. Ferguson is known to have been
insanely jealous of the Mccoy woman
and her daughter. All parties were
involved in one way or another, so it
is said. Ferguson has pretty bad
record. Only a few weeks ago he was
liberated from Jail after the settle
ment, at the instance of his brother.
of charge of highway robbery. the
brother referred to having been the
alleged victim.
For more than a year Ferguson and
the Mccoy woman had been on bad
terms In order to gain admission to
her house, Jim Davis accompanied Fer
guson Saturday night. Both were arm
ed, Ferguson with single barrel shot
gun. his accomplice with a pistol. Ida
Mccoy and two of her smaller children
had retired, Anderson, who took his
meals at her house and Rosa, the
grown daughter, being up when Davis
raped on the door. Rosa opened the
door and instantly Ferguson and Davis
rushed in, the former leading With
out word he raised his gun and shot
Anderson as he sat in a chair at n
small table over against the wall De-
liberately reloading the gun he then
fired into the woman as she attempted
to raise herself in bed With both
hands practically shot off and other
wise wounded, she managed to make
her escape from the cabin and ran
toward the house Of her brother At
ter proceeding about fifty yards, both
men in pursuit, she was shot down in
the road and left for dead. Then the
murderers returned to the cabin and
finished Anderson, shooting him again
in the left side. The negress was taxi
en- to her brothers. where she fingered
untih about midnight. She was ration
al for some time and made a statement
concerning the affair which was cor
roborated by the testimony of Rosa as
given at the inquest, held Sunday. Both
statements as to how it happened have
been given above, substantially. The
scene of the double murder is a one
room cabin, located on the premises
of Messrs r. G. and W. ID. Franks.
The Third Murder.
After dispatching Anderson, Fergu-
son and Davis, it appears, proceeded
directly to the home OF Alex Ray, who
lived with his family a few hundred
yards west OF Parks station, on the
Columbia, Newberry G. Laurens rail
road. Here the order of procedure was
changed, Ferguson, for reason best
known to themselves, doing the rap
ping the door act and the subsequent
talking, Davis the shooting. Alex
was aroused and asked If he could
change n dollar. lie replied. after
coming to his door that he thought he
could. Finding his purse, he reap
pcared in the doorway where he was
slot to DEATH
Rays wife and one or two or the