The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-05


above me and he told them that he
didn't have anything but. sack of
candy When he gave them that
they, after searching him told him
to take his candy back.
Ignorant of Companions Fate.
II lay under that canvas until light
broke today. Then got up and NOV
ed back along the train until I came
to the car where Paul and had
been several hours before. I saw
two letters there and his watch fob.
saw blood splattered along the
length Of three cars. 1 thought prob
ably Paul had got off the train and
gone for help. 1 never dreamed he
was killed. But when I got off at
Warrenville, 1 notified the railroad
authorities. Then I caught the next
rtain back TO Columbia. started
out on the back platform the whole
way to see If could see anything Of
Paul, but I didn't see him on the re-
turn trip. I don't want to go
through such an experience again, it
was terrible"
Almost broken down, Weekley thus
told Of the trip that sent his COM
panion to his death the night before
Although advices received here
earlier in the day indicated that ten
negroes had been placed under ar
rest in Augusta, Weekley says the
men talked like white men and he
believes they were. He saw only
three men in the bunch that reach
ed him and Williams.
Alleged Confession Of Circus EN-
plOyee.
Augusta, O.aG ct.2.-As a result
of two negro employees of the Ha-
genback-Wallace Circus trying to
rob other employees of the company,
on the first section of the train, COM
ing into Augusta from Columbia last
night, one white man is known to be
dead. another is missing ad is be-
lieved to have jumped from the moy-
ig train and been injured or killed,
and missing negro is believed to
be dead, though no trace can be
found of him.
William Gresham, a negro canvas
man employed by the circus, one of
a number of the help arrested today
by the Augusta police department.
has made a contessionfto lie ahthor-
tiles and the circus detective, though
the instrumentality of the latter, in
which he says the report that the
train was held up is entirely untrue,
and that the trouble started and
ended on the train while it was in
motion.
At the conclusion Of the perform
ance in Columbia last night the work
force was paid off and the larger
number of the help INDUCED freely in
liquor. After the train had left Co.
lumbia, according to Gresham's con-
fession, he, John Wilson and Elijah
Clarke were in the canvas wagon,
when two white men and a strange
negro joined them. Clarke and Will
son are nergoes employed by the cir
Gus people and seem to be intimate
friends. Just before the train reach
ed Gilbert Station, forty miles from
Columbia. Wilson and Clark and the
two strange white men began quar-
relling, when Wilson shot one of the
white men and threw his body Off
the train. Clark. who also had a pis-
tol, forced the other negro 70 get on
top Of the canvas wagon and jump
OF while the train was running.
Whether he was killed or not Gresh-
am does not know.
According to Gresham's statement.
Wilson and Clark then decided to go
through the train and rob the help.
who had been paid off before the
train left Columbia, with the inten-
ton of themselves leaving the train
before IT entered the city of Augusta.
What became of the second white
man on the train, and who was i'm
the canvas wagon, Gresham does
not know.
Developments indicate that the two
white men referred TO by Gresham
were Paul a. Williams and ]. c.
Weekley. both of Columbia, and that
Weekley was not killed in the pistol
shooting, but very probably was in
Jured' since shoe, believed to be
his, was found under some tent can
vas In the canvas wagon, where il ap-
pears that Veekley hid when the
trouble started. How he got off the
train or where is still unpxDlainel