The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-05-19
SOLDIERS SHOT BY NEGROES,
Six Members of Coast Artillery More
or Less Hurt.

Six Members Of Coast Artillery More
or Less Hurt.
Beaufort, May 11.-Six soldiers of
the 127th company, coast artillery,
stationed at Fort Fremont on St
Helena Island, were shot by negroes
just outside the reservation lines be-
tween o'clock Monday night and
o'clock Tuesday afternoon. Two OF
the men, Privates Quigley and Nc
Nally are seriously, but not fatally,
wounded while Privates Mccarthy,
Stansberry, Callahan and Sleder are
less badly shot The negroes who
did the shooting, Will and Isaac Pot
ter, have left the neighborhood and
have not been arrested.
| About a week ago Isaac Potter and
a soldier from the fort had a fight
on road near Cusper City, on St.
Helena Island, which resulted in Pot
ter being cut by the soldier. 1t is
said that at that time and after
wards he two Potters threatened to
shoot the first soldier caught off the
reservation after that night.
On Monday night Privates Gala
han, Mccarthy, Stansberry and Sleder
were shot from the bushes while
walking along the road a short dis
tance from the reservation lines. The
weapons used were shotguns and the
smallness of the shot was all that
prevented fatal results, as the men
were fired on from close range.
Considerable excitement and
much feeling was apparent among
some of the men after the shooting
of the soldiers on Monday night, and
on Tuesday party of six soldiers
are said to have gone to the Potter
house, carrying two shotguns along,
to find out whether or not they had
anything to do with the shooting of
their comrades on the previous night.
1t is said that the soldiers were all
drunk at the time and began shoot
ing up the house as soon as they
came up One of the Potters retreat
ed upstairs when the soldiers entered
the house and fired into the crowd
with the result that Privates Quig-
ley and McNally, received serious
but not dangerous, wounds with bird
shot.
Stories differ as to whether the
men were shot while inside the house
or whether they were outside when
the shooting occurred.
But reliable information is that
the men were drunk with whiskey
bought from the house which they
were shooting up and that both sides
were fighting with shotguns loaded
with small shot.
1t was reported in Beaufort late
yesterday that at least one negro and
two soldiers had been killed and that
great excitement prevailed on the is
land and Sheriff McTeer secured a
boat and went to the fort. Every
thing was found very quiet and in
formation exceedingly hard to get.
No one seemed to know whether eth
er of the negroes had been hurt at all
and the men concerned in the affray
were not disposed to talk.
This morning Sheriff McTeer went
to the scene of the shooting of the
last two soldiers and found that the
house had been badly shot up from
the outside by the soldiers and that
the Potter brothers had left the
neighborhood Immediately after the
shooting.
No warrants have been issued and
while the shooting of the four men
from ambush is considered with seri-
business, the fight at the Potter house,
which bears bad reputation as a
blind tiger den, is looked upon as a
drunken row. There is said to be no
bad feeling between the soldiers at
the fort and the negro residents OF
| St. Helena Island and no further
trouble is anticipated.