The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-12-02
TIE SHERIFF'S REPORT.
Newberry Officer Makes Official Re-
port to Governor Ansel Of the
Lynching.
Newberry, S. c., Nov. %, 1910.

To His Excellency, NJ. F. Ansel, Gov
ernor of South Carolina, Columbia,
S. C.
Dear Sir: A short time after
o'clock on the afternoon of the 25th
instant, I was notified over the te1e-
phone from Little Mountain, in this
tNewberry) county, that a school girl
(the name being given) had been mur-
dered. I Immediately got my deputy,
and Messrs. William Swittenberg and
Forrest Summer, and with all possible
speed went to the scene of the mur-
der, which, after arriving at Little
Mountain, I found to be in Lexington
county. 7 might say just here that
had I known before leaving Newberry
that the crime had been committed in
Lexington county, I would have gone
anyway. l arrived at the scene of the
murder at 6.45 p. m. the same after
noon, and found the dead body OF
the young lady who had been murder
ed, who appeared to me to be about
"A years of age, her neck being almost
severed from her body. In fact one
could hardly imagine more ghastly
scene or more horrible murder. I
then made inquiry of DR.. Sease, ply
sician of Little Mountain, S. c., who
was examining and washing the
wound, as to whether the murdered
girl had been (suffered other Wrong,)
and was informed by him that she had
not been. T talked with the father of
the young lady, who told me that while
he was on his plantation some dis
tance from the house where he had
some laborers at work, among them
a negro called Flute Clark, he had
sent the negro Flute Clark to the
house for a pick and a shovel and
bucket of water; that the negro had
stayed away an unusually long time,
and upon his return did not bring
water from the we'll, but brought wat
er from the branch, and upon being
asked why he brought branch water
instead of well water stated that he
had fallen down and spilled the we'll
water and had then gotten branch wat
er. The father of the girl stated that
when the negro returned with the
water his sleeves were rolled up.
Within a short time after this the
father Of the girl heard his farm bell
ringing and upon going to his holne
to ascertain the cause, found the dead
body OF his daughter. In order that
the real perpetratoc Of this dastardly
crime might be caught and brought to
justice I suggested that squads Of men
be sent to all ferries on streams and
railway stations and that any and all
suspicious characters be arrested at
such places and minutely examined,
and that the houses around in the
neighborhood be searched for suspi-
cious characters. In the course OF
nv investigation I was informed that
an old negro woman and two children
were picking cotton near the home OF
the murdered girl. I got Mr.. Derrick
and drove to see these negroes who
had been picking cotton and found
them at their home about a mile and
a half from the scene of the crime.
Upon making inquiry of this old negro
woman I was told by her that she
could not see in the yard where the
crime was committed, from where she
had been picking cotton, and had not
seen anyone passing to or from the
place where the crime was committed.
T of course made other and further in
vestigation and was hard at work on
the matter all the while. When I went
to search Flute Clark's house I found
it unlocked, the door simply being tied
with a cloth string, and Flute Clark's
wife being over at the home of her
father-in-law. After making this last
search I returned to the scene of the
crime and about this time Mr.. Miller,
the deputy sheriff of Lexington coun-
ty, arrived, and a little later Sheriff
Corley, of Lexington, appeared on the
scene.
might state that never did get to
see the negro Flute Clark, but was
told that he had been accused of the
crime, caught and spirited away by
the infuriated crowd to whom it was
rumored he had made confession.
There was still left at the scene OF