The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-10-06
SHOT BY CIRCUS employees
HORRIBLE MURDER OF PAUL
WILLIAMS ON SPCIAL
TRAIN.
j. c. Weekly Tells How Friend Met
Death-Body Stripped and Every
thing of Value Taken.

CLOCK sunday morning '" ille iioihS
with his friend. J. c. Weekly, also
of Columbia, on the first section OF
the train which carried the hagen
beck-Wallace circus to Augusta. The
body was discovered lying beside the
track. between Gilbert and Summit,
26 miles from Columbia, by Conduc-
tor Thrift in charge of Southern
freight train No. 176 yesterday morn
ing about 1920 o'clock. There was
a bullet wound in the right eye.
B. D. Clarke, coroner of Lexington
county, held an inquest later in the
day at Gilbert: The verdict of the
Jury was that Paul A. Williams came
to his death by a gunshot wound at
the hands of parties unknown.
J. C. Weekly was the only material
witness and he told a dramatic story
of the shooting of his friend by three
white men and how he escaped by
hiding under piece of canvas.
-fOCkSlS SCaISllCu.
The pockets of young Williams
were found turned wrong side out.
In them was a blood-stained one
dollar bill which his murderers failed
to find. His watch and about So,
which Weekly says Williams had
when he left Columbia, were miss
ing. One of his shoes had been taken
of.
The body of the murdered man
was brought to Columbia last night
at 1880 O'Clock on Southern train NO.
13O from Augusta. His parents, Mr..
and Mrs. F. ]. Williams, who formerly
lived in Columbia, where Mr.. Will
liams had a jewelry store, but moved
to Athens, Ca, few months ago,
are expected to arrive this morning
at 1890 o'clock.
Advices from Augusta say that 80
of the employees of the Hagenbeck-
Wallace circus were arrested when
< the first section of the train arrived.
The circus authorities are quoted as
saying that the train was held up and
robbed by eight negroes Sunday
morning between Gilbert and Bates
burg. They deny that they knew
that either young Williams or Weekly
were on the train. There was a
great deal of rioting on the train and
three others who were employees OF
the circus are said to be missing.
Hagenbeck-Wallace circus is being
held in Augusta by the police au-
thorities. Special Agent Ehney of
the Southern was also active in max
ing arrests.
Statement of Weekly.
When J. C. Weekly, who is en-
ployed by E. A. Beall & Co., OF this
city, arrived in Columbia last night
from Gilbert, where he was present at
the inquest which was held over the
body of his dead friend, he told the
STORY OF the uuTUeI.
Last Saturday night after the cir
Gus was over Paul Williams and my
self went up to the Blanding street
station to watch the show load" said
Weekly. while we were up there,
we fell in with one Of the circus men,
a young fellow with a clean shaven
face. He seemed to be nice man
and, after talking to us while, in
vited us to ride over to Augusta with
him on the first section of the circus
train.
paul said Let's go, just for the
fun of the thing told him that
it would be a rough trip, but that II
he wanted to go, then we would.
We went up to our room in the Syl-
van building and put on some old
clothes. Paul got pass to Augusta
and return. I had about $40 and he
had about half that amount.
Then we went back to the Bland
ing street yard and got aboard fiat
car, loaded with wagons and the cir
Gus tent near the middle of the train.
We did not see anything of the young
man who. had invited us to go to
Augusta.
"Everything was quiet on the train
until We got near Lexington. Then
we heard shooting and cursing to-
ward the rear Of the train.
"a few minutes after the disturb
ance began, a man passed the wagon
under vhich we were sitting. He
halted and said, There's the
Then he shot once out toward the
bushes along the side of the track
and went back toward the rear of the
train.
The Attempted Assault.
V 81 said, Paul, we had better get
out of this We climbed up over
the side of the wagon under which
We had been sitting and lay down.