The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-11-30

counted for Until Searching Par
ties Discover Remains i'm Branch.
Death of Each Caused by Gunshot
Wound.
Bennettsvlle. Nov. 26.-The dead
bodies of Guy Rogers and Prentiss
Moore were found this morning
awout 10 o'clock.
AS reported in The News and
Courier today. these two boys left
home Thanksgiving morning on a
hunting trip. They went to Gard
ner's Bluff, hitched their horse and
buggy and nothing definite could be
learned of their whereabouts until
the bodies were found today.
Prentiss Moore, the son of Mrs.
Emily T.. Moore, and the younger of
the two boys. was found lying on the
south side of a branch about five
feet deep. His feet were towards the
bottom of the branch, and he clutch
ed a briar between his fingers. An
from shotgun had entered his body
from the side near the edge of the
shoulder blade. ranged towards the
middle of the chest, passing through
the body. The entire load, shot and
wad. was lying underneath his
clothes, in front of the chest.
NJ
urer n. B. Rogers. and the older of
the boys, was found in the bottom of
the branch, only few feet from the
body OF young Moore. His face was
turned down, his body was nearly in
/ q kneeling position. with his head in
the edge of the water, in a puddle of
shotgun, the load entering directly
into the heart from the front, pass
ing through the chest. shattering the
ribs on the rear side, some of the
| shot buying themselves in the skin OF
1 the back. One wad, that between the
powder and shot. was found inside
the shirt, near the wound. The
wound in young Rogers body ranged
slightly down from the front.
A double-barrel shotgun was found
| on the brink Of the branch, the muz-
zle slightly elevated. pointing towards
the ditch, one trigger cooked. and in
the breech was caught a small part
of the shirt of young Rogers. One
barrel, the one with the cooked trig-
ger, was found empty. The second
barrel contained an empty shell, and
another empty shell was found with
in few inches OF the muzzle OF the
gun.
The branch runs through a broad
field. An overgrown hedge covered
the banks of the branch, which is
about five feet deep and about sir
feet wide at the top.
Within about $50 yards Is a negro
cabin. An old negro woman who
lives out there said that she saw the
boys out there shooting, but that
knew nothing of their disappearance.
Within one-half mile are three
| other houses. The point where the
, boys hitched their horse was within
a garter of a mile of where their
| bodies were found
Thursday night and Friday morn
ming searching parties were out look
ing for the boys. The party was in
| creased largely last night, and with
| lanterns the entire swamp on this
side of the river was carefully search
| ed.
"A party was again formed this
morning, many who had been out all
night again renewing the search,
] which was begun at the place where
the boys were last seen, with the
understanding that II was to sprea i
gradually and take in every foot of
the gfound. The portion where the
boys bolies we're found was assign
ed to party, among whom were
Frank Crosland and w. c. Carlisle.
Mr.. Crosland was riding horseback
up the branch, when he discovered
the body of young Moore.
The bodies remained as they wer.
found until the coroner empanellel
his jury, when they were moved an6
an examination made by Dr. w. J.
Crosland. The jury is making q
thorough examination and taking
the testimony of everyone in the i'm
mediate vicinity.
Many think II practically impossiblo
To reconcile the facts with the theory
"t accident yet nothing was develop
ed To point conclusivcly To the the