The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-02-21
SHOT BY THIEF
G;eenyiIle is Stirred by: lhe Shso'biDg u
Two Of Her Polio men
INTENSE EXCITEMENT

Ortcer Gunnels Dies. From the
Wounds Inflicted by the Bandit,
Who Made His Escape, and Posses
Are Securing the Country on the
Lookout for Him. f
Scores of men, private citizens,
policemen and deputies, armed to, the
teeth, secured the country between
Greenville and the mountains to
North Carolina Friday and Friday
light in search of the lone stranger,
believed to be a professional yesg-
man, who Friday morning. between
$3.50 and 8 O'Clock, engaged in a
desperate pistol duel in the passen-
ger station. of the Columbia and
Greenville Railway, with Officers b
v. Johnson and Sergt. Oliver s. Gun
nels, of the Greenville police force,
in which Gunnels received wounds
from which he died at 9:4O o'clock,
while Johnson was shot through the
right leg. -
Perhaps never before in the his
| tory of the city has Greenville been
SO excited. The tragedy Of Friday
which cost the life Of a universally
popular and faithful officer, coming
on the heels of the tlastardly assault
upon the life of "Uncle Tommy
Cureto1i, the oldest policeman on the
force, Tuesday morning by G.. w
Stonecy'pher, in a drunken orgie, was
heightened by dastardly assault
made few hours later, upon the life
Of another member of the police
force, by an aggregation of disreput.
able men and women as the officer
attempted to place one Of the women
Of the gang under arrest for commit
ting arevolting act
At Z Goroner's inquest held Friday
morning over the remains of Sergt
Gunnels, at the undertaking estab'
lishment Of Jas. F. :Mackey & Son
but one witness, Officer ohnson, was
examined. His testimony tells the
story of the tragedy. "Gunnels and
T." said he, "were coming along Au'
gusta street, beyond the intersection
|of vardry street, toward the city
shortly after 2:3O o'clock. / saw. q
man emerge from the railroad cut so1
! the Columbia and ! Greenville Rail-
way, and move on down the. track
toward the passenger station, some
800 yards away. I could see a mys'
terious looking back slung over his
shoulder, but could not tell whether
he was white or black. called
sergt. Gunnels' attention to the lone
tramp and made the remark that he
was probably a chicken thief.
IT watched him closely and saw
him approach the door of the col
ored waiting room of the passenger
station. I advanced toward the sta
ton and when within a few feet OF
it I heard the man moving about on
the inside. Gunnels and I approached
the door at the same time. He put
his right hand to the door and
pushed it open. At the same time
with his left hand, he flashed his
electric flash light into the dark
room. The light revealed a tough
looking white man, short, thick set
heavy, with short, black mustache
and dressed commonly, without a
collar or tie, and wearing a SLOUGH
hat, standing in the centre of the
floor.
simultaneously with the flash oi
the officers pocket flash light, the
man raised his revolver and fired
The first shot pierced Gunnels abdo'
men and he fell back against the
door facing, exclaiming: John
I'm shot, kill him Before the
stranger could fire a second time,
had my pistol out and opened fire
on him. The second shot he fired
struck Gunnels in the right thigh
and Gunnels receded toward the
south end of the station. The third
shot from the mans revolver pierced
my right leg.
!! "All the while the man and I were
exchanging shots with lightning-like
rapidity. I had a Smith e Wessor
3S-calibre pistol and ] think he was
armed with 32-calihre Colts mag
aZine revolver. I fired four times
and pulled the trigger of my revolver
again, but the cartridge failed tc
explode. I receded then and the
man sprang through the door, firing
as he ram When on the outside he
wheeled about, ran backwards q
short distance, and fired several more
shots, the first one being fired al
Gunnels, who was in the act Of sink
ing to the ground, and the remain
ing shots being fired at ME. lie ther
fled, and I turned to assist Gunnels.
The words of the only witness, now
alive, to the fatal affray in the lone
ly little railway station, in the dea(
of night. with a desperate man, who
it Is believed now, committed a series
of robberies earlier in the night al
Williamson, eighteeen miles below
Greenville, is story which has
stirred Greenville from centre to cir
cumference. Men threw down bust
ness and seized weapons to joil
squads that left at intervals through