Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-03-07

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wealth and influence of certain kind.
He had a thriving farm and more
thriving distillery. He sold liquor in
his neighborhood and had gang
around him. One or two strangers
who went to his house disappeared
and never were heard Of. Men who
offended him were shot at or mys-
| teriously beaten or cut. One Sunday
girl came along walking from Spar
tanburg toward her home in Pickens
county, in the mountains, 80 miles
away-a sturdy, honest mountain girl
to whom a 80 mile walk was no great
matter and who was accustomed from
her surroundings and upbringing to
trust men frankly and to call with
out hesitation on the hospitality OF
the country people. She stopped at
John Moore's house and when she had
had her dinner trudged away along
path through the woods which he
| pointed out to her as short cut. He
followed her. Three days later, men,
their curiosity aroused by circling buz-
yards, found her dead beneath tree,
few feet off the path, a hundred
yards or SO from Middle Tiger river
Her throat was cut. The ground
about showed that she had fought un-
| til the very moment of death, when
she could night no longer. Her body
was mutilated, but the coroner re-
1 hnf ch
erring perception of mountaineer
trailers, silent and sparing of speech
but deadly in their conclusions,
showed John Moore's shoe prints from
the body to the river. There he was
supposed to have thrown the little
tawdry jewelry the girl had, the rings
from her fingers and the broach from
her neck, all torn from her.
Moore was arrested and put in the
Spartanburg Jail. He employed the
! best lawyers at the local bar. The
story went out that he was to apply
to the circuit court or to the supreme
court for bail.
The mayor of the town was then
Mr.. Thompson, a large, placid man.
He sat on the curb stone near the
front door of the Jail about IL o'clock
of a Star-lit night with a reporter for
a Charleston newspaper and citizen.
| The Morgan RifleS-named after old
Daniel Morgan, who led the conti-
nentals at the battle of Cowpens, To-
cally known as THE Cuppins," few
miles from Spartanburg-had been
called. Not Morgan rifleman could
be found, high or low. No Morgan
rifieman wanted to serve to protect
John Moore. The mayor arose near
midnight, smiled and drew long
breath in a satisfied way, and said:
well, nothing will happen tonight"
The citizen thought differently. He
threw his head to one side, paused In
tently a moment, and then said:
Nothing? He'll, listen"
Through the darkness, along the
long rock bottomed road leading into
the town came the sound Of the steady
Gathering of the hoofs Of horses
many horses, ridden at a slow gal
| lop. Presently into the town they
came-six hundred or more Of them,
mountain men riding two and two.
silent, sitting on their horses steadily.
Many of them were kinsmen and
neighbors and of the clan Of the
girl whose throat had been cut. They
had got the rumor through the noun
lainS that John Moore was to get bail.
They had come to see about that and
on their way had gathered more men
from upper Anderson and Greenville
and Spartanburg. Wherever in the
mountains they stopped and told a
man the case, that man began with
eager hands to cram the bit into the
mouth OF his horse and throw on and
buckle his saddle and look to his fire.
arms and his wife and daughters
urged him to make haste and to bring
them back a piece Of the rope. They
wanted to look at 1t. And word was
sent up the side roads and boys and
old men as fast as they could throw
their legs over the saddles and get
their feet into the stirrups came pelt-
ing along. The word had gone to the
mountains and down II = hills the
mountain men came.
| AS the columns turned the corner
toward the Jail the citizens waiting
there, probably including many of
the Morgan Rifles, cheered heartily.
Then the heart of the mayor sank.
An old soldier himself he knew the
meaning when the cavalrymen halt
ed. dismounted, left a man to each
four horses and by four deployed.
They knew. The Jail was overcome
and searched Systematically. Then
the horsemen went through the town.
At the corner where the Old Pal
metto hotel used to be big man on
|
saw coming the men he wanted
veterans. Then he spoke once
Ten men this way"
They rode down a side street, dis
mounted silently, passed through a
| field. beneath a railroad trestle and
with one united heave turned up a
| little bridge spanning a ditch where
a public road crossed the railroad.
The deputy sheriffs were there with
WincheSterS but eleven revolvers
brought them to inactivity. Moore
was beneath the bridge. Nothing
was said as he was lifted out.
He was put in a buggy and carried
lis miles back to the tree beneath
which the body of the girl had been
found. the men on horseback follow
| ing. He had been a soldier and on
the way agreed with those nearest
him he would confess if he might be
shot instead of hanged. AS the earli-
est sunlight was gliding the tops of
the trees on the mountains he was
led through his own yard along the
path where the girl had gone and
where he had followed. At turn
in the path he was stopped and the
reporter who had run, walked, wad-
ed forded streams and ridden and
frOnted many times the enQuiring
muzzles of revOlvers, was called on
to take the confession. All sat to-
gether on a log. Moore told long
and rambling story of himself, be-
ginning days before the murder and
outrage. The long, lean mountain
eer who sat close to the culprit's left
side listened without comment or
question, chewing tobacco quietly. 1t
became evident that Moore was talk
ing for time in the desperate hope that
his lawyers or troops or some rescue
might come.
When he had at last after many de-
lays and turning aside, brought his
story to the day of the tragedy and
concluded with dramatic declaration
that he knew nothing of it. the long
mOuntaineer leaned forward and spat
accurately into an ant hole he had
been watching.