Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-11-01

SHOOTING IN oCoNEE,
JAS. Il. Adds Seriously Wounded by
j. L.. SurTatt.

j. l.. Surratt.
Last Saturday evening between z
and o'clock, James Il. Adds, aged
about 65 years, was shot by j. l..
SuEratt, aged about 40. The shoot
Ing took place on the public highway
near the home of II. II. Nesmith, be-
low West Union. Only one shot was
fired, and that at close range, the
bullet striking Mr.. Adds in the sto-
mach, several inches below the heart.
Physicians were summoned as soon
as possible and an examination of
the wound made, but the bullet has
never been located. Entering the
stomach 1t ranged back and slightly
downward and it is thought proba-
Bile that it Is lodged near the back
bone
There were, so far as known, no
witnesses to the shooting except the
three men involved in a conversa-
tion in the public road-Jas. q. Ad-
dis and his son, Earle Adds, and
j. l.. Surratt, who fired the shot.
The first Of the trouble between
Surratt and the Addises, it Is un-
derstood, dates back some twelve or
fourteen months, when Harrison Ad-
| dis, an older son of j. e. Ad-
| dis, was a marshal in West Union,
and arrested Surratt on misde-
meanor charge. 1t is stated that at
the time Surratt said that he would
get even" with Adds for his arrest,
and there has been unfriendly feel
ing ever since.
There are two versions OF the af-
| fair as 1t occurred Saturday night,
| Mr.. Adds, the wounded man, and his
son both giving practically the same
| story, that Surratt came up to them
| In the road, driving his team, and
that he was asked if he wished to
| pass, Whereupon he stated that he
| did not want to pass, but that he had
| 1t in for the younger Adds. The
| Addises stopped their team, and the
| elder man, 1t is said, got out and be-
gan talking to Surratt, trying to rea-
son with him and avoid a difficulty,
but Surratt pulled pistol and fred
! the stomach, Mr.. Adds sinking to
the ground. His son started to his
assistance, but, according to the story
as given by both Adds men, Surratt
refused to allow the younger man to
go to his father Or to summon assist
ance. Earle Adds says he was
held off this way for some little time
until, seeing his father endeavoring
to pull himself into their vehicle, ne
told Snrratt that he was going to
help his father, and that the only
thing that would prevent his doing
so would be that he (SurratD would
shoot him also. He assisted his ia
| ther into the vehicle and then drove
back to the home Of a relative in
| West Union, where medical aid was
summoned
| Oihcers went Saturday night to
| SurrattS house, but failed to find
| MN, ana men were stationed there
to arrest him If he should return
during the night. Nothing having
been heard Of him, h, yer. up to
Sunday morning, Sheriff Kay and A.
T. Reid left in an automobile at an
early hour to search for him. AS they
were going toward Seneca they saw
Surratt coming into the main high
way near the Stegall place, and as
they stopped he came to them. stat
ing that his first impulse after the
troub had been to get away, but
that later he reconsidered and was
then on his way to give up. He was
brought on to Walhalla and lodged
in jail.
Surratt's story of the affray diff
fers materially from that given by
the Aaddises, in that he claims that
| he acted in self-defense. He states
| tnat lie was hemmed In between his
own vehicle and the wheels OF the
Adds buggy, and that he fired as a
| matter OF necessity.
AS bearing on the theory that he
acted In self-dcfen"a he showed the
officers where his clothing had been
cut in several places, and on his body
are slight scratches, but no cuts Of a
| serious nature.
Mr.. Addis's wound is a serious
one, though it is thought that he will
recover. The latest reports from
him are that he is doing very we'll
though Monday night he had not
rested so we'll as previously. He is
known as peaceable citizen, and 1t
is deeply regretted that he should
have been overtaken in an unfortu-
nate affair like this.
| Mr.. Surratt moved to OcOnce from
Cherokee county some eight years
ago, and is known as a successful
farmer. 1t Is said that he was drink
ing considerably Saturday afternoon
and evening in Walhalla.
| .