The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-11-30
FREED BY GOVERNOR.
Young Man Who Killed His Father
in Saluda County.

Columbia, Nov. 24.-In answer to
the touching plea of a mother, Gov.
Blease to-day paroled Simon Taylor,
serving a seven-year sentence on the
Saluda conuty chain gang for the
shaving of his father, William Tay-
lor
The paroled man is brother of j.
B. Taylor, the young school boy who
was run over and killed by freight
train, at Newberry Tuesday after
noon, and is the eldest son of his
mothers family of nine children,
three of whom are mere tots.
1t was on the night of July 5,
1907, at the home, in Saluda county,
that Simon Taylor shot and killed
his father, William Taylor, after the
latter, so it was stated, had attempt
ed to kill the boy. William Taylor
had been on an extended drunken
"spree' for over two weeks, it was
stated at the trial, and on the night
of the tragedy reached home in an
ugly humor, and after abusing sew
eral members of the family and at
tacking the mother, Taylor turned
his wrath upon his son, Simon, who
had demonstrated with him and de-
Tended his mother.
Convicted of Manslaughter.
His ugly humor, resulting from
the influence of whiskey, inf1amed
all the more by the opposition of his
boy, so angered William Taylor that
he attempted to shoot his son, but
the lad fired first, the shot taking
effect in the fathers stomach, death
resulting therefrom. Simon Taylor
was arraigned and tried at Saluda for
murder, and at the September term
of court for that county, in 1908,
was convicted of manslaughter and
sentenced to seven years on the chain
gang by Judge Devore.
On November 3, of that same year,
Judge Devore and Solicitor Thinner
man, in a joint letter to Thurmond
& Ramage, attorneys, of Saluda, stat
ed that when Simon Taylor had serv-
ed three of the seven years OF his
sentence they would recommend to
the governor that he be granted an
unconditional pardon. The boy has
served over three years.
Slave to Drink.
It was shown at the trial, and
stated in the petition which Mrs.
Josephine Taylor, of Newberry, the
mother of Simon Taylor and wife of
the slain man, sent the governor,
that William Taylor was addicted to
the use of drink and often had abus-
ed the members of his family while
under it's influence.
Following his death, Mrs. Taylor
moved from the home in Saluda
county to Newberry, where she
worked for the support of her large
family. The misfortunes of the
family were increased, when, on
Tuesday, the young son Of this wo-
man, J. B. Taylor, school lad, while
crossing the railroad track, was run
over and killed by train. In her
sorrow and grief, Mrs. Taylor ad-
dressed the following letter to Gov.
Blease, praying for the release OF
her son from the Saluda county
chain gang. .<-.
Mothers Pathetic Appeal.
"Dear Governor Blease: Can't
you send my boy, Simon. Taylor,
home to me? Oh, how I need him
now. My dear little boy has just
been killed by the railroad, and my
heart is sore For Gods sake, gov
ernor,. send my other boy home to
me- s..
= The boys grandmother, who is the
mother of the slain man, Mrs. Nancy
Taylor, Joined in the plea to the
governor to release Simon Taylor
from the chain gang. She says that
her son, William Taylor, abused his
family and that the wife, Mrs. Jose
phine Taylor, was a good, deserving
woman.
1t was shown that Mrs. Taylor is
the mother of nine children, three Of
whom are dependent on her for sup
port. The parole for, Simon Taylor
was issued to-day and he will go
home to his mother in the next day
or two.