The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-01-24
COLgjRED B ON, KILLED.
ACCIDENTALLY SHOOTS HIMSELF
WITH A PISTOL.
weapon discharged While he Was
{ Handling 1t, Bali Fitting Him Just

SrS1tUAaYa-SASS tS<1A
7 Handling 1t, Bali Hltting Him Just
Above the Heart.
Pircknsy Bethea, 9 coIoSed lad
4 about fifteen years old. Of Dillon
I county, q student at Claflin Univer-
4 sity, was Instantly killed about half
past clever o'clock Sunday morning
while handling a forty-eight calibre
I pistol 5atsthe home Of T. F. IDEAS, on
Golf Avenue, IN this city. John Deas,
{ son of T. F, Deas, a respectable co..
ored resi1 ent of this city, was in the
room with Bethea when the; unfor-
:tunate accid ent, occurred. He is about
fifteen wears Of age, and was taken In
ccustodv by Officer R. F, JENNINGS and
was held until the verdict was rem
sdered when lie was discharged.
Coroner F. N. Ricken baker empan-
selled tasiury and held an Inquest over
1 the BODY, when ali the facts connect
s.ied with the accident were brought
Z out. The: pistol that did the killing
was the property Of Lonnie Wrtght;
also a Clafiin. student from BAN berg
d county. It was in hiei trunk at T. F.
! Deas', where lie, boarded. John Deas
and Pinckney Bethea, who boarded
B near. were 5up in Wright's room. and
Bethea took the pistol from Wright's
trunk, and was examining it when 1t
went of, killing him as above de-:
scribed. Wright was not present
when the accident happened. 5
At: the inquest John Deas, who was
with Bethea .when the accident hap
spened, testified that about half-past
eleven o'clock on Sunday morning he
was sitting on the trunk when Be
4 thea came in, and he invited him to
! take a. seat. He went to Wright's
trunk, took the pistol out, and was
looking down the barrel. Told Be
thea to put the pistol down as it may
have something in it, The pistol
fired and DeasN hollered and then
went out to- tell people OF the acci-.
dent. Bethea started towards the
: door end fell about the time he
reached It. The pistol belonged to
{ Lonnie Wright, who boards here. He
said Bethea came over to his home
nearly every day. He did not look
at pistol or put she'll In it. Bethea
and m.self were friends. No hard
feelings between US. 4, EIs, So
Lonnie Wright testified that the
pistol was his and that he le::s it:
loaded. Was from Bamberg and has
been going to; school here fou- years.
He said he brought the pisto. from
HON e with him. He did not know
anything ABOUT the killing. as he was;
NOT present when it happened. I
!, T. r: Deas, at whose house the
accident occurred, and whose son
was present when it did occur, said
fhs: knew Plnckney Bethea for about
four n onths. Never heard Of any
dispute between John Deas and
Pinckney Bethea. Never saw the pis-
5tol until after the killing. Th. . 'ys ."i
never, had played with pistol to his
knowledge. . ls{:3, :a::.
sii Jas. w. Weidham testified that he
did not know anything Of the Kill.
! ing. II. F. Deas notified him at
church that Bethea was dead Be
thea boarded with him for the last
four months. Knew both boys. but
never heard Of any trouble between
them. They went together often.
Never saw pistol before. Surprised
when heard Of shooting, but lad no
reason to believe that Bethea's death
was caused by: foul play, "
After hea.ing the above testimony,
and the testimony Of DR.. D: y. Hy-
drIck, who held the post mortem ex- x
animation, the jury Of inquest, Of
which Capt. w: H: Taylor was fore.
man rendered verdict that Pinck-.
4ney. Re:hea came to his death by the
accidental discharge of. a pistol while
/ in his own hands. After this verdict
Coroner Rickenbaker- ordered the dis
charge of John Deas,. who had been
IN the custody Of Officer Jennings
ever Since that officer had arrested
him a short time after the accident.
IN and Around Vance.
The farmers of our section are,
gettint, busy for, we hope, pros
perors year, stalk-cutting, stump