The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-03-11
SENFaUP Az LAST. I
WHITE ROBBERS CON.
5s9 y1ScnTiiaD q II AT BAMBERti5 ~
'$sfs.JUSIOl93I "A - q .TIEiEHi lt7sLt"i
They Entered and Robbed . Store
at Denmark Only a Few Weeks
Eit2uho14

Three, Wh1tef men, giving jitHelr
names, sas William Rankin William
Davis and Il Edward Young, alias
ssSlinar r's'n e who were captured, by the
Savannah police last week for the
South Carolina, authoritiesl7were ftri-
sed, convicted and tsent to tneDpeni-
5tentiary) for: three years each'at BAN
berg; onl Tuesday,, for burglary and
larceny, committed at Denmark ION
the night Of February 10th last.
They broke into "a store at that place
aadawere, aRterwards),c ,caughto In sSav-
annahyJ Ca, with the goods OF them,
They werelr evidently Northern peo-
ples and sgsHeiy evidence 9of being des-
Perate cha.racterssa12 eht 10 beaoq
wyT They ware rushed of to, the, PEN
stentiaEypIitobe deemed best mot
TO attempt to- work; ;themtonlthe chain
gang.aeSTh ego gave theo sheriff, and
constables 81 muchw trouble during rthe
short time they were confined at
Bamberg and a constant watch was
kept over them at night. Detective
,Fallon of the Savannah police de-
partment, who accompanied Young
to Bamberg, proved the most impor-
tant witness for the prosecution, and
1t was largely on his evidence and
the evidence that had been accurnu-
lated at Savannah in the shape of ar
tieles believed to have been stolen,
that the men were convicted.
Breaking down at the conclusion
OF the trial, when placed on the
stand in their defense, both Ran
kin and Davis made full confes-
sion of the burglary of the Farmers
Mercantile Company's store at Den
mark on the night Of February 20.
Each placed the initial blame on the
other, however, although both ad-
mitted having entered the store ano
taken sorue of the stuff. Young re-
fused to take the stand when it came
To his turn, saying the others had
already said enough. In less than
half an hour after the jury had been
sent out they returned with YER
dict Of guilty.
Young was brought from Savan-
nah to BamIberg Monday morning in
care of Detective Fallon and immedl-
=ately on the arrival of the prisoner
the case was brought up before the
grand jury, resulting in an indict-
ment for all three. The same after
noon the case went to trial and con-
iinued ever to the next morning
Tt was brought to a close. Detective
Eallon, who returned to Savannah
late Tuesday night, said that he
thought that because the evidence
prepared by the Savannah police was
so complete and the three yegss
were, so surprised at his appearance
as q witness, Rankin and Davis were
He'd to Gonfess.
= Davis and Rankin were the first OF
the trio to be arrested and were cap
tured in a spectacular manner by the
police at their hiding place in the
woods off the Ogeechee road. Soon
after their arrest L. E. Span, book
keeper for the Denmark Farmers
Mercantile Company went to Saw
iannah and identified the men, and a
few days later Justice of the Peace
Ray started back to Bamberg with
his prisoners. -,
! While he slept on the train with
Moth nan handcuffed to each other
and wearing leg irons, they. reach
ed up to the rack overhead and from
tho collection OF evidence he was
taking with him abstracted the two
saws that had been found In their
possession when arrested. When the
train stopped at the little station of
Luray, S. c., they sneaked off un'
noticed and the train continued On
/ with Magistrate Ray unconscious of
his prisoners escape.
Travelling back into the woods for
two or three mile from the railroad,
Davis and Rankin got busy with the
saws and cut off their handouts and
legirons. Then after working some
distance further they went to sleep.
There they were found the next
morning by the magistrate, who had
put dogs on their tracks and over
taken them at daylight. They were
taken on to Bamberg and lodged in
the county Jail, but the trouble they
!