The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-07-27
SPIRIT OF lAWlESSNESS ABROAD IN
COLLETON COUNTY
THE RUFF|ANS ATTACK EDITOR
The Ziegler Family Intimidates
Court, Tries to Lick Editor,
Raises a Rough House and Gets
Good Whipping.


Ziegler, charged with disorderly
conduct in breaking up a rel gious
service near Walterboro, is called
for trial again in this town, some
body will certainly be killed and
there may be all kinds of trouble"
Such was the remark made on the
street at Walterboro by Il prominent
citizen of that town.
1t was in the course of a discus
sion before Magistrate Chaplin on
Monday, which resulted in a near
riot, several fiscuffs having oc-
CURED among the witnesses, the de-
fendant and the editor of the Press
and Standard. Mr.. w. w. Smoak,
being included among the list of !
belingerents. Later the foreman of
the Press and Standard and Louis
Ziegler had a miX-up.
The magistrat te decided that he |
had no jurisdiction and refused to
try the case. The correspondent of |
The News and Courier says the peo-
ceedings before the magistrate on
Monday furnished something in the
way of sensation, which cOnSid- |
erably Jared the unusually quiet
! days of the peaceful town of Wal
terboro.
The beginning OF all the trouble
finds its origin in the fact that the
Rev. Mr.. Williams, pastor of the Ad-
ventist church about five miles from
Walterboro, performed the marriage
ceremony for young Bill Zeigler,
some time ago, against the wishes
of his father, and for which the eld>
er Zeigler never granted forgiveness.
Some days later a religious sci ,,iice
was in progress at the Seventh Day
Adventist church, conducted by the
Rev. Mr.. Williams
The charge is that Zeigler went
to the church to horse-whip or 9TH
erwise roughly deal with the object
of his wrath. But the church peo-
pie saw him first and the doors of
the church were promptly barred
against his entrance. He did not
succeed in horsewhipping the
preacher, but he did succeed in
breaking up service that day, and
that was the cause of all the trou-
Bile and fisticuffs at Walterboro.
When the case was called by the
magistrate, two or three members of
the church where the row originat-
ed, who were present as witnesses
were not able TO withhold their
wrath, and proceeded with an at
tempt to give the defendant, who
had just been brought into court,
that Zeigler applied a vile epithet to
S. H. Hiott, one of the prosecutions
witnesses, and that Hott forthwith
resented the insult via the fist
route
The noise of battle was too much
for some of the brethren and they
responded to its resistless call.
Wounded feelings, disfigured coun-
tenances and general boost to fight
ing impulses were the results of this
skirmish. Reports have it that the
scene was pretty lively; that some
prominent citizens of the communi-
ty so far forgot their dignity as to
seek exit through windows and 9TH
ers than the usual routes. The
| lawyers in the case escaped unhurt,
his Honor was considerably spared,
and eden the innocent bystander
mlraculously lives to tell OF the af- |
| fair.
The hard feeling seemed to eX-
ist principally among the people of
the Beach section of the county, /
the scene of the original trouble, the /
community in which stands the Ad- |
ventist church, of which the Rev. ]. |
j. Williams is under-shepherd. The /
folks here seem to think that Zeig- |
ler has about as many friends as the !
Rev. Mr.. Williams out in that com
munity and feeling is strongly parti-
san. There were at least one hun /
dred persons from that section of |
the county in town for the trial .
Monday, and if the case is again /
called there will be a general out /
pouring.
What is feared should the pros /
ecution be continued is that a large |
percentage of the visitors will come /
accompanied with numerous and va
rlous implements of warfare, and /
that would be Objectionable. Louis .
Zeigler, the casns belli of all that
has happened is accused of having
been somewhat under the influence ,
OF scrap-inspiring liquids on Mon
day, else he would not have been so !
day, else he would not have been so |
inclined to precipitate unpleasant
ness.
The story goes that after the hear
ing had been concluded, Zeigler de-
clared war against the editor OF the
Press and Standard, and proceeded
to institute search for the offend
ing representative of free and un-
trammelled press. w. w. Smoak,
the object of his quest, was soon
located nearby and another fight
which occurred at one of the prin-
clpal corners in the business sec
tion of town. In the encounter
Ieigler was worsted.
The fighting spirit was in the
air, and there was more to follow.
1t appears from general comment
that while Mr.. Smoak was there with
the genuine pugilistic goods, he was
not, after all, the real fighting edi-
tor of the Press and Standard. Mr..
Caude Graves, also of the Press and
Standard, missed the beginning of
the rucus, but he finished it in great
style according to all accounts. 1t