The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-04-29
PLAYS GAME ON FRIENDS.
Prominent Farmer of Daizell Tries TO
Scare Thief i'm Original Way.

A we'll known farmer in the Dali
zell section played a practical joke
on friends and foes alike last Satur-
day that for a while made everybody
sit up and take notice, although il
made them feel somewhat small, and
their anger rose, when they finally
found out the hoax that had been
practised.
The poke, not intended as such, but
was put up in dead earnest for a pur-
pose by the perpetrator, a man who
has always hitherto been looked upon
as very serious minded person ana
a man whose word could be relied
upon. The joke consisted of quart
Of blood, scattered about indis-
criminately, five shots in the bushes,
and the statement from the gentle
man that someone had probably re-
pented Of stealing his corn. 1t came
about somewhat in this way:
Every Friday afternoon one Of the
merchants of Dalzell, who also car
ries on meat market, had his man
to butcher a beef as was his custom
so that he would have fresh beef on
hand for sale on Saturday, which is
generally busy day. The we'll known
farmer purchased a quart and a-half
M hat \
took it on home with him. Nothing,
however, was thought about the mat
ter until later on. Late Saturday night
as one Of the neighbors of the we'll
know farmer was returning from
pwn and passing the house Of the
farmer he heard someone yell, Halt,
halt" and then he heard two shots
fired. Again he heard the voice call,
Halt! Haiti" and then three more
shots were fired. He at once jumped
out of his buggy and ran in the di-
rection OF the shooting and found
the prominent farmer coming out Of
the edge of the swamp just back Of
his barn, with a smoking gun in his
hands. The neighbor asked what was
the matter and was informed by the
well known farmer that someone had
been stealing corn from his barn for
some time and that he (the prominent
farmer) was tired Of it and had watch
ah 10 inf nj hn1 Ia -;
trying to get into the barn. He had
called to him to halt, but the thief
had refused and fed, whereupon the
prominent farmer had fred ar HE
lcss and later, when he refused L.
stop when called Oh the second time
90 do So had fired al his head. The
prominent farmer had used a shot
gun ioaued with duck shot. 1t was
too dark then to hunt in the bushes
for the thief, whom the we'll known
farmer stated that he had wounded, so
1t was not known whether he was
armed or not, and the neighbor went
on to town to tell the people there
how the we'll known farmer had fired
at and probably wounded a thief who
had been stealing corn.
That was Saturday night. Early
Sunday morning the neighbors from
all around who had heard about the
shooting went to the scene and found
the bushes where the shooting had
taken place bloody for considera bic
distance into the swamp. The well
known farmer joined in the search
and stated that he was certain that
he had badly wounded the thief and
he would not be surprised If he was
FOUND dead somewhere in the swamp
The neighbors listened and then look
ed and asked innumerable questions
and the we'll known farmer was OBJ
liged to tell about the shooting time
and again. Much blood was found
on the bushes but no wounded man
was found among them. Down in
the swamp the trail Of blood grew
less and gradually died out.
The shooting was discussed and
talked about everywhere in the
neighborhood and it was even sug.
gested that the prominent farmer
ought to be arrested, but as no COM
plant was made by any one against
him, and as nothing except the blood
was found and the reliable farmers
statement that he had shot a man
was showed in his crime it was deem
ed best to wait for further develop
ments. In the afternoon a still larg
er crowd turned out to view the blood
and look for the body, it being the
general concensus Of opinion that the
man must be dead somewhere in the