The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-11-26
NEGRO WAS KILLED;
WHITE MEN INJURED
MAGISTRATE ELLESOR ROBBED
BELOW PROSPERITY.
Battle Between Negro Suspects and
Posse Occurred Little Later at
Peak.

A. pitched battle in which there was
at least one fatality, and in which two
others were injured, took place at
Peak on Friday night between posse
of white men and two negroes whom
the posse was seeking to arrest for the
hold-up and robbery of Magistrate P.
B. Ellesor, which occurred just below
Prosperity, as Magistrate Ellesor was
returning home on Friday afternoon.
Richard Sparks, one of the negroes.
received wound from which he died
on Saturday The other negro either
escaped or was drowned in Broad riv-
er. He was tracked to the river bank,
and it is not known whether he got
across the river or not. Some of those
who were on the scene say that tracks
on the other side of the river showed
that he had got across. Others seem
! to think he was drowned.
Two white men, j. E. Epting, pro-
prietor of the Peak hotel, and j. T. Gal
lagher, foreman of construction gang
On the Southern railway, wera injured.
1t is not thought their wounds are very
serious.
Magistrate Elle:or was returning
home from Prosperity, alone in his
buggy when he was met by two neg
roes, who covered him with pistols and
demanded his money, forcing him to
give up twenty dollars The negroes
then made Mr.. Ellesor ger oht Of tie
buggy. and they drove down the road
about half mile, where they started
the mule back towards Prosperity with
the empty buggy. They caught
freight at1Prosperity and went on to
Pomaria. The people at Pomaria had
been notified and were on the lookout,
but the negroes managed to get off the
freight and rode on switch engine to
Peak, just across the Newberry line, in
| Lexington county. Word had also
been sent to Peak to be on the look
out for the negroes, and when the posse
of white men attempted to arrest them
here, they fired upon the posse. The
FIRE was returned, and in the melee the
negro received a bullet wound through
his body, Mr.. Gallagher was shot in
the left shoulder and Mr. Epting was
shot in the left arm.
Sheriff Buford left for the scene as
soon as he was notified, accompanied
by Constable Cannon G. Blease and
Policeman, Tom Berley, in Mr.. Blease's
automobile. On the way they were
joined by the chief of police, of Pros
perity. The shooting having occurred
in Lexington county, Sheriff Buford
notified the sheriff of Lexington that
the wounded negro would be held at
Peak for him The negro, however,
died at 10 o'clock on Saturday morn
ing.
The following account of the affair,
which differs in some details from the
account given above, is from the Lex
ingtor correspondent of the daily
newspapers:
Another Account
Lexington, Nov. 23.-The little town
of Peak in the Dutch Fork was the
scene Of bloody battle last night
about 7.3O o'clock when an effort was
made by number of citizens to ar
rest two negroes, who, it was thought,
held up P B. Ellesor, an aged and
highly respected farmer On the public
highway a few miles from Prosperity,
in Newberry county, yesterday after
noon.
AS result of the battle one negro
is dead and two white men are suf-
fering from pistol shot wounds re-
ceived when the negroes opened fire
On their would-be captors. The second
.egro is probably floating in the wat
ers of Broad river, as he was traced
along a ditch after the firing to the
rivers bank, where all signs OF the
trail was lost by the hounds that were
placed on his track soon after the
shooting That he was wounded is evi-