The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-06-01
Vol. XXXIV. No. %.
SENSATIONAL KILLING IN 90.
LCMBIA LAST NIGHT.
1. W. Spence Shoots Robert l.. O'Pry
and Now Faces Charge OF Murder.
inquest Held Today.

ihqu'st Held Today.
Columbia, May 3O.-Curtis w.
spence, an employe Of the street rail-
way company at the substation on As
sembly street, pumped five bullets
into Robert L. O'Pry, an insurance
collector, last night and then told the
officers who arrived later that he did
the shooting. The whole affair was
over in a few seconds and those who
heard the shot athered to look at
the dead bod /Pry after Spence
had been - @ the police station
by the ~ who sent in the call
and tn " duty at the station who
hears ,hots, just one block away.
Do troubles are said to be the
(S IF the shooting, according to
= r Davis, who knew the men and
4rd Of previous Cuarrels. The fact
nat both were put under peace bond
by Recorder Werner is a part of the
/
his wife We're separated.
The shooting occurred about $50
o'clock on west Lady street, near the
office Of the Southern Express COM
pany, about a half block from Main
street According to the testimony of
witnesses secured by the police and
by Coroner Walker, three shots were
fired in rapid succession and then two
more, the shooting being done with a
Colt .9S calibre pistol. The first shots
were so quick that Ernest wix, who.
was in the express Office at the time,
and rushed out, saw O'Pry fall, heard
him cry out and saw Spence fire sev-s
eral times afterwards, at the sana1r
time warning others to keep away.
Thos. Norton of the city. board ~ /;
health force and Officer Irby redelE1||
the scene Immediately. spence <S
marked to Norton: 4 did it
that knife by his sidefand SEQ .
one gets it." wix says Tilt s. q y
GO asinuee, y snap tr D. sf 81
was emptied. Spence was carried 10
the station at once and O'Pry's body
was removed to NtcCormick's under
taking establishment later. The in
vestigation started at once.
The police and coroner learned that
O'Pry and Spence had been placed
under peace bond by Recorder YER
ner after a fight between the two,
Since then, according to the police,
the two have not met, but O'Pry, who
is an insurance collector, lett the city
for several weeks and on his re-
turn shadowed his house. Last night
the two met and the living witness to
the conversation that took place be-
tween the two is Spence who is in
the city Jail, the charge of murder
being entered on the docket against
him. There was bunch of keys in
the hands of the dead man and
small pocket knife 1T his side.
Coroner Walker said last nien, that
he would hold the inquest some time
today, and examine a number Of wit
nesses who arrived after the shoot
ing occurred. These include w. w.
Bailey, who says that Spence told
him to stand back, after the shooting
took place. Thos. Norton, who as
sisted in the arrest Of Spence; DIR. S.
j.. Peake of Cross Hill. who saw the
shooting from his chair near the cor
ridor of the Jerome hotel. Ernest
WiX, and several others.
At the city Jail last night
Spence asked Coroner Walker if
o'Pry was dead. He. had no state
lnent To make. Very little is known
of either except that Spence has been
employed by the street railway COM
l'any for some time and O'Pry has
Teen with an insurance concern. The
ncn are each about 35 years of age.
spence is unmarried. according TO
Coroner Walker.