The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-12-24
crime MOST AWFUL
BLACK FlEKDS MURDER And
ASSAULT A LADY
ABE RUN down BY dogs

Three Young Negro Brutes Visit the
Home of Young Georgia Farmer
During His Absence and Assaulted
and Murdered His Wife in Pres
ence Of Children.
A dispatch to the Augusta Chron-
icle from Wren, Ca, says the most
horrible. brutal murder in the annals
of Jefferson County, Ga, was the kill
ing Sunday afternoon some time be-
tween o'clock and dark OF Mrs. JET
! ferson Irby bp three negroes, Will
liam and George Hart and Robert
Paschall. Mrs. Irby was only 26 years
old, and had been married about six
years. She was soon to become
mother for the third time when the
fendish brutes assaulted and murder
ed her.
The story of the murder was told
by her little fve-year-old daughter to
Mr.. Irby when he returned to his
/ home about dark from visit to the
home Of his brother. Sunday morn
ing Mr. Irby left to go to the home
| of his brother to take Sunday dinner
and spend the afternoon. Mrs. Irby,
who has not been leaving the house
| lately, was at home alone, save for
! the two little children, one five years
| old and the other about three. Upon
his return about dark Mr.. Irby no
ticed that the fire had burned out,
only few live Goals remaining In the
| fireplace.
Calling into the dark bedroom for
his wife he got no response, and On
investigation he found the two little
tots covered up in one bed with their
clothing on. Lifting the little girl to
the floor he asked, "Where's
manma?" "The Hart negroes have
been here and killed her-papa, she's
out in the yard dead" was the little
Ave-year-old girls reply. Mr.. Irby
found a trace of blood on the back
step, traced it to the wood pile and
there found his wife's mutilated
body. Her throat had been cut in
two places and the top of her head
almost entirely battered off with an
axe.
From the description given by the
little child it must have been about 4
O'Clock in the afternoon when Will
liam and George Hart and Robert
Paschall came to the house. George
Hart, according to the little child,
then grabbed Mrs. Irby and dragged
her into the yard. During her strug-
giles on the door step the negro slash
ed Mrs: Irby's throat twice. Her hair
had become loosened and, holding
her by one arm and her hair, the ne
groes dragged her to the wood pile,
at the rear Of the house and beat her
brains out with an axe. The little
girl told her father the negroes went
across a field and out through the
woods.
Mr.. Irby gave the alarm to neigh
bors, and about II o'clock Sunday
night Sheriff Smith with bloodhounds
arrived on the scene and the dogs I'm
mediately took up the trail, leading
directly to where the three negroes
we're located. When they were cap
tured Sheriff Smith succeeded in ov-
grooming a determination to lynch
them Immediately by the argument
that identification must be positive,
and if he took the negroes to Louis
Vile he would assure the people an
| immediate trial. The three black
! fends were then taken to Augusta to
escape a large angry crowd that was
rapidly gathering.
After reaching Augusta George
Hart. one Of the fends, made con-
fession, which revealed one Of the
most horrible and dastardly OF
crimes, so shockingly heinous in con-
temptation and execution that the de-
tails could not be published in the
newspapers. According to the confess
sion of George Hart, he and his
brother, William, and Robert Pas
chall. after becoming partially intoX-
icated from drinking the skimming
from a sugar cane boiling, went BY
the Irby farm home. They knew that
Mr.. Irby was not at home, and knew
that Mrs. Irby and two little chill
dren were the only ones at home.
According to the confession as
made by George Hart, Robert Pas
chall went into the house, while he
and his brother, William, stayed on
the front piazza and watched. George
Hart says they next saw Robert Pas
chall and Mrs. Irby come out Of the
door. Paschall having hold Of the lady
and trying to overpower her, while
she was fighting him as hard as she
could. Finally Paschall reached in
his pocket and secured his knife.
with which he cut Mrs. Irby's throat,
while her two little girls, who were
awfully frightened and crying, were
looking on.
Paschall then dragged the body of
I Mrs. Irby to the woodpile and knock
ed her in the head with the axe he
found there. George Hart then goes
on to say that he and his brother
1,-;1,;or, az, knocked Mrs. Irbv in the
head with the axe. Then, he says,
all three of the black fends assault
ed Mrs. Irby. who was then barely
alive. The three black fiends then
left the body at the woodpile. The
two little girls had run off and hid
or they would have been murdered
by the black fends to hide their
crime. They were found later in bed
Jacnriho6 abOvp