The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-05-07
negro DESPERATE
ATTEMPT ASSAULT and KILLS
two OF HIS PURSERS.
WOUNDS four OF POSSE

Crowd Numbering Hundreds in Ho'
) Pursuit, Determined to Avenge
Death Of Two and Wounding o.
Four Citizens.-Lynching Sure to
Follow.
Information from Allendale at 2
o'closck Friday was that Henry Aus
tin, the negro murderer who is still
at large had presumably crossed the
Savannah River from swamp near
Senneli Hill and gone to the Georgia
side; that Rural Policeman Spiven-
der was leaving Allendale for SEN
nell Hill at the call of the sheriff
Of that place with whom he is to pur-
sue the fugitive into the Georgia
swamps; that the trail taken up by
the penitentiary bloodhounds Thurs
day afternoon believed to be that OF
Austin's was not the trail Of the
wanted negro at all.
These according to this informa-
ton are the latest tsdevelopmen in
the affair which has cost the lives
OF two well thought Of South Caro-
lima citizens, the wounding OF four
others and created intense excite
ment throughout Hampton and Barn
we'll counties.
A dispatch from Hampton says af-
ter outwitting and eluding bands OF
armed men and bloodhounds all day
Thursday, firing on one party which
attempted to stop him in a public
road about two O'Clock that morning
and escaping, being once driven be-
yond the State border into Georgia
and later being forced to cross back
into South Carolina, Richard Henry
Austin, the negro who killed TWO men
and wounded four in Hampton Coun-
ty the night before, was pushed back
by his pursuers into Coosawhatchie
Swamp, not great distance from
Barton, late that afternoon. The
dogs had taken the trail and the ne
gro was believed to have been locat-
ed.
Fully one thousand men from
Barnwell and Hampton counties,
their faces showing the grim deter.
mination to have vengeance, search
ed every nook and corner Of the COM
munity in which the tragedies oc-
Cured for the negro. The patience
of those men who have, searched SO
diligently Is almost exhausted.
The period of. excitement is over,
but In its place is the settled and
steadfast desire to do something for
revenge. This is the expressed state
ment of a number Of men who COM
pose the searching party.
The blood hounds from the State
Penitentiary are on the grounds and
early Thursday morning struck the
trail Of the negro, but the trail ran
into a public highway and was lost,
the evidences being that a convey
ance was used. Whether confeder-
ates or accessories furnished the con-
yeyance is a question asked by many
of those on the scene.
It is known that in the neighoor-
hood where the negro was last seen
Wednesday night negro hot sup
per was in progress and attempts
were made by some Of the searchers
to procure assistance from those IN
attendance upon the supper but they
steadfastly refused. This adds fue!
to the FIRE and what may occur is not
known.
Whenever and however Austin is
taken, in the event he should be cap
tured, there is no question now what
the disposition will be. Nothing
could prevent lynching, and from
the temperament Of the crowd, 1t Is
not to be unexpected that fire will
play its part.
One small posse of eight men trail
ed the negro toward the Savannah
River swamp, FIVE miles from the
Savannah River, they left their auto
mobile on account OF puncture and
were walking along the roadway
when their attention was attracted
by some one running through the un-
dergrowth in the woods.
They stepped to one side Of the
road and as Austin came out ordered
him to stop. Instead, he paused bu'
a moment. opened fire on the posse
and turned back into the woods. The
fire was returned. and while blood or
the ground indicated that Austin hao
been hit, he was not seriously wouna-
ed.
Details Of the Tragedies.
- The details Of the shooting are
that after the negro Austin had pre-
pared himself with several boxes Of
buck shot, shells and a gun and g
large calibre pistol. with sufficient
ammunition, he attempted to assault
the wife Of a prominent farmer IN
the Luray section Of the county Wed
nesday. The lady by trickery sue
ceeded in getting shot gun and ran
the negro out. of the house at the
same time giving the alarm.
Mr.. J. G. Folk, near neighbor'
hearing the alarm ran to the assist