The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-10-08
NEGRO MAN KILLED
NEAR CROSS HILL
MIR. Tom Neil shoots Negro who is
Said to have Drawn Pistol ON Him
and WaS about to Shoot.

and VAS about to Shoot.
Robert Smith or Ike Smith. as he
was more generally known. a negro
employee on the place OF MIR. Tom
Neil. below Cross Hill. was shot and
almost instantly killed by the latter
about midnight Friday night. Accord
ing to testimony given at the inquest
held by Coroner IIairston. the shoot
ing was done in self defense. MIR. Neil
came TO Laurcns Saturday morning
and surrendered to the sheriff Satur
DAY afternoon Judge II. G. Watts grant
ed bail in the sum of 81 900 and MIR
Neil was liberated to wait trial at the
March term OF court.
The shooting grew ont of the use
by the negro of Mr. Ncils's mule with
out the lattcr's authority. According
to the story told by Mr.. Neil. he return
ed from visit elsewhere .-riday night
and found one of his mules MISSING
ouSpectlng that the mule had been us
ed without his knowledge before and
that Ike Smith was the culprit this
time, he went over to the house of
John Mays, Ike's brother-in-law. and
asked as TO the Whereabouts of the ne
gro. Finding that Ike was not at home.
MIR. Neil prepared to watch for his re-
turn, in the meantime sending MAYS
TO the lnnSn nf Inhn n;1 Ia T.,
and securing pistol. When Ike Smith
rode into the yard about midnight, MIR
Nell began to upbraid him for using
the mule. The negro began to get off
of the mule and at the same time made
a move to draw his PISTOL. AS he
reached the ground he had succeeded
IN drawing the pistol from his pocket
but before he could shoot MIR. Neil pull
ed the trigger of his own pistol, shoot
ing one time. The bullet entered the
breast Of the negro and he died short
ly afterwards.
Sheriff Owings and Coroner Hair
ston went to the scene OF the homicide
Saturday morning ana when they ar
rived they found the negro whore he
had fallen and the pistol WAS found ly
ing by his side.
Testimony of Eye Witness.
John Mays. the only witness to The
tragedy, testified as follows at the in
quest:
Last night about five minutes of
4 \NnlNn ~ 81
ing out at the cotton house and Robert
or lssaac Smith came riding up on MIR.
Ncifs mule and Mr. Neil said Isaac.
what do YOU mean riding my mule
around without leave or license and
Isaac put his left hand on his mules
wcathcrs and his right hand in his hip
pocket and slipped off of the mule with
his pistol in his right hand and Mr.. Nci
shot him and he fell and he has never
spoke.
Sure that Isaac had the pistol in
his right hand when he got off of the
mule. and MIR. Neil was standing out
at the cotton house together. Mr. Tom
Neil sent me down to Mr.. John Ncil's
to tell him to send him his pistol.
came back few minutes before the
man, Isaac, came back with the mule
and gave the pistol to Nh Tom Neil,
the pistol he shot Isaac with"
Post M0rtcm Examination.
Following is the testimony of DR.. G..
f. Klugh, who examined the negro the
next morning:
IL hereby solemnly swear that at IL:
40, y. Nj October 9th, ! examined the
dead body of Isaac Smith and found
that bullet had entered the right nip
pie and passed through his chest lodg-
ing just to the right of the backbone
about the level Of the lower tip OF the
shoulder blade. Such a wound would
cut large blood vessels and other
structures sufficiently delicate to cause
death"
c. f. Klugh, VI, ID.