The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-05-03
DESPERATE KILLS TWO.
NEGRO ATTEMPTS CRIMINAL As
SACLT AND AFTERWARDS
SHOOTS PURSUERS.
y. Frank Bowers and l.. ii. Eden
field Killed and DR.. ;. &. Moore,
George Hanna, Mc1eer Bowers and
one Other Wounded by Richard
Austin-POsse with Dogs i'm Pur-
suit.

Hampton, April 30.-Pursued into
a swamp by q hurriedly organized
posse of determined men, Richard
Henry Austin, a negro, charged with
attempted criminal assault upon the
wife of a prominent citizen of Luray,
turned upon the hunters and fired
shot after shot from his buckshot-
loaded gun, two of the loads finding
fatal lodgment in the bodies of +. II.
Edenfield, magistrate Of Allendale, and
j. Frank Bowers, a farmer of the
Luray section. Four other men-Dr.
/ ;. {. Moore of Hampton county, Nc
Teer Bowers, George Hanna and an
unidentified white man-were wound
ed. Late this evening the negro broke
through the line and made his escape
At midnight Austin had not been
captured and the crowd, numbering
about 25O, was awaiting the arrival Of
bloodhonnds from Columbia.
1t was believed at midnight the
negro had not gone beyond Barnwell
county and that he will be captured
Mr.. Bowers was killed and the other
three were wounded about 4 o'clock
this afternoon, when they attempted
to capture the negro, who had been
chased into a patch Of woods, q low
marshy tract Of about five acres, four
miles from Hampton. Thther they
had pursued the negro after he had
attempted to assault the wife Of a
farmer at Luray.
After the first fatal attempt, the
pursuers decided to wait for rein
fOrcements Late this evening more
men, led by Magistrate Edenfield, ar
rived. The magistrate headed a charge
on the negro's hiding place, but a shot
rang out and>the leader fell dead.
Then the hunters settled down to
wait. In the gathering darkness, how
ever, the negro broke through the
line, while the guns of the pursuers
barked in vain.
About o'clock today news reach
ed Allendale that a negro, Henry Aus
tin, had attempted an assault upon
the wife Of farmer near Luray, in
hampton county. After the negro
was frightened away the intended
victim telephoned to a neighbor, Gus
hn ar
ance. On meeting the negro on the
road, Mr.. Folk attempted to arrest
him. The negro, heavily armed,
threatened Mr.. Folks life, saying he
had come from Georgia for the pur-
pose Of killing several white men.
Mr.. Folk gave the alarm among
his neighbors and a posse was quick
ly formed by men of that section.
They trailed the negro and had him
located in small swamp.
They announced that they needed
help and bloodhounds. Before Judge
Edenteld got off with his posse the
news came that j. Frank Bowers
hdu oeeI hiileu anu lnTee OInerS
wounded in their attempt to approach
the negro in his hiding place.
On arriving on the scene, Judge
Edenfield formed a skirmish line of
seven volunteers, with himself as the
leader. They were proceeding eau
tiously through the dense growth of
the swamp when suddenly shot from
the desperado's gun rang out and the
brave Edenfeld lay dead.
An unidentified white man, who
was with the magistrate, is said to
have been sriously wounded. How
he joined in the pursuit has not been
learned, nor has the extent of his
bers Of the posse shot in the direction
of the negro, but on account of the
thick swamp none Of the shots took
effect.
DR.. Moore was hurried to a hospital
in Columbia
Sheriff ]. b. Morris Of Barnwell
an automobile with his bloodhounds,
bound for the scene.
Two or three hundred men had
the swamp surrounded and there
seemed little chance of the negro es-
Gaping alive, but at II O'Clock news
was received that the negro had been
routed from his hiding place and the
hounds and men were in pursuit.
About 8 o'clock tonight. it was
learned, the negro, seeing his chance
to make off in the darkness dashed
through the lines of men surrounding
the swamp and fed, with the men
and hounds in full pursuit. When it
was seen that the negro was coming
out every one Ofthe guns of the pur-
L