The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-05-02

Criminal Records of Piedmont.
Columbia, April 26.-E. D. Green
and John L. Paige, two young white
men, of Spartanburg County, who
were convicted Of having murdered
Ben Carson while he was lying asleep
because of the love which Green bore
Mrs. Fannie Carson, wife of Ben Car
son, were today paroled by Governor
Blease on condition of good behavior.
Mrs. Fannie Carson, who engineered
the plot by which her husband was
foully put out of the FAY, was parol-
ed by former Governor Ansel.
The crime happened in Spartan
burg county eighteen years ago and
was said to have been one of the most
cold-blooded ever perpetrated in
South Carolina. Ben Carson, with
his wife, Mrs. Fannie Carson, were
living on their farm in upper Spar
tanburg county. He was young and
respected young farmer and his wife
was a very attractive woman. With
them boarded, E. D. Green, young
school teacher, and John L. Page,
another young white man, lived on
the Carson Place.
Green was a young man, with good
manners, and he and Mrs. Carson
were said to have been much in each
others company. Ben Carson, all
unsuspecting, was going about his
daily tasks unmindful of the plot
which was Matching in his own house.
Mrs. Carson and young Green, it is
alleged, soon became so enamored of
each other that they began plotting
how to rid of Ben Carson.
Once Mrs. Carson is said to have
tried to poison her husband, but fail
ed. 1t was then that she is alleged
to have resorted to sterner and more
certain methods.
Consulting with Green and calling
in the aid of Page, the plot is said
to have been Matched. One quiet
moonlight night as Ben Carson was
sleeping he was killed. A window
had been left open and it was charged
that Green and Page silently stole
through the window and into the
room where the sleeping man lay.
Carson was Drained and his throat
cut with a. razor to make assurances
doubtly certain.
Suspicion at once centered on Mrs.
Carson, Green and Page, and they
were arrested and arraigned for the
murder of Ben Carson. Terror
stricken, Mrs. Carson turned States
evidence, and on the stand told of the
awful plot, of her love for E. D. Green
and outlined the scheme by which
Ben Carson was put out of the way
The trial took place at Spartanburg
in the fall of 1895, with Judge Jos. H.
Earle presiding and Solicitor Schum-
pert prosecuting the cases. Mrs
Fannie Carson and John L. Page
were found guilty of murder with rec
ommendation to mercy and sentenced
to life Imprisonment in the State Pen
itentiary. E. D. Green was found
guilty of murder and sentenced to be
hanged. An appeal in his case to the
Supreme Court resulted in new trial
being ordered, and in June, 1897, with
Judge Buchanan presiding and Solic-
itor T. S. Sease, now Judge, appear
ing for the State, Green was found
guilty of murder and sent to the Pen
itentiary for life, where his two COM
panions had already preceded him.
No similar case had so stirred
Spartanburg and the upper part of
South Carolina. No sooner were Mrs.
Carson and the two men in the Pen
itentiary than efforts were begun to
secure clemency for them. Appeals
were made to each Governor, but with
out avail until Governor AnsePs term,
when he finally pardoned Mrs. Fannie
Carson and permitted her to go back
to Spartanburg.
With Mrs. Carson free efforts to
get Green and Page out were renew
ed. Finally a petition for clemency
in Green's case filed with Governor
Blease contained 1915 signatures 235
of whom were ladies of Spartanburg
county. Judge Sease, who prosecuted
Green at his second conviction as So
licitor, recommended clemency and
many of the leading citizens of the
county were on the petition. A
strong petition for clemency in
Pages behalf was also presented
and it was signed by 407 of the cit
izens of Spartanburg county.
This morning Governor Blease had
Green and Page brought from the