The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-05-07

HUNDREDS OF MEN IN POSSES
10 HUNT FOR DESPERATE
NEGRO, RICHARD
AUSTIN.
Negro Escapes from swamp by Cicv-
CT TriSk-Dogs Put on Trail. but
Fail Co Find Him-Commun 81
Much Aroused and VIII Continue
Man Hunt.

was continued today and tonight.
Richard Henry Austin. the negro mur-
derer and desperate. the quarry
whom hundreds OF men have been
hunting In the Bull Pond township of
Barnwell and Lawton and Goethe
township OF Hampton. is still at large.
After escaping from the little swamp
"Wednesday afternoon. when he killed
two OF the men who were trying to
capture him and wounded three more,
the negro apparently vanished into
thin ar. He has been seen once since
he left the bay" This was az point
four miles from Barton on the road
to the Savannah river Wednesday
night about 8 o'clock, two hours or
more after he slipped down by the
sentinels. The negro exchanged shots
then with three members OF q party
which had gone ahead to cut him off
from the bluffs on the river.
Austin started on his career We'd
nesday morning when he attempted a
criminal assault. He was surrounded
later In the day in a little swamp on
Stiiwood. William Bryan's place.
During attempts to dislodge him, the
negro shot and killed Magistrate Fred
III. Edenfeld OF Allendale and j.
Frank Bowers, n farmer of Valentine
I'M Hampton county. He seriously
wounded Dr. s. c. Moore. a prominent
physician of Luray. and slightly
wounded George Hanna of Clifford in
the shoulder and McTeer Bowers of
Valentine in the hand. Both Mdgis-
trate Edenneid and Mr.. Bowers were
married men and leave families.
DIR. Moore was brought TO Columbia
Wednesday night and placed in a h IS
pital
In response to urgent requests from
citizens OF the section in which the
negro Austin went on his rampage,
Guard Robbins OF the State peniten-
tiary was sent down from Colum bia
TO Barton, five miles south OF Allen
dale. wednesday night. He reached
Barton about 2.i0 a. IN. Thursday
with tis dogs.
IL was ut the place where Austin
was last seen on the river road that
Guard Robbins OF the State peniten-
tiary put out his bloodhounds. The
dogs raced across a field on the right
OF the road to the edge OF bay on
what was supposed to be the negro's
trail.
In the meantime the hunters came
mp. They were afoot, on horseback,
In bugNss and In automobiles. The
guns which some OF them carried
would have delighted the heart of a
collector OF antique weapons. Mus
kets. muzzle loading rifles and shot
guns. antiquated Springfield rifles with
tremendous hammers were to be seen
beside double and single barrel breech
leaders. Wlnchesters and automatic
shotguns. The men who carried them
were determined looking. but quiet
and orderly.
The hunters waited In the mist as
dawn broke. trying 10 catch the di-
rection In which the bloodhounds
turned down the bay" The dogs
made little headway after they got
into the bay" and finally gave up al
together In spite OF Guard Robbins
horn and hallooing The hunters were
OF the opinion that the quarry had
doubled back into the road after ne
shot at the automobile party.
Somebody found footprints made by
a man running across the field To the
left OF the river road where a negro
house stood. The dogs took this trail
readily and ran II into the swamp on
the left OF the road The scent was
hot and the men scattered along the
edge OF the swamp. Suddenly n ne
gro boy broke cover and ran straight
toward the party. lie was unarmcd
~
other young negro was routed out
from beneath the cabin under which
ne had crawlcd. a third was found
In the cabin. Sheriff Morris Of Barn
well took the ashcn-faccd trio I'm
charge. The sheriff had three other
negroes arrested at "a cabin further
down the road. All six were held for
Inv estigation on the charge of aiding
Richard Austin t. make his escape.
The coolness OF the crowd was put
to severe test when the first negro
with the dogs behind hin broke out
of the swamp. No disorder attended
the arrests except that when one OF
the negroes failed To- obey trivial
order promptly, one Of the guards
struck him "a stinging blow on the