The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-10-16
pARR SHOALS SUSPECTS FREED.
Fraser-Bigham Hearing Held in Fair
field County.

ludIy Ill llS case VI lilS OtclS against
J. B. Fraser, Jr., and Bissell Bigham,
Of Chester, charged with robbing the
paymaster of $4,000, at Parr Shoals
was held to-day before Magistrate
| F. X. Mann, and resulted in the mag
istrate holding that there was fail
ure on the part of the prosecution
to make out probable case against
the defendants, who, therefore, were
discharged.
The attorneys for the defence eX-
pected to have the hearing in Winns-
horo and a large crowd had gathered
to hear the testimony, when W. H.
Lyles, attorney for the prosecution,
made the point that Magistrate Mann
was without jurisdiction to hear the
case in No. Township, when he
was magistrate of No. II Township.
l. He was sustained in this action by
the magistrate and the officer stated
he would go within his territory
and have the preliminary.
At 3 o'clock the crowd assembled
at Ashford's Cross Roads, 10 miles
southwest of Winnsboro, and the
case was called.
The prosecution offered only the
testimony of H. w. Mahan, paymas-
ter of the J. G. White Company, and
A. T. Hancock, camp boss of the con-
scruction camp at Parr Shoals. Mr..
Mahan testified in substance as fol-
lows:
Paymaster's Testimony.
He was on train No. 13 that left
Columbia about 1920 o'clock, and
that he arrived at Parr Shoals at
230 o'clock, that it was after he had
receipted for the money and started
towards the camp that he saw three
men with blackened faces; that they
came up and ordered the negro, Bill
Renger, to beat it, and drop the
money he carried in a canvass bag.
The men, he said, shot twice over
his head and shot Joyner in the hip,
when he moved his hand toward his
hip pocket. The witnesses could not
identify the persons, but stated one
of the men was of the build of Fraser
and one about the size of Bigham.
Witness would not swear either of
them was the guilty party.
Says Recognized Them.
Mr. Hancock testified to having
seen Fraser on the works at Parr
Shoals in February and June and
saw Bigham in the month of June;
that he was about eleven feet away
when he saw three men near the
mail crane and heard them hollering
at the paymaster and his assistants.
Their faces were blackened, he said,
but the disguise had rubbed off their
hands and he knew they were white
men. Witness said he recognized
Bogham as the man on the right
when they came up to him, and the
stout man in the centre as Fraser.
Witness said he went to Chester and
after staying there four or five days
took a seat in Wylie and Anderson's S
stables, where he was told he would
probably see the man he was looking
for. He said he thought Mr.. Wylie
knew whom he was looking for be-
cause he was in Chief of Police San
ders' Office and heard the purpose Of
his trip. Witness recognized Fraser
when he came through the stable.
Asked the question whether he
told his employer that Fraser was
the person who held them up, the
witness answered he had not. Said
he saw Bigham in an eating house
and that Bigham went out when he
came in and left his meal. Witness
stated he would swear positively
that Fraser and Bigham were two
of the persons who held the men up,
regardless of what number of citi-
zens of Chester would say as to their
being in Chester at the time the
robbery was committed.
The attorneys representing the de-
PENDANTS were j. E. Mcdonald, S. J.
MacFadden, Gyles Patterson, A. l..
Castor and Malcolm Marion. After
the decision was announced the large
number of Chester citizens who had
| journeyed to the haring in automo-
biles applauded the magistrate and a
| number shook his hand.
HOMICIDE NEAR SUMTER.