The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-04-10
TWO BOYS KILLED
ON ENTERING STORE
Greenvilie Policeman Foil
Attempted Burglary.
A YOUNG SON OF
PROMINENT PARENTS
Two Greenville Boys Shot by Police
men when They Enter the Store
Of Big Dry Goods Firm i'm the Late
Hours of the Night. Fired First Shot


the basement of a fashionable dry
goods store shortly after o'clock
Sunday morning, Leonard Smith. II
years old, son of a prominent and
wealthy family, and his 20-year-old
companion, Rowley Martin, engaged
in a pistol battle with three police
men who had conceaTed themselves
in the store in anticipation of a bur
glary with the result that the young
men were shot to death and one of
the policemen wounded.
With five bullets in his body and a
wound through his heart young Smith
ran up fight of stairs to the second
hoor, where two employees Of the firm
chad stationed themselves in waiting.
VILE was met at the top step by one
of the clerks who shouted to him
not to fire again, and passing on by,
teaching mask from his face with
one hand and gripping mis- pistol with
the other, sank to the floor and eX-
pired Martin ran to the rear of the
his head and another In is hand and
concealed imself in a closet. A police
man followed closely upon him and
pulled him out, at the same time tear
ing mask from the lads face. Mar
tin was placed in the police ambu-
lance and rushed to the city hospital
where he expired two hours later. Po-
liceman Mayficld was shot in the
hand.
Dual Inquest Held.
News of the terrible tragedy spread
quickly even at that hour of the night
and has created a profound sensation
throughout the city. At noon in the
county court house in the presence
thousand or more citizens, of all
rank, the coroner conducted dual
inquest into the killing
The two puries returned verdicts
that Leonard Smith and Rowley Mar
tin came to their death from pistol
shot wounds at the hands of Police
men II. C. Alexander, A. M. Blair and
j. A. Mayfield. The chief OF police,
j. e. Holcombe, was then deputized to
take the officers into custody until
Monday, when their commitments will
be issued by the coroner. At the
same time application for bail for the
three policemen will be made before
Judge S. w. G. Shipp, who convenes
the spring term of the court Of COM
mon pleas for Greenville county Mon
day morning.
The inquest was the most dramatic
ever held in this county. The father
Of young Smith overwhelmed with
grief and dumbfounded at the tragic
occurance, appeared at the inquest
and conducted the examination of the
various witnesses.
Testimony Of Policemen.
The city solicitor. b. f. Martin,
questioned the witnesses on the part
of the city. The testimony did not
develop any mysteries but was plain
and to the point The policemen 'es
titled that members OF the firm Of
Hobbs e. Henderson notified them a
week ago that their store was being
robbed. Young Smith was employed
by the firm until short while ago,
and the witnesses stated, suspicion
pointed to him. For nve nights one
of the policemen concealed himself
in the basement OF the store, he said,
and each night observed party or
parties come to the rear windows of
the basement and flash a pocket Ian
term. Saturday night, he testified,
three policemen were stationed in the
basement shortly before midnight
1t had been planned to have two
members of the firm stationed on the
second floor of the store. in charge OF
the switch governing the electric light
ing system. The three policemen con
cealed themselves behind a counter in
the basement and waited
AT minutes after 3 o'clock, the
testimony ran, the policemen observed
the pocket lantern being flashed on
the outside of the rear basement win
dows. They waited and presently an