Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-01-07
CHARGED WITH MURDER OF LEE
Five Negroes Are Being Held in the
Anderson County Jail.
Anderson Mail.l

A new turn was taken in the dis
appearance case OF John w. Lee, a
well known farmer and carpenter,
who disappeared from his home near
Piedmont on Monday of Christmas
week, when five negroes-four men
and a woman-who had been arrest
ed at Piedmont on the charge of hav-
ing murdered Mr.. Lee, or having
guilty knowledge Of his whereabouts,
were brought here and placed in the
county jail, following a report that
feeling there was so strong against
them they might be lynched. The
negroes are John Duckworth, Lizzie
Duckworth, Alfred Brown, Homer
Brown and Fletcher Dickson.
All Of the negroes live on the
Rogers place, some two and a half
miles from Williamson. They" were
arrested about noon Friday by Off
GERS Goldsmith and Maddox and
taken to Piedmont, where they were
placed in the town lookup. Later in
the day Sheriff Joe H. Nj. Ashley was
notified that they were being held;
that there was some danger Of their
being roughly handled, and on the
advice Of Solicitor p. A. Bonham,
who was here Friday afternoon, he
sent for the negroes, placing them
in the county Jail. The officers said
they found several small crowds con-
gregated about the streets at Pied
mont, but that so far as they could
see, there was nothing to indicate
that lynching might take place.
So far as can be learned here
there Is no proof Of positive nature
that Mr.. Lee has been killed. How
ever, VIM. f. Lee, father Of the miss
ing man, has intimated his belief
that his son was killed by negroes in
the northern part of Anderson coun-
ty. The negroes in jail were arrest
ed merely on suspicion, one Of them,
woman, having recently told a
white woman, so it Is said, that John
w. Lee had stopped at her home on
his return from Anderson to his
home at Piedmont on the afternoon
OF the day Of his disappearance, and
that ne was at the time accompanied
by the others Of the negroes who are
under arrest.
Officers who brought the five pris-
oners here questioned them closely,
but were unable to find out anything.
1t is said that only one Of the five
knows Mr.. Lee, and all declare that
they know nothing as to his where
:abouts, or anything that might lead
to his being found. 1t is claimed,
however, that VIM f. Lee and the
officers who made the arrests have
certain other evidence Of more def
mite nature, tending to connect the
negroes with Mr.. Lees disappear
ance.
Since the day Of his disappearance
parties have been out looking for
some trace Of Mr.. Lee, but none has
been found. He left home riding a
bicycle and came to Anderson. Some
business was transacted here during
IhS iloi hihS, the ldSC DOSlIlVe
trace relatives have of him was when
he was in the office Of the County
Auditor, between 1 and 2 o'clock in
the afternoon. After that there were
rumors of his having been seen by
several parties while apparently on
I'VE return trip home, but none of
nose mas been positively verified.
r.. Lee Is A years old and well
.o2~n in the community in which
h% 'ived. He is a farmer, but also
worked as a carpenter at times, and
had worked some in cotton mills.
He was temperate man, and so far
as is known, was in the best Of
health at the time he left home. His
mysterious disappearance has created
good deal OF interest in the county
and throughout this section.