Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-07-17


Turney went off cursing, he said.
The witness told practically the same
story he told at the inquest. He heard
the shots but did not investigate. He
slept beside a pine tree until nearly 2
o'clock when he got up, viewed the
bodies of the slain men and went on
home. A grilling cross examination
resulted in a statement to the erect
that he did not investigate the shoot
ing because he thought probably tn
shots came from officers who were al
ter Dover and Wells.
NJ. NJ Faris, who was also with Do
yer and Wells the night they were
killed said the party were drinking and
had a gallon jug Of liquor which he,
Faris, had gotten from Wells. The wit
ness said he and Dover had started to
his fathers house a distance Of about
six and one-half miles from his saw
mill, meeting Wells and Harlow on the
way They had gone back to Mack's
house because Wells wanted a match.
Faris and Harlow remained in Faris's
buggy while the other two went after
the match. Some one called the wit
ness and when he got within ten feet
of the men the shooting began. He ran
around the house, got in his buggy and
drove off. He had no pistol and did
not know who killed Dover and Wells.
The old negro Jim Mack. told almost
identically the same tale he told the
morning of the inquest. He returned
home about II o'clock from Peeler's s
mill and heard loud talking and curs-
ing in his yard. Wells asked him for a
match. While searching in his house
for q match there came a knock at the
door. Soon after he opened the door
the firing began. He saw Turney. SEN
10 f,ryina tNUn q
fire from the rear Of the house. He saw
two men fall. He did not see Thad
Turney in the cluster Of men about
the buggy in the yard. He asked the
defendants If they were going to see
whether the men in the yard were dead
or not, and Mr.. J. E. Turney said, NO
you CO." He went back toward the
house and did not know whether the
Turneys went home or not. He did not
know when Mr.. Thad Turney got his
lantern which was in the house. but II
was gone next morning.
Deputy Sheriff Rhodes Of Kings
Mountain. n. c., testified that he had
discovered a still on a branch a quar-
ter Of mile from Jim Mack's house,
two days after the homicide. He also
fourd a keg Of mash near the house OF
Wash Harlow. He did not Of his own
knowledge know whose property the
still and mash were.
The defense introduced several wit
nesses to testify as to the character of
the deceased men.
The testimony Of ]. Ed Turney was
about like this:
About an hour and a half before
sundown. / left home with my son,
Thad to go fishing on Clark's Fork four
miles away.
We put our mule up at Jim Mack's s
stable and went to the creek We
caught sixteen catfish and an eel, and
about eleven o'clock, as well as l could
guess, came back to Macks house hav-
ing no idea Of any trouble or Of meet
ing any one. My son was in front and
we had lighted lantern and came up
the path in front Of Mack's house.
When we approached the house /
heard some one say, Give me your
gun, / want to shoot that light out"
Thad went to the house after his lap
robes and went to turn my buggy
around the buggy being between the
corner Of the yard and Mack's wagon.
Two mem. K. Wells and Pink Do
ver-walked to the buggy and another
man was at my back.
l said, stop boys, I'm not bother
ing you" The men were cursing and
Dover got between the wheels.
The man behind me had a pistol and
said stop, damn you!" l dropped the
shafts l was holding and he fired.
then fired and he ran around the house
still firing. When he fired the second
time from the back Of the house was
about twenty-five yards from Wells
and Dover, firing at him.
When / came back to the buggy
saw two men lying there, and my son
asked me if was shot. The whole af-
fair occurred in a few minutes. Neither
of us said anything to the men. Thad
was standing about twenty feet from
the fallen men when / returned to the
buggy.
The witness said his son had no pis-
tol and that he did not know who car
ried the baseball bat out to the stable.
Thad Turney got his laprobe after the
shooting.
Both men hitched the mule to the
buggy and reached home about 1
o'clock. Thad Turney found a watch
and chain dangling from a nut that
holds the buggy top down, the follow
ing morning The defendant was new
er nearer the dead men than at the
buggy shafts. He carried a pistol on
the fishing trip for fear Of mad-dogs.
The witness admitted having trouble
with ]. K. Wells few days previous
to the homicide. Wells had drawn a
rock on him. However, he bore him no
malice.
On cross examination the witness
admitted having carried a pistol on a
fishing trip about two weeks previous.
He did so because Of mad dogs. He did
not recognize the men until they got up
to the buggy. Wells held a stick in a
threatening position. He never did
recognize NJ. NJ. Faris.
Thad Turney had told him going
home that night that he, Thad, had
killed the men.
Mr.. Turney said that part of the
road home was very rough. He did not
know where his son was during the
shooting but presumed he was in the
negro's house.
He said he knew nothing Of the knife
lying under Dover's leg, Of Wells's
pockets being wrong side out, or Of
Dovers hands being folded on his
breast.
When court adjourned Wednesday
evening, Mr.. Turney was still under
cross examination.
Thursday Morning.
Thad E. Turney took the stand in his
own defense. He said he was "a years
old and a man of little education. He
had a lantern in his hand, coming to-
ward the negro Mack's house, and
heard some one say: II see a light; /
believe they are damned spies; give me
your gun and l will shoot the damned
light out"
The defendant said he went into the
house to get his laprobe. He heard
cursing and upon going to the door
heard three or four men coming toward
his fathers buggy.
Some one said to his father, Stop,
damn you hands up" AS soon as the
command was given the firing began.
Two men were shooting.
The defendant ran out into the yard
and grabbed the baseball bat. He had
the stick in his right hand a lighted
lantern in his left. The man who was
shooting at his father ran around the
house. his father following.
Two men, one Of whom had a stick,
and the other what appeared to be a
knife or pistol, took a step toward his
father The witness said he was at the
side and back Of the men and did not
know whether they saw him or not. He
knocked the first man down, jumped
over him and struck the other. Seeing
the first man rise to his feet, the wit
ness struck him again.
Witness said he struck in defense Of
hic 70 thor WbpSa fate he did npt knnw