The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-06-23
ARRESTS ARE MADE
WINNSBORO OFFICIALS INVESTE
eating The AFFRAY :;
Three men ARE IN JAIL

Grand Jury Acted Promptly Monday
Afternoon and Brought in True
Bill, Charging Men With Murder
of Negro-SheriG Had Not Yet
Passed Away When Jury Acted.
With bullet battered court house
and blood splashed yard as mute evil
dence of the death struggle of the
previous day, the officers of Fairfield
Tuesday set about their task Of fixing
the responsibility for the death of
Sheriff Adam A. Hood and Jules
Smith. his prisoner, receiving fatal
wounds in battle On the steps of the
court house early Monday morning.
A coroner's jury for over four
hours Tuesday afternoon heard the
testimony OF twenty witnesses in the
inquest over the body of the late
sheriff After hearing most Of, the
deputies. constables and special Off
GERS describe the battle in which they
participated, together with other wit
nesses, Coroner Smith adjourned the
inquest until the second Monday in
July at ten O'Clock. The hearing will
be resumed. according to the coro-
ner's edict, July u. This is to secure
the testimony Of wounded deputies
now in hospitals.
Ernest Isanhower and Jesse Morri-
son, already in the Fairfield jail on
warrants issued after the present
ment of the grand jury Monday after
noon, have been Joined by Jim Rawls,
arrested on similar warrant shortly
after noon Tuesday. Rawls, before
entering the Jail, protesting his inno-
cence, declaring that he was not
armed during the affray. Isenhower
and Morrison are relatives Of the ne
gro's alleged victim. Rawls comes
from the same section of the county.
The report of the grand jury fol-
lows:
1--WE concur fully in the appeal Of
your Honor for the enforcement Of
the law, and deeply regret and de-
plore the tragedy enacted within the
portals of the. court house to-day, to
the terror of thoughtful and law
abiding citizens, and we join in your
Honor's tribute to Sheriff Hoods
courage and his faithful discharge of
his duties even at the risk Of his own
| life He and his brave assistants hon
orably discharged their duties, and
| their conduct can not be too lightly
praised, and we realize that when the
spirit of these men shall always char
acterize our public officers, much will
| have been done to put lawlessness
down.
I'VE have made an investigation Of
this affair and present for murder
| Clyde Isenhower, Ernest Isenhower,
| Jess Morrison and James Rawls, the
prisoner, Jules Smith, having been
| killed while in the custody of the Off
| GERS Of the law. The names of the
! witnesses will be presented to the
| solicitor by the foreman. We also
present the same parties for feloni-
| ously assaulting and shooting Sheriff
A. D. Hood, Earle Stevenson, Linder
Kelly, B. R. Beckhan and J. W. Rich
>ardson On the fourteenth of June,
1915, and a list of the witnesses will
| be handed the solicitor by the fore
man.
81. H. Coleman, Foreman"
Judge Wilson, who witnessed the
| affair from the piazza of a local hotel,
spoke as follows to the grand juTyc
| The prisoner was shot dead in de-
fance of the law: That is what hap
| pened yesterday. Your brave sheriff
| whose bravery is uneXcelled, and as
an officer unparalleled by any whom
1 know. It is impossible for me to
pay him the tribute Of respect which
| he is due and deserves. Were it so
that l could express it more forcibly
I would. You have lost a citizen, a
sheriff. Oh! that there were thou
sand such citizens in our State OF
South Carolina.
''It is your duty, Mr.. Foreman and
gentlemen, to thoroughly investigate,
to ascertain those instigatiug or pro-
pagating such tragedy, and to bring
| before you such witnesses as may be
instrumental in making clear the case
| in court I will announce to the audi
ence that you owe it to your county
and to your fellowmen, should you
know any facts, to appear before the
grand jury and testify without being
summoned.
1T was committed in the portals
Of the Court Of Justice, where the
scale would be equally balanced, and
from all that | know, the negro
would have been electrocuted. They
have not only taken the life Of the
prisoner in their own hands, they
have stained them with the blood of
innocent men,
When Jim Rawls was taken into
custody by Deputy Sheriff Seigler he
queried Probate Judge w. L. Holley,
who was grazed by bulletd from the
guns Of the mob, to. establish his
whereabouts at the time, but tte
Judge answered, ''the excitement was
so great, l could not tell where any
one was Rawls seemed very ner-
vous. He immediately hired local
lawyer and further Interrogation Of
him was impossible.
In statement given out for publi-
cation, Rural Policeman Austin Scott,
since appointed sheriff, told the fol-
lowing story of his part in the kill
ing:
Il was going up the steps with the
rest of the party, little behind, to
protect the negro. then heard one
fellow say, Now is your time and
this fellow, Clyde Isenhower, began
shooting, and everybody began firing.
l made a certain fellow, don't know
his exact name, drop his gun. Boul-
ware was next to Sheriff Hood.
Immediately after the shooting I
hurried TO summon the doctors, but
they could not be found at once. The
whole affair began as we turned to
go up the steps, and I think about
forty or more shots we're fired. Sher-
if Hood, after. the shooting. was car
ried into the court house, ne and
Boulware. The negro fell near the
donl.at ha,: moro of tha