Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1915-03-18
ONE IS KILLED
FIVE WOUNDED
ALL OVER VERY TRIVIAL NATTER
Pistol Battle Waged on Streets OF
Pageland Causes Death and
Many Wounds.

The following account of the deplo-
rable tragedy which occurred IN rage
land last Friday afternoon, is taken
from the Pageland Journal:
Probably the most deplorable TRACE
DIV in the annals of Chesterfield county
occurred here last Friday afternoon
when a pistol battle ragged for several
minutes near the magistrates ofhce
on McGregor street as a result OF trou-
BILE growing out of a trial of minor i'm
portance which had just been dis
missed in the Magistrates court j
WESLEY Arant was instantly killed; J.
d. Wallace and Jesse M. Arant were
seriously wounded in the abdomen:
Arthur West received four bullets in
his limbs; Sheppard West was shof
through the thigh, and John E. Rob
ertson was shot in the arm
All of the participants in the fight
were citizens of the Five Forks sec
tion Of the county and they had gath
cred here to attend a trial in the mag
istrate's court in which Frank West
was accused of breaking labor con-
tract with Mrs. Wincey Threat, sister
of the Arant brothers. The trial had
been dismissed a short while when a
fisticuff arose near the office Of the
magistrate. A shot was fired and In
stantly half a dozen or more pistols
were whipped out and the firing began
in earnest. ]. Wesley Arant fell dead
with a bullet hole through the lungs
and heart: II: D. .Wsllaca af6Da
when hel ugh the aedo-
Hen. J. M. |ceived flesh
wound in the arm and very danger
GUS one in the abdomen; Arthur west
was shot three times in the leg ant
hips and once in the arm; Sheppard
West was shot in the thigh, and ball
passed through the flesh Of John E,
Robertsons arm.
Drs. Duncan and Moore, of Page
lana, CAN'T and Thomas, of Ruby, and
Funderburk, of Dudley, were summon
ed. The wounds of the injured were
dressed, and J. M. Arant and j. D..
Wallace were taken to the Presbyteri
AN hospital at Charlotte, where opera
tions were performed. 1t was found
that the wound of Wallace was not
quite SO serious as at first announced.
The ball entered just above one hip
bone and passed out just above the
other making about nine perforations
in the intestines, but no important
blood vessels were injured. The bal!
was found in his sock when he was
being dressed at the hospital. Arant's
wound was more serious than at first
thought. The ball which entered near
the right hip bone passed through the
abdomen, making eleven perforatlons
in the intestines and grazing the lilac
vein. A great mass of clotted blood
was removed dring the operation. and
it was realized that his chances fol
recovery were slight. Late Saturday
night signs of peritonitis began to
appear, and none of his relatives were
allowed to see him Sunday.
Policeman Funderburk and rural
policeman Grant were in the midst OF
the battle, but some 40 or so shots
were fired before they succeeded in
getting in n'possession of all of the five
pistols and one rifle they snatched
from the hands of the participants
Most of the pistols taken were gooC
ones, and the rife was 32-caliber
Remington. Sheriff Douglass was
notified at once and he arrived short
ly before sunset and began an investi-
cation.
Coroner Atkinson was summoned
and the inquest was begun about $3.50
o'clock and concluded about O'CLOCK
Saturday morning. A number of wit
nesses were examined and Drs. Moore,
Can't and ]. S. Funderburk made o
post mortem examination Of the body
to determine the nature of the wound
which caused his death. 1t was found
that ball had shattered the 9th rib on
the right side, passed through the
lungs and heart and out between the
4th and 5th ribs on the left side. A
ball was found just under the skin be-
tween the 9Th and 7th ribs on the left
side and this gave rise to diversity
of opinions. The doctors decided, how