The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-10-23

~ OF Firing Shots.
- harleston, Oct. 19.-Tomorrow
roner Mansfield expects will see
oncluded the inquest into the death
of young reporter, Sidney j. Cohen,
which was an incident of the gunplay
that broke up a session of the city
Democratic executive committee last
Friday noon. Todays ression, which
began at 10.45 o'clock in the morn
ing and was suspended only an hour
for luncheon, did not end until this
evening at $50 o'clock. Several new
lines of testimony were opened but
these tended rather to incriminate in
the affray persons not heretofore ac-
cused than to throw light on the main
question as to whose hand fired the
shot which brought down Mr.. Cohen.
One witness, Jerry w. Dunn, made the
first direct imputation Of guilt for
that homicide. He said he saw one
|of the two men now in arrest Ed
ward r. Mcdonald, shoot Mr.. Cohen
in the back, though he would not saw
the shot was deliberately aimed at
the newspaper man. Some evidence
was adduced tending to show that the
police took special care to keep down
trouble, whereas testimony from 9TH
er quarters was that police actively
participated in the disorder. Two wit
nesses said they saw a policeman
stand in the doorway and deliberately
fire into the committee room. Allen
Legare said he heard Plain Clothes
Officer Hogan, after conversing in low
tones with Chief Cantwell, say: "All
right, there will be hell when I get
to Them" whereupon Hogan entered
commmittee headquarters and a COM
motion eliminating in pistol shots i'm
mediately broke out there.
E. A. Cobia said he heard Hogan
say, Il am going to get what I came
sfer~ers-they viii have "a carry me off !
in a wagon
w. B. Hearon, who admitted he had
been tried for murder and acquitted,
Mayor Grace being his attorney in
that case, testified that he saw Hogan
fire into the committee room and
this, he said, was the first shot he
heard. Further evidence directly
charging the prisoner, Henry J.
Brown, with shooting William E. Win
gate was introduced. The inquest will
be resumed under military guard as
today at $50 O'Clock tomorrow morn
ing.
| Rumor ran through the town just
after midday that William E. Win
gate, captain of the city chaingang,
who was one of those receiving gum
shot wounds in the fighting Friday,
had died of his injuries and the story
reached at LAO o'clock the court
room where the inquest was under
way. Inquiry at the Roper hospital
brings a report tonight that Wingate,
though seriously hurt in the head and
the hip, is apparently in no great
danger and that the only other suf-
ferer from the riot who survives it
and remains in the hospital, w. A.
turner, is recovering satisfactorily.
Turner was shot through the right
breast.
Mendel L. Smith, judge of the Fifth
circuit has the distinction of being
the first person not in military uni
form allowed SO far to enter the in
quest without undergoing a search Of
his person. Judge Smith had busi-
ness today at his chambers, opening
off the court room. When he appeared
at the court house door sentries sta
toned there halted him and were
about to insist on searching him for
arms. when somebody said: why,
that's the presiding Judge of the ses-
sions court Thereupon the Judge
was bowed past the inner Gordon of
sentries