The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1919-07-24
NEGRO GIRLS KILL
FATHER WITH AXE
CONFESS TO BRUTAL MURDER
IN FLORENCE COUNTY
LAST THURSDAY

Brutality of an almost inconceiva-
BILE nature marked the killing in
Florence county last Thursday night
of Sylbert Myers, a respected negro
farmer, by his two daughters, Lillian
and Rebecca, aged respectively 10
and 18 years.
Using an axe as weapon the two
girls struck their father on the back
of his head while he was seated at
the table eating his supper. The
blows were struck from behind. N.Y.
ers lived only short while after the
first blow was struck.
According to the statement of his
daughter, Lillian first attacked her
father. She brought the blunt part of
the axe down upon his head with
terrific force, breaking in the skull.
AS the man leaned over on the table
she struck him again, and he fell to
the floor. Rebecca then took a hand
and grabbing the axe from her SIS
ter's hand, struck the man as he lay
upon the floor. They then dragged
him out into the yard where they
watched him die.
After hiding the body of their
father in the woods the girls return
ed to the house dressed in their Sun
day clothes and went to an ice cream
supper just a few hundred yards
from the spot where the body lay.
The murder occurred about dark.
Myers lived near Muldraw's mill, and
was highly thought Of by his own
as we'll as by the white people of
that community. When placed under
arrest next morning by shriff Burch,
Lillian and Rebecca Myers confessed
all about it. They also made a volun-
tary statement to the jury Of inquest
which was empaneled by Coroner
Smith. In their statement they de-
clared that they killed their father
because he would not let them go to
a party at tobacco barn. He said
he would kill US if we went, said one
of the girls.
After watching their father die
the girls placed his body in wheel
barrow and carried it into the woods,
placing it near a path about 81 yards
from the public road. They then
went back to the house and dressed
for the party. The path near which
the body lay was taken by the girls
in going to the party. All OF this
happened, however, after they had
washed up the blood in the house
and had swept the yard. They did not
attempt to hide the axe and it is now
in the possession Of the coroner. 1t
is heavy and blood stained.
Two negroes who returned home
with the girls from the party saw
the body of a man lying near the
path. One of them, Isear Law, called
but received no answer. Isear testl-
fed that he knew Myers was care
full about his girls, and he thought
it was Myers lying in the bushes
waiting for them to come back home.
When the negro men called the girls
ran on to their home. The men re-
turned to the tobacco barn and get
ting others to follow, came back to
the spot and found the dead body OF
Sylbert Myers. The daughters did
not tell of their connection with the
crime until faced by the officers
Friday morning when they broke
down and confessed. Both Of them
tell the same story as to the manner
of the murder.
Sylbert Myers was about AZ years
old. He was we'll thought OF, his ac-
ouaintances stating that he had al
ways been anxious to rear his chill
dren correctly. i