The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-03-25
UNWRITTEN LAW
ACQUlTS WARREN
JURY TAKES FIVE MINUTES TO
SAY NOT GUILTY.
Killed Earl 0'Quinn.
Shtooing Result of Alleged Failure
of Dead Man to Keep Promise
/. OF Marriage to Sister.

After consuming nearly two days
of the criminal session of court, the
case Of the state versus Hancy K.
Warren, for the killing of Earl
O'Quinn, came to close Tuesday
nigAt, when verdict of not guilty
was returned, the jury requiring on
" about five minutes to reach its
conclusion.
This case excited considerable in
terest, and the trial was attended
by large crowd. The defendant is
an ex-soldier Of the world war, hav-
ing served with distinction on the
western front in machine gun squad
while the dead man was member OF
a well known family of the county.
The defendant pleaded not guilty,
and offered the plea of self-defense
and temporary insanity. 1t was al
legged that his mind was so wrought
up by disclosures made to him by
his sister and the further fact that
his nerves were affected in the war,
that he lost control of his mental
faculties temporarily. He also en-
tered the plea that it was his belief
that O'4uiun was going to kill him.
R. M. O'Quinn, father of Earl o.
Quinn, testified that Hancy Warren
came to bis home on Sunday before
the killing and asked to see Earl,
but that Earl was not at home. War
rem told him that he would kill Earl,
saying that the dead boy had prom
ised to marry his sister and failed to
do so. The witness described the
wounds on his son, stating that shot
had penetrated the body from the
stomach to the left shoulder. After
his son was shot and before he died
he told his father that he could not
live, and that he did not know why
Warren had shot him. He did not
know that Warren had anything
against him; that they had had some
unpleasant words that morning, but
they had made that all right. The
witness said his son had frequently
visited Miss Ellen Warren, but that
he never knew anything about his
son intending to marry her. The
two families were neighbors and fire.
quently visited each other, and were
always on the best of terms. The
witness said that Warren had serv-
ed in the world war with another of
his sons, both being together through
out. He denied that he had told his
son to kill Warren, but admitted he
told his son of the visit of Warren.
c. L. Jolly testified that Warren
told him before the killing "there
would be a sitting up the next day"
that he would either kill O'Quinn or
be killed. He said the defendant
was very angry at the time, and that
he, the witness, did not question him
about the matter at all.
L. P. jolly, fellow worker at the
Embree mill, said that he had talked
with Earl O'Quinn about Warren.
Eddie Mcmillan, another workman
at the mill, testified that he saw the
two men talking together at the mill
about nine o'clock on the day of the
killing. He did not hear what was
being said, but afterward Warren
told the witness he would not stay
at the mill, because he would not
work with a man who had treated
him as O'Quinn had. The witness
heard two shots downstairs, or nois-
es that could have been shots, which
were in quicy succession. He saw
O'Quinn two or three minutes after
ward but the wounded man made no
statements then. The witness tes-
tilted that it was generally talked
that O'Quinn was to have been mar
ried on Sunday.
Drs. Robert Black and J. S. VIM
berly described the wounds found on
the injured man. DR.. Black conduct
ed the autopsy at the inquest, while
DR.. Wimberly was called to attend
O'Quinn when he was shot. He found
penetrations over the abdomen and
in the left shoulder, the penetrations
going from right to left, diagonally.
He carried the wounded man to the
hospital in Orangeburg for operation,
where some of the bullets were ex-
tracted. One was exhibited in court,
and the witness was of the opinion
that it was a "lug" or homemade
bullet. One of the wounds resem-
bled that of pistol shot, but wit
ness was not certain of that, The