The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-08-16
'CORONER'S JURY
CONDUCTS INQUIRY
PRISONERS HELD FOR
BRAZELL MURDER.
Crowd in LeesviIle-Signed State
ments Of Fox and Gapnins Say
Kirby Helped to Kill Youth.
The State.

hIrOy Feipec 10 hill ioutA'
The State.
Lexington, Aug. 12.-''That the
said William Brazell came to his
death on the 9Th day of August,
1921, in the county Of Lexington,
state of South Carolina, at the hands
of C. O.. Fox, Jesse Gappins and S.
J. Kirby, as result of wounds IN
ficted by beating, cutting and stab
bing," was the verdict Of the coro-
ner's jury rendered at Leesville this
morning at the conclusion of the tes-
t;mony at the investigation into the
death of the young Columbia taxi
driver who was killed Sunday night
on the road between Lexington and
Leesville.
Coroner W. C. Weed presided at
the hearing and Solicitor T. c. Cal
lison examined the witnesses, the first
one being N. S. Geiger of Lexington,
who was acquainted with BraZell and
who identified the body when it was
found in the woods Tuesday morning.
Sheriff J. T. Plunkett Of Augusta
was the most important witness. He
went over conversations had with the
prisoners while they were IN his
charge, and told of the signed state
ments made by the three men. There
is no material difference in what ne
told the coroner's jury from what has
already been printed in so far as Fox
and Gappins are concerned, but in
their statements they accuse Kirby
with taking a leading part in all the
transactions, including the holding of
young Brazell while he was being
murdered and of Kirby helping place
the body in the car and of helping to
remove it to the woods. Kirby has
insisted that he was an onlooker only
while this was in progress.
During the inquest pocket knife
said to be the one used by Fox to
cut and stab Brazell was introduced
as evidence, together with two pock-
etbooks, card case, stick pin and
W. O. W. coin, all Of which were
+,Lan off tho prisoners
According to the statements of Fox
and Gappins the trip leading to the
deaf Of young 'Brazell had been
planned Thursday before it took
place. The killing, they said, was
not premeditated. At another meet
ing held Sunday afternoon by the
three men in cow stall near the
boat landing on Congaree river, it is
claimed by the statement of the two
men that Kirby delivered to Gapplns
the blackjack with which Brazell was
hit over the head Sunday night.
The inquest today was held in the
town theatre at Leesville and the
building was filled beyond seating ca
pacity, but so far as is known there
was no disorder whatever during the
proceedings.
Sheriff Plunkett of Richmond coun-
ty, Georgia, was asked what would
be his next step in bringing the pris-
oners back to South Carolina, and he
replied that he had finished with
them. He said. he had worked hard
to prevent a lynching and had safely
landed the men in jail, and he would
leave it to the South Carolina author
tiles to get them home. He was of
the opinion that to attempt to bring
them here now would mean trouble,
and this he wished to avoid inasmuch |
as he is an officer of another state.
Sheriff Roof has not stated what i
his plans are for bringing TIE men
back.
AL 10 h,,r 10 fornoo- !