The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-08-16
TWO PRISONERS
MAKE CONFESSIONS
FOX AND GAPPINS TELL OF
KILLING OF TAXI DRIVER.
Sheriff Plunkett of Augusta Drives
All Night to Evade Mob Which
Storms Jail in Augusta.
The State.

The State.
Savannah, Ca, Aug. 11.-Confes-
sion to having committed one of the
most brutal murders in police annals
was wrung from C. o. Fox and Jesse
Gappins, the two prisoners brought
to Chatham county jail at 5:55
o'clock this morning after. an all
night ride to avert a lynching party
that stormed the Richmond county
jail at Augusta shortly after Sheriff
Plunkett left with the two men.
Their statement of the killing Of
William Brazell, a young chauffeur
of Columbia, whom they had engaged
to go for ride with the intention
of robbing him, was practically the
same as that made by S. ]. Kirby,
now in the South Carolina peniten-
tiary.
Fox and Gappins were hurried
from the Augusta jail Thursday
morning by Sheriff Plunkett follow
ing information that a party OF SO
automobiles was coming to take the
men. He left Instructions with the
taller to let the lynching party in to
search the jail. The sheriff with his
two prisoners left the Jail and start
ed for Savannah, stopping only at
Waynesboro to pick up a Burke
county officer who was familiar with
the roads leading to Savannah.
At First Refused.
When the party arrived at the
chatham county jail they were re-
fu-cG aImittance with their prison
crs due to a rule that no more "for-
eign prisoners were to be accepte
without written order" The men
were placed in the city jail but were
later returned to the county Jail up
on the proper order.
In the presence of Sheriff Plank
ett and Jailar Kidwell the two men
confessed their guilt, telling re-
voting tale of the murder Of Brazeil.
The confessions of the two men were
then signed, Kidwell witnessing the
signatures.
In their confessions the two men
stated that they with Kirby engaged
the car from Brazell with the ihten-
ton of driving to Lexington. They
planned to get him out in the coun-
try, they said, and take the car from
him, but at the time had no inten-
ton of killing Brazell.
Brazell, after driving them about
for. some time, stopped the machine
to buy some gasoline and one OF
the party stepped from the machine
to see how much money he had with
him when he paid for the gasoline.
It was found that he had So in his
possession.
The automobile started again and
stopping for few minutes in the
road, according to the statement OF
the men, Fox struck Brazell IN the
head with billy. At this point the
three men attacked the helpless
driver with knives, brutally stabbing
him in the body. Brazell put up a
hard fight, but was overpoWered oy
his assailants, two of them holding
his hands behind his back, while Fox
plunged knife in the drivers body.
Pleaded for Life.
The two men admitted that Bra
zell pleaded earnestly with his as
sailants that they spare his life pro-
testing that he would not turn them
III. fl.s assai]arts turned deaf car
t., his pleadings. Fax, in coates
sion, admitted twisting the knife
around in Brazells body after he
stabbed him.
The body of the dead man was
taken in the automobile and carried
along the road short distance be-
fore the slayers took it into the
woods some yards from the road.
There was very little money in the
pockets of the dead man, but after
relieving him of the few dollars he
had, they drove the automobile off.
The automobile finally broke down
near Waynesboro and the three men
deserted the car Kirby told w. D.
Roberts of Waynesboro, that the 9TH
er two men had committed mur-
der. Kirby then showed where the
body of Brazell had been taken by
the passengers of the murder car.