Mountain advocate., 1921-02-25
WILLARD HIBBARD MURDERED
AFTER LEAVING CHURCH

of Locust Grove, near Girdler, met
to worship God as they had done for
some nights previously. About 5
o'clock the service was finished and
the congregation left. Among thest
were several young men wno are
allegcd to have passed in and out
of church during service hours. Two
Cf 'hcm, Charlie ilammcns an1 q
boy Lamed jackson it is alleged left
the grounds and when just beyond
the fence (some few yards from the
church, they fired off their gGns
Rov W. ~ Epperson. one If thc
lraetors, followed and demonstrated
With CharlCy Hammons VINO said he
had not fred his gun. Rev. Eppar-
son said he knew he had for he saw
him, do so whereupon an argument
cnsuad which ended in Charley Ham
mons saying that Mr.. Epnorson was
q c. d liar and at auy rate he
! (Hammons) was not Goosc thief
and had never branded another
mans logs for which remarks he
was Knocked down by Mr.. MpFerson.
Meantime, Jim Carly, who had
followed Mr.. Epperson, arrived on
the scene In his testimony, he ctai.
ed that believing Jackson ir.,nded
to shoot Epperson aftsr The blow
had passed, he got in between them
grabbed Epperson, slung him around
and then stopped to pick uI hats
which had fallen. Others started
away with Eppersun. Tho witness
did not hear Hibhafd who had come
w say anything TO Anyone
Here the dsfehee, which euHa!stp
81 skNset A, smith and 4, II, Jst.
via, aSssd ths fsliowlhs ssssisgei -
ITS I. ttasiH nsksa kttE, Jarvis
"tkat hlbhafd stfssh al taa liam,
thahs kstofe hs shot Eil,,
1'he answer was "aa,,', the Witness
goihs an 10 SAY that whSE hs saine
Up George, OF dad. AammGna said
I'T will Kin every a. d one Of
them ana aFed two shots at hib-
bard, Asked what he did, Carly
said II ran.H
Other. evidence showed tho muir
derer tried to take Carty's life by
firing a shot after him as h. ran
and then whirled and placed his gun
at the breast Of Uncle Henry Stacy.
who had lifted Charley Hammons up
and would doubtless have killed him
too, had not Charley said, Don't
shoot him, he is a friend Of mine"
Rev. W. N. Eppersen followed
with about the same testimony ey-
cept that rs insisted he had struck
hut enc blow, while the evidence of
others was that he had struck sew
Ioral. He said there had been trGu-
tle' at other churches ana from the
2oiae In and out of the boys and
other actions, he judged :hey we've
cnucusing, He said. they smelled |
Of whisKey," but this was not corro-
bare ted by others He said he did
not know but what Charley Ham.
LIONS might shoot him and neld on
t. him after the blow had been
slruck Tie said Jerry Caldwell
took me away and we ha probably
gone 25 or S0'steps when We heard
three or four shots. Jim Carly ran
Ivy 'Ae and said, dad HammonS has
illtd Willard Hibbard' wanted
to 10 back but they wound not let
me-" He testified that before he
died Hubbard had called for George
Iiainmons, father of Charlie Ham
mons, and said, George, We have
always been good friends. brt am
murder d ana your boy ia the cause
nf 1T
Uncle Henry Stacy testified mat
Hubbard was unarmed that Dad
Hammons had put his pistol to his
breast, that Charley asked Dad not
| TO shoot as he was friend and that
after the shooting the two Hammons
left him alone with the dying man.
Jerry Caldwell said Willard Hib-
bard was in no way provocative but
was trying TO make peace. lie testi-
fed to hearing the death shots
Rev. John McQuillan testified 10
good deal of running In and out Of
church. that he stayed at the 'hurch
during the shooting and to the hear
ing OF shots both before and during
the murder. He also said that Hib-
bard said after the shooting, at is
awful to, be killed for nothing" and
asked for George Hammons.
Wilson Garland testified he had
carried a light from his house and
helped the wounded man to the
house of his brother-ia-law. Dan
Stacy
John McVey, who lives 200 yards