The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-09-16
AGED COUPLE BEATEN
BY UNKNOWN NEGROES
Three Negroes in Newberry Jail-One
Ccnfesses and duplicates Others
MIR. and Mrs. Johns Improving
rceawocd Index-Jcurnal 18th.

Nlf. ana N{fS. JOINS improving
Greenwood Index-J Jcurnal, 18th.
Using rail@gabikes tied together
with strings faG cluos, two unknown
negroes about dusk last night beat
almost to death H. Johns and his
wife, an aged couple, pcoprieters Of a
store rear Vaughnville between Chap
pelis and Cross Hi and are said TO
have robbed them of between $4,000
and $4,000. H. Johns is about 70
wears old. After the assault and rob-
berry, the negroes escaped, coming to
Greenwood, it is claimed.
A small black negro was captured
near New Market shortly before MD
day by Lamar Dominick of Vaughn
vile to whom it is alleged that he con-
fessed, declaring that his confederate,
a tall yellow negro, had ccare to
Greenwood. The name Of the cap
tured negro could not be learned. At
two o'clock this afternoon, Mr.. Dom
mick was on his way to Newberry
with his prisoner.
The negro when captured mad one
sleeve bloody and torn. He appear
ed extremely nervous and claimed ne
had hurt his arm, causing the blood
stains. Officers could find no injuries
on his arm.
Sheriff Cannon Blease of Newberry
and his deputies about two O'Clock
this afternoon returned from McCor-
mick, where officers and a large posse
have been looking for the negroes
since early this morning. The report
had reached Sheriff Blease that 10Th
to have caught a C. & W. c. freight
After clubbing the aged couple al
most to death the negroes fled, and
are supposed to have gone to Cross
Hill and to have come to Greenwood
on the southbound Seaboard tram,
reaching here at 80. Citizens from
the Chappells section, with 'ohcers
M. A. Corley, J. M. Townsend and u.
H. Mann, met the train but failed to
arrest them as they got off the tram
because the citizens who were there
to identify them declared they were
not the negroes wanted. Two negroes
who were suspected by the officers,
in spite of statements Of the Chap
pells men that they were not dressed
like the negroes who committed the
assault and robbery, were(accosted by
officers. When officers approached
the negroes they fled, and are thought
to haev caught c. &. W. c. freight
train. Sheriff E. M. White was notl-
fed early this morning that they had
been seen getting off freight tram
al Mccormick and he went at once to
the scene.
According to a long distance mes
sage from Chappells this morning
early yesterday the two negroes VINO
are alleged to have committed the
assault, applied for job on a road
gang near there, claiming that they
had come from Abbeville. They fail
ed to secure work and are thought
to have remained in hiding in the
woods until dusk, when the assault
upon the aged couple and the robbery
of the store was committed. They
asked a negro on the road where h.
Johns lived, it is stated.
The two negroes are said to have
gone into the store and asked H. johns
for some canned goods. When ne
turned to get it, one of them struck
him blow over the head with the
railroad spike club. Hearing the
sound of the old mans body falling,
his wife rushed in from an adjoining
room and was also struck in the head
with the spikes. Both the old couple
were then beaten almost into lnsen-
bility and the store robbed, reports
say.
Officers throughout this section
have been notified to keep lookout
for the negroes. They are making an
effort to locate the tall, yellow ne
gro implicated in the alleged comics
sion of the negro arrested near New
Market.
The State.
Mccormick, Sept. 13.-Sheriff Can
non Blease of Newberry county and