The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-09-28
Man Murders { Y;
Corytesses to Crime
Dillon Herald.

1t was a well-known woman writ
erof popular fiction who coined the
shrase, ''Hell hath no fury like wo-
man scorned," and desire for re-
yenge. born Of scorn and ill-treat-
;ment. brings to light murder nys-
try, the details Of which have sur
prised the officers of the law and
shocked beyond expression the cltl-
zens of the Marietta and Lake View
communities.
It was on or about the beginning
of the present year that Manning
Ford, the 1S-year-old son OF John
Ford, well-known to the citizens OF
Dillon and Dillon county as peddler
of chickens and eggs, disappeared
from his home near Lake View. The
bow was in the habit of leaving home
for a few days at time, but when
he did not return after lapse OF
many days his parents became appre-
hensive and made diligent but fruit
less inquiries as to his whereabouts.
No trace of the boy could be found.
He had disappeared as completely as
if the earth had ope5ed and swallow
ed him up.
In a modest cottage near Marietta
Frank Summers and his wife lived
the quiet and uneventful life of rural
felh and it was here on the night OF
February IS, 1922, that a story IN,
real life almost stranger than fiction
had it's origin in tragedy that blaEed
trail to a remote Georgia town/and
thence back to the scene Of it's "egin-
ming.
On this fatal night Manning Ford,
the victim, was a visitor at the home
OF Frank Summers. An alteration
arose and the two msn began to
fight. They fought opt through the
A.oor and into the fsbnt yard. Ac-
eording to Frank skmmers's side of
[the story they readied the wood pile
and Manning Fogstooped to pick up
q piece Of lightwbod. AS he was lean
ing over Summers snatched up an axe
and struck the boy in the back of
the lead, killing him almost instant
.ly. Realizing what he had done he
took the body upon his shoulders and
cast it into some underbrush few
hundred yards from the house. The
wife was not an eyewitness to the
tragedy itself.
= But killer must have been haunt
ed by the spirit of the killed. For
several weeks Summers continued to
linat his home within fed hum
dred yards of where lay the body OF
his victim, but whether through fear
or superstition or some other reas-
on which has not been explained he
dia not revisit the secluded spot
whSre the body of young Ford lay
exposed to the elements and the Vul-
tures of the air and earth. Summers
was a man of iron constitution, but
living daily in such close proximity
to the body of his victim began to
tell upon his health and strength.
Conscience Iashed, and pursued by
an ayenging spirit more terrible
than any punishment that could be
meted out. by the law itself, Sum-
mers fed TO Georgia. Here he once
more took up the thread of life,
-Aoping in a measure to forget the
scene of the fatal night of February
18th. In a few weeks his wife fol-
lowed him and there they lived,
keeping the dark secret locked in
their bosoms, until Nemesis like,
another figure appeared upon the
Scene in the form of a woman who
won Summers affections away from
the faithful wife who had stood be-
tween him and the shadow of the
electric chair:
cAnd the unholy alliance thus
formed in a wicked moment was
the cause of Summers's undoing. The
faithful wife upbraided him for his
conduct, and he not only scorned her
INT turned upon her and beat her
,unmerciful'y. In spirit Of revenge
she ID the story to the officers OF
thels and when confronted with the
Z crime Summers confessed to his guilt.
ce rgfa ob;cers wired North Caro-
Tina officers and the reply was that
sa,nrs ers was not wanted in Mari
etta for the alleged crime. There was
of couI ~e no record of it as rumor
had not connected Summers with the
strange disappearance of the Ford
.hoy. But Summers insisted that his
,,- +r,,o on6 he was hrOu CHIT