The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-02-02
January I ern, Of
Criminal Court Ends

NJl5Ill5tQa NOQSt AStUc
The January term of the court OF
general sessions for Bamberg county
ended here last Friday with the COM
pletion of the case of the state
against R. O. Williamson charged
with murder.
The doings of the first few days OF
the court were related in last week.
issue of The Herald. And last Wed
nesday as The Herald went to press
the case of the state against Warren
Charlton, negro, charged with the
murder of Ruby Watkins, also
q negro, at a hot supper in
the lower part of the coun-
ty, was in progress. The jury re-
turned to its room on this case short
E before the dinner recess hour; in a
few hours, one of the jurors, Thomas
5 Beard, received word from his wife
several miles in the country that she
mad been suddenly and very critically
stricken i'll and if possible to come at
once with doctor. The judge asked
the foreman of the jury if he thought
they could agree in the next few min
sutes, and the reply was in the mega
live; the jury, had already had the
case under consideration about four
hours. So Judge De Wore said he felt
It his duty under the circumstances
TO order mistrial and allow Mr..
Beard to hurry to his i'll wife. This
was done, and thus the case will be
held over until another term of
court. Charlton's case has been hang
ing for quite a while and he was at
once granted bail by Judge DeVore.
At the conclusion of this case an
other old murder case was, tax III up
and quickly completed. That was
against young negro named Pat
rick Loadholt from the lower part Of
the county. He was indicted for kill
ing another negro by the name of
Jesse Folk at Sone of these free for
all frolicks in his section few years
ago which usually result in one or
two funerals. The one in question
was the occasion for two because at
the same time Loadholt killed Folk
another negro, Jesse Padgett, was
also shot and killed by Folk. How
ever, 1t seemed to be case of self
defense for Loadholt who offered no
Testimony whatever, and the court
directed q verdict OF acquittal on the
states case alone. He was found
guilty of carrying concealed weapons
sthough and fined $50 or sentenced
to serve 80 days on the gang.
The Williamson case was the next
and last one tried. The facts of this
case have been reviewed before
in The Herald, and are pretty
well known to Bamberg county peo-
ple. II will be remembered that
Williamson and his wife hailed w.
Ham, Brabham, a prominent Ehr-
Shardt man, ON the street in front OF
aWflliamson's home in Ehrhardt,
short argument ensued and William
5son shot Brabham to death. The
tragedy occurred Easter Sunday
morning, April Goth, 1919. The case
was once before tried, the defendant
being convicted of manslaughter with
recommendation to mercy, and Spe-
scial Judge Charles Carroll Simms,
of Barnwell, imposed sentence of
ten years at hard labor upon him,
probably a record sentence for such a
verdict. Upon appeal the supreme
court sent the case back for anorner
trial ON another point involved. And
after remaining out about four hours
the jury this time returned Identical
IL the same verdict as the other jury,
and the court cut the sentence half
in two, Williamson getting five years.
It is understood that no appeal will
be taken and that the prisoner has
already entered upon his sentence on
the Bamberg county chain gang. Thus
ends this celebrated case. Solicitor
Gunter is still sick in Aiken, and B.
w. Miley, of the local bar, conducted
the prosecutions for the state during
the entire week of court.
Watches Him Cut 1t.
She was very sweet young bride,
who, had already found what looks
like a nice piece of meat in the shop
often seems to have gone through a
private transformation scene when it