The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-05-25
TWO CONVICTED OF
MURDER DIE June IS
JEFFORDS AND HARRISON TO GO
TO ELECTRIC CHAIR. TREECE
GETS LIFE SENTENCE.

4
lumbia Saturday of the. murder of
John C. Annette on the night of May
6, sentence was pronounced by pre-
siding Judge w. H. Townsend, the two
former to die at the, state penitentiary
by electrocution on June is and the
latter to serve the remainder of his
life behind prison walls. Treece was
recommended to the mercy of the
court.
There was absolutely no demon
stration in the crowded court room
as the jury filed in with the verdict
after it had been out three hours
and nineteen minutes. The prisoners
were placed in the dock with heavy
Gordon of officers around them and
Judge Townsend cautioned the audi
ence that none would be allowed to
leave until after the court had COM
pleted its business. All doors were
then closed.
The three men were sentenced at
$50 o'clock. There was no noise to
break the calm judicial pronounce
ments of the judge except the audi
BILE sobbing of some of the women
relatives of the condemned men. AS
sentence was pronounced they were
taken to the state penitentiary, two
to be placed in death cells and the
other, Treece, to labor out the long
I years of his life in custody.
The trial went into its fifth day.
Saturday being coupled with the ar
guments of attorneys for Treece and
Jeffords and the closing argument Of
Solicitor Spigener. The jury was
then allowed to 60 to it's meal. On
its return the charge Of Judge Town
send was delivered and the indict-
ment was handed down to the jury
at 2:56 o'clock in the afternoon.
On the night of May 6 the dead
body of ]. C. Annette, joint proprie-
tor with F. M. Jeffords, was found
in partly overturned automobile
in lonely dell at Colonial Heights,
surburb of Columbia, with his head
crushed. The theory of the case as
developed by the state was that the
deed was due to a conspiracy be-
tween Jeffords and two employees OF
the filling station, Ira Harrison and
eileen Treece, for the purpose Of OBJ
tanning $4,000 in partnership in
surance, through which complete in
terest in the business could be bought
by the three.
It was contended that the three
men had a conference two weeks
before the commission of the deed
and decided on it's methods. The
idea was to entice Annette into the
rear of the filling station, slay him,
take him to a high viaduct, dump
the automobile containing the dead
body, thereby Stimulating accident.
Two .tempts to murder Annette
previously had been made, contend
ed the state, on two nights previous
to the actual commission.
| It was contended that Treece watch
ed while Jeffords and Harrison skunk
in the rear of the filling station await
ing the proprietor. When he came
back he was hit on the head with
stick by Harrison, but not felled;
then Jeffords threw Annette, choking
him into insensibility. Both men then
took Annette between two automo-
biles, Jeffords crushing his head into
pulp with an automobile axle, it
was charged. Arnette's body was
then thrown into the front seat of
his own car, Harrison getting be-
side it and Treece climbing into the
rear. The car was then driven to
the point designated in the conspiracy,
but the presence OF two street cars
prevented it's propulsion over the
bank. 1t was then, with Treece out
of the car, taken to the spot where
found. The state then contended that
the car was rolled slowly down a
steep declivity by Harrison, in the
endeavor of overturning it, making
the crime appear as a natural accl-
dent.
The three men then joined, JEFF
fords and Harrison later going back
to the filling station, setting it afire
in an effort to destroy evidences OF
struggle in the rear OF it. The
fire was discovered in time to pre-
vent destruction of the buildings.
The three men were arrested short
" after the commission of the crime
and Harrison confessed to the police.
The case created decided interest
in Columbia and vicinity, and not in
recent criminal history has such
i -,