The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-04-08
WILLIE DuRANT
KILLED BY
OFFICERS
Life of Negro Desperate is
Taken This Morning When
He Rushes Out of House
With Pistol in Hand


Acting on information received
at $50 o'clock Thursday morn
ing. Chief of Police J. NJ. Barwick,
Trial Justice Deputy, r. S. Grif-
fin and Police Officers a. D. Owens,
J. p. Shockley. w. II. Strange and
J. .. Chandler went, armed with
! rifles, to the farm Of Mr.. +. l..
Brunson, situated some three miles
from Sumter. and just off Of the
! Bishopville road. a negro house
on this place Wa: searched and
then the officers travelled a dis
tance Of about mile and q half,
going through swamps for the
most part and at times wading
through water waist deep. The
second negro house, situated on
the place Of Mr.. H. G. Haynsworth.
was approached. at the rear, from
the swamp and the house sur
rounded by the officers. Chief
! Barwick then sent negro man
! into the house with the message to
Willie DuRant, telling him that
the house was surrounded and
that if he came out with his hands
up and would surrender that he
would not be harmed but would be
protected. Ollie White, the negro
who was sent into the house, stated
Nat the inquest that when he de-
! livered this message Willie Du-
Rant did not say word, but got
! UP from the table where he was
sitting and went into the next
room. From this room DuRant
rushed out Of the house with his
pistol, which he always carried, in
his right hand. When DuRant
rushed out Of the house with pis-
toi in hand and showing fight,
he was fired upon from all sides
by the officers and instantly killed,
some eight bullets taking effect
in the negro's body. And so camo
TO his death, Willie DuRant, alias
/ Pidney DuRant, an escaped convict
from Florence county where he had
begun the serving Of a five year
sentence for the wrecking of
! Seaboard train. He was thief and
housebreaker and was connected
with the wrecking of the A. C. L..
| train near Augusta. at which time
Engineer Temple, of Florence, was
killed. Tie criminal activities of
DuRant touch Sumter very closely
by his shooting, on March 18th, OF
our own Police Officers J. NJ. Law
renee and j. II. DuRant. The es-
cape Of both of these officers from
death at that time being nothing
short Of miraculous. The search
Of the city police department since
that date has been tireless and
! they were rewarded Thursday
morning By the finding OF their
man.
The verdict of the coroner's jury
after the holding Of the inquest by
Coroner Seals at the Hurst under
taking establishment Thursday
morning, was: That Willie Du-
Rant came to his death in Sumter
county on April s. 1922, from gun
shot wounds at the hands Of
county and city officers in the dis
charge Of their duties as such and
so the said aforesaid, upon tneir
oaths aforesaid, do say. that the
aforesaid killing was justiliable."
Corroborative testimony was given
before the inquest by Chief Bar
wick, Officer Owens and the testi-
mony taken of Ollie White, color
ed, who stated that he saw Willie
DuRant rush out Of the huose with
the pistol in his hand. The state
ment Of the physician examining
the body was THAT Willie DuRant
came 70 his death from gunshot
wounds upon different parts Of the
body"
The pistol which the negro car
ried was .3S caliber Colts re-
volver Of latest make and was
found to be fully loaded. An ad-
ditional supply of ammunition was
carried by DuRant in leather
bag. Also found on the negro
We're two diamnod rings, railroad
switch key. his charm to keep him
from death. which was Il small
pouch filled with herbs, and a
bunch Of keys on which We're sew
eral skeleton keys capable Of open
ing ordinary door locks.
Chief Barwick pays tribute to
the men accompanying him on his
mission Of Thursday morning, stat
ing that they stood their ground,
never falterinS, and that they full
ly Well realized at all times the
type Of q man with which they
We're TO deal. He stated that
the men left Sumter Thursday
morning armed With II determina-
tion TO do their duty at whatever
cost.
It's easier for a rich man TO so
throI1o.l, ca,ra1'u aya bnp fO;.