The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-09-28
MURDERS BOY;
C0NFESSES CRIME
IN JEALOUS MOMENT DISCARD
ED WIFE UNFOLDS STORY
TO OFFICERS.

"a NOIlldIl NIOllISN' stiiN 9 N\sAA> A~A
revenge, born of scorn and ill-treat-
naent, brings to light a murder mys-
try, tie details of which have sur
prised the officers of the law and
shocked beyond expression the citi-
zens of the Marietta and Lake View
communities.
It was on or about the beginning
of the present year that Manning
Ford, the IS 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
boy 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
apprehensive and made diligent but
fruitless enquiries as to his where
abouts. No trace Of the boy could
be found. He had disappeared as
completely as if the earth had open
ed and swallowed him up.
In a modest cottage near Mariet-
ia Frank Summers and his wife liv-
ed the quiet and uneventful life of
rural folk, and it was here on the
night of February 1S, 1922, that a
story in real life almost stranger
than fiction had its origin in tragedy
that blazed trail to remote Geor-
gia town and thence back to the
scene of its beginning.
On this fatal night Manning Ford,
the victim, was a visitor at the home
of Frank Summers. An alteration
arose and the two men began to
fight. They fought out through the
door and into the front yard Ac-
cording to Frank Summers side Of
the story they reached the wood pile
and Manning Ford stopped ito pick
up piece of ightwood. AS he was
leaning over Summers snatched up
an axe and struck the boy in the
back of the head, killing him almost
instantly. Realizing what he had
done he took the body upon his shoul-
ders and cast it into some underbrush
a 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
live at his home within few hun
dred yards of where lay the body OF
his victim, but whether through fear
or superstition or some other reason
which has not been explained he did
not revisit the secluded spot where
the body of young Ford lay exposed
to the elements and the vultures OF
the air and earth. Summers was
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
IssNed. md pursued by an avenging
spirit more terrible than any punish
ment that could be meted out by the
law itself, Summers fled to Georgia.
Here he once more took up the thread
of life, hoping in measure to for
get the scene of the fatal night of
February 18th. In a few weeks his
wife followed 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 woman who
won Summers affections away from
the faithful wife who had stood be-
tween him and the shadow of the
electric chair.
And the unholy alliance thus form
ed in a wicked moment was the
cause of Summers undoing. The
faithful wife upbraided him for his
conduct, and he not only scorned her
but turned upon her and beat her
numerically. In spirit of revenge
she told the story to the officers OF
the law and when confronted with
the crime Summers confessed to his
guilt. Georgia officers wired North
Carolina officers and the reply was
that Sumn.el> Vas not wanted IN
Marietta for the alleged crime. There
was of course no record Of it as ru-
NOR had not connected Summers with
the strange disappearance of the Ford
boy. But Summers insisted that his
story was true and he was brought
back to the scene of his crime.
He conducted officers to the spot
where he had concealed the body of
his victim and there they found in
the form of a skeleton the remains
of the boy who had disappeared so
mysteriously six months before. All
that remained were the remnants of