The Lancaster news. (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, October 07, 1905, Image 1
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The Lancaster News
LEDGER 1852 REVIEW 1878 ENTERPRISE 189!
VOL. I. WO. 2. SEWI-WF.EKLV. LANCASTER. S C., OCTOBER. 7. 1905. PRICE?FIVE CENTS PER COPY
Horrible Tragedy
In Our Neighboring Town of
Camden?Merchant M c Do
wall Brutally Murdered
and Juror Porter, in the Gillis
Case, the Victim of a
Deadly Assault by an Unknown
Assassin.
^Special to The State.
Camden, Got. 3 ?Mr. K. A.
McDowal), a merchant of this
city, whs waylaid and foully murdered
ou his way homo tonight.
%
-about nine o'clock and robbed of
his watch, keys and all the money
he had with him. lie was struck
in (he hack of the head,presumuh
iy with a heavy club.
The spot selected was near a
large tree opposite llamptou
park. As he was late coming
ho me Mrs. McDowall, his wire,
said to her son, Robbie, who is
about 13 or 14 years old, that he
had better go out and see what
was detaining his lather, lie had
oot gone iar before he stumbled
i.;.. ?..?i ? i-- - -
^**ri u in ini nm , WIIU WHS 111 III?
j lust throes of cleatli.
Mr. MeDowali, the murdered
man, was about 48 yeary old and
was a respaeted, sober merchant
of Camden, lie leaves his one
sons and his wile, who was Miss
llaile. lie is a brother of VV . M.
MeDowali, the editor.
It was staled that Mr McDow
*11 was earring home his books to
> \ post and that, the books were
tojnd near his body. His wile,
becoming uneasy about his delay
Incoming home, 6ent her son to
see what was the matter and the
son found his lather not more
than halt a block trom his home.
The spot where the murder was
committed is on DcKalb street,
between Main street and the
Southern railway depot opposite
il arnpton park. It is not known
how much, it any, money MrMj
Dowall had on his person when
killed, ami a peculiar thing is
that his keys were taken, as was
the case when the highwayman
held up Judge Ernest (lary in
Columbia a week ago. It is said
that Mr. McDowall was not
known to hatfe enemies and that
robbery was the only reasonable
motive lor the murder.
Later?A telephone message
trom Camden at 1 40 this morn
ing stated that the bloodhounds
trom the State farm had then arrived
and were being taken to
the scene, which had been care
'tally guarded in order to prevent
lie obliteration of the scent.
It seems that Mr. McDowall
was struck on the side of the
head under the left ear a power
fill blow which must have felled
him at once and perhaps pre
veutea any attempt on his pari
to fight lor hin life. Il is thought
' ^ that tliere was only one robber
but there is said to be absolutely
no clue or suspicion of his iden
tity. It is stated that the robber
secured, besides the kevs in iMr.
AlcDowall's pockets, lite amount
oi $25 in cash and his watch. A
I . j4
V1
large crowd was at tlie scene until
the dogs arrived.
At 2.15 this morning a message
from Camden was to the
effect that the bloodhounds had
been on the ground tor some time
but had failed to take the scent
and were wandering around the
park, where 25 or 50 men were
still gathered awaiting developments.
There was said to he no
solution of the mystery, no light 1
yet on the death of Mr. MoDowall.
I'UKTIIKH PARTICULARS ? IT WAS A
DOUBLK ASSAULT. !
Camden, Oct. 4.?The news ol
the horrible murder which spread
over Camden late last night and
early this morning has been
eclipsed by a new and even more
sensational development, which 1
has caused a discontinuance ol
the Oi11 is case.
In the early hours of the morning,
Mr. R W. Porter, of West
Wateree, awoke to consciousness
at the Wateree bridge, some two
miles from Camden and Llampton 1
Grove, where Mr. Porter last
recollected being, between 8 and 1
9 p. m. yesterday, as he was accompanying
Mr Robert McDowall
to the latter's home. 1
Mr. Porter was found near the :
bridge with a fracture of the skull :
Lie was immediately brought to
town, where Dr. Dunn examined 1
the wound and attended to it.
Mr. Porter stated that he was in
Camden as a juror in the Gillis
case and was to spend the night
at Mr. McDowaiPs. When the
latter closed his store at 8 o'clock
the two men walked down Dekalb
street. They kept on the sidewalk
that runs on the south side of a
thick, dark grove ot long leal
pine, known as liampton Grove,
the sidewalk in that place being
shaded by these giants of the
forest.
limy had traveled about hall
ol the square and he was just remarking
to his companion about
the hot times the old grove had
seen in '76, when he received a
crushing olow on the back of and
right side of his head and when
next he awoke he was lying in
the weeds on the roadside at the
bridge some two miles away.
How he got there he knows not.
Whether he unconsciously took
the road homeward or was carried
there he cannot tell. His pockets
were robbed of some change and
a Unite.
The daring and boldness with '
which the double assault was ex- '
ecuted is amazing, as just at this '
hour, when th^stores close many
ot the business men either traverse
or pass along the outside
sidewala ol the grove.
It appears that Mr. Lawrence
wimaKer ana anomer gentleman
met Messrs. McDowell and Porter
at the corner ol lite grove. Both 1
sidei exchanged a lew words in
passing and that the inmates ol
a residence on the other side ol
the street who were on their
piaz:a a little over a hundred feet 1
Irom where thn deed was perpetrated
heard two blows, while '
{Continued on 1th ?>ag?\J
x:v -
Innocent Men
Turned Out of Penitentiary?
Convicted of a Crime They
Did Not Commit, Gover-j
nor Heyward Gives Them
Their Liberty?History ofi
The Case.
Columbia Uncord.
11. E. Cunningham, Leonard
Ilinkey and George 11. Waring,
the three men who have been
serving a sentence in the peni
Lt'll Hill ^ Ull H1U lllilt Hlfy
robbed the postollice and bank
at Latca, have been pardoned by
the Governor This action was
taken after letters had been re
ceived from Judge Watts and
Inspector Pulsipher setting forth
the fact that these men had
been unjustly imprisoned on
that charge.
The story of the conviction of
these three men constitutes one
of the most peculiar construe
tions of circumstantial evidence
ever brought out in court.
Cunningham, Hinkey and
Waring were convicted of safe
cracking, the snemfie e.hnrao
0, -I ? r>~
ing that tliey robbed the bank
and postoflice at Latta 011 May
25, 15)04. Tliey were tried and
convicted and sentenced to six
years' imprisonment in the State
penitentiary. Last spring one
of the posiofhee inspectors, in
walking through the penitentiary,
noticed the men there,
and on learning the history of
their trial he stated that they
were convicted of a crime they
did not commit. Their attorney,
Mr. J. H. Wells, of Florence,
then took the matter up. A Hi
davits were obtained from par
ties in that section of the State.
saying that the men were sign
painters, and two of them ab
solutely proved an alibi.
Governor Heyward decided to
wai', however, until the case
was thoroughly sifted. Inspector
Gregory came to Columbia
and gave as his opinion that the
men were innocent. This was
proven afterwards when James
Johnson, .Joseph King and II.
Rabens were convicted in the
Federal Court in Charleston for
the same offense. The latter
now has an appeal up, and the
other two are serving a sentence
for the crime the three men are
charged ?ith. La'er John Mc
Oarthy, who is now in prison in
Connecticut, came to this State
to testify in the Rahens case,
lie said he wanted to lead a bet
ter life and was willing to con-1
fess to all the crimes in which
he had taken part. His confession
absolutely cleared Hinkey
and the other men, and Inspect
or l'ulsipher has so written the
Governor. After these papers
wore referred to Judge Watts,
who was at first o| posed to thoj
pardon, the judge at once re
commended favorable action on
the petition by the (tovernor,
and accordingly this was done.
The case is one of the most
interesting with which the chief
executive has had to deal, and
has attracted attention in police
circles all over the country.
AN EXCITING INCIDENT
A Visit to Kershaw by Lawyer
Newbold Came Near
Resulting in Serious Trou- j
ble.
There was considerable exci'e
ment in Kershaw last Tuesday.
It seems that Mi. \V. 11. Ne.v
i. .?.1 ... /'i. - - - - ?
u mi, <?i wm s er, one 01 tne lawyers
'or the plaintiff in the d 'inavesui:
lecentiybn light against
the county by the estate oi Morrison,
the nun who was lynch
cd m Kershaw about a year ago,
and his client. Administrator
Castles, went there T u e s d ay
morning, presumably on business
com.e ted with their case.
As Mr. Newl old alighted from
the train, we are told, he was
accidentally met by Mr. Frank
Uoi.gh, wi.o hat gone to ttie tiepot
to meet his sister, a passenger
011 the train. It will he re
called that Mr. Hough was one
of the young men who was unfairly
treated, it was alleged, by
the prosecution in the case in
8 > it u ted some time ago against
a number ot parties charged v\i h
bt ing implicated in the lynching.
When, therefore, Mr. liough and
Mr. Newbold unexpectedly met,
porno words passed betwee n
them, and parties near by, seeing
trouble imminent, called the
attention of a policeman to what
was going on. The officer ap
proached the two men and final
ly induced Mr. Hough to accompany
him away Irom the scene.
Mr. Castles, evidently taking
in the situation, did not get otf
the train, but continued 011 to
Camden. After the train left
the depot Mr. Newbold. at his
request, was shown tlie way to
the home of the intendaut, Capt
Welsh, where he remained 1111
til in the afternoon, when he
went to the water tank below
town and boarded a freight
train going south. It is said
that Chief of l'oiice Bateman
and others advised Air. New-1
bold not to venture in the
street*, in view of the feeling
existing against him.
The po ?ple of Kershaw, it is
stated, are not embittered
against Mr. Newbold on account
of the damage suit referred to,
but the feeling of antagonism j
has its origin in Mr. Nowhold's j
alleged connection with the
prosecution growing out of the '
lynching, in which case, it will
he remembered, the state's!
prosecuting ollicers were charg j
ed with using improper meth-1
ods to implicate prominent cit j
izens in the killing of Morrison. 1
One Man Shoots Three.
Mobile, Oct 4 ?Price Baker,
aged twenty-eight, member ol a
prominent luimi.v, was shot and
killed and Hamilton MeKean,
aged twenty six, and Joseph
Hart, Jr., ?gtd t weuly-eighi,'
wounded by John Fischer, an enginrer
on the Seaboard Air Line,!
with headquarters at. Kileigti.^
The shooting occurred in a saloon,^
The Gillis Case.
Notable Homicide In Kershaw
County?Testimony
of Eye Witnesses of Tragedy
Given at Trial in Camden
This Week.
The trial ot t homicide case of
more than local interest, was begun
in CainJen last Tuesday,
that of J. E. viillis tor the killing
ol Melt -a W ..italcer I ho !) h <>i
April, ll)<)4r i'uo testimony of
three eye witnesses as reported
for The News ami Oaurier is as
follows:
.1 .) KAKF1KLU,
I lie first witness, was, a moment
or so preceeding the dilliculty, in
conversation with J. E. Utllis,
when VVlntaker and Quorum lioyk
1 ii drove up together. Wnilaker
said he could not light two men,
meaning defendantan J his lather
who was also present. liioy replied
that he would have to do
that. Whitaker spoke about lighting
(tilus a lair tight, and Uiliis
said ''Damn it, we will bailie il
out or shoot it out." Willi liiat
they both pulled oil' their coals
unci Whitaker again said he would
tight Dun lair. About, that lime
witness saw Gillis's pislol, and
Whitaker pulled out his. Ancrum
Boykin told them to stop, not to
shoot it out ; and WhitaKer said
he would give up his pistol aud
light fair, and he reached over as
if to hand his pistol to Boykiu,
and J. E. Gillis shot. Heard
two shots and saw Whitaker fall.
Did not see Whitaker shoot.
The testimony o! Mr. S. Boykin
and his son, Ancrum Boykin,
who were the next witnesses,
was listened to with intese interest,
lor they were the most im
poriaiu wnnesses tor the State,
and their integrity and high social
si anding in this county is recognized
oy everyone.
MR 8 AM BOY KIN
was lirst sworn, and said that he
had occasion to go to Boykin depot,
to his son Antrum's store.
As he got opposite tiie post office
lie saw J. E an 1 J. A. Gi.lis
standing in a very threatening
attitude, wnh their hands in
11.,..- i.... "
nun ui|/ |mh:scis. Il'? Sil'iV" I HUT..
a difficulty wus impending. Hi*
son, Ancruni, Mr. MeR e Whit am
r and Mr, Btrfield were [irestMii.
lie drove opposite the plat.I'orm
and go' out of his bui:j?y
and went where they were. His ,
son was telling them not to use
any pistols, but ligiit a fair fist
11 ht. if I hey would tighWhitaker
said lie would fight any way,
and so did (tillis. Ancrutn told
? v
Iheirt tf they were going lo have
a lair fight to hand up their pistols.
and he would take the pis
tols. Whttaker put his hand
hack to get tin pistol, and turned
to hand it to Aucruui, and J. E.
Giliirt moved su.ldunly across to
Whituker's lelt and said, '"No,
damn i ; we will bittle it out.'*
ttul just bt lore that, as lie understood
i', both had puMed off their
^Continued cu 7lh f-oO.)
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