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The Lancaster News LEDGER 1852 REVIEW 1878 ENTERPRISE 1891 VOL. I. NO. 4. SEMI-WEEKLY. LANCASTER. S C., OCTOBER. 14. 1905. PRICE?FIVE CENTS PER COPY _ Court Proceedings. Prompt Acquittal in the Case of Policeman A. Jeff Gregory, Charged With the Killing of Ex-Policeman Thomas Catoe in the Town of Kershaw?Synopsis of the Testimony?The Heath ! T~> ? opnngs rjurgiary ^ase. When The News went to press last Tuesday evening the court was engaged in the trial of Chas McFadden, a negro charged with arson?the burning of Dr. Nisbet's barn in the Van Wyck sec lion. The result was a mistrial Wednesday. The c ise of Mr. A. Jeff 1 Gregory, chargid with the i Killing of Mr. Thomas Catoe in i the town ol Kershaw, was taken < up Wednesday afternoon and was not concluded until Thursday night, when a verdict of not i guilty was rendered by (he jury. ' The defendant was represented i by Mr. E. D Blakeney, of Ker. i 8haw, and Solicitor Ilenry was assisted in the prosecution by i Messrs. Green & Hines. The 1 case attracted unusual interest, ] the court room being crowded 1 throughout the hearing. The jurors were as follows: J. 1 M. Nisbet, foreman, J. T. Barton. I W. D. (Jauthen, J. W. Mc.Murray, i Jas. II. Horton, .1. II. Neely, R. 1 T7t IT ! I ' r .union, I. J. DaDney,K. H. I Alassey, Frank Kobinson, J. li. t AloCiintock, Charlie Parks. TESTIMONY. The following is a synopsis of the testimony: < Dr. J. E. VV. Haile : Was J called to see W. T. Catoe o'n i flight of 8th August 1905 in 1 guardhouse in town of Kershaw. Found Catoe suffering with J th ree wounds in scalp on top of I' head. Wounds slight. DeceasIed seemed considerably intoxi- { cated. Later saw him at his ' home and found him shot in ( abdomen and extracted bullet. ' Abdominal wound caused ' , death. < Dr. S. W. Pryor testified to ( operation performed by him to f relieve deceased and described ' location of wound ;n abdomen. ! Intestines perforated in eleven 1 places. VVou id ,tl nost jneeos- 5 fi)"' sarily fatal. { ,J. T. Davis: Was with Catoe ( on night of Aug 8th. M?t him ' lirst time at Carson's store while witness and Hud Watson were i corning u,> stroot together. Do- I n ? n co tsed joined tiem a id they i wont to his store to got a man? s dolin. Catoe proposed a sni; e < hunt and they took some ne i groes, three, along. Catoe got ! sac: and gun and said he)would ? shoot snipe if he couldn't catch 1 them in bag. Party went 70 or 1 80 yards boyo ul Carson's stere v on way out of town when rain i . came up. They returned to ( icon's store to got out of rain ti i r piazza, a had soni?* inn t Lie by uogro ?. While there 1 witness saw Mr. Gregory pass . I by and go up^ street. Witness, K i 1 Catoe and Watson then went back to Catue's store and Catoe took gun in store. Didn't have it when he came out. Don't know what he did vith it. There was no guu outside the door. Door w.is double door. Catoe opened the upper side of do'?r next to Floyd's store. There was no light in storo. Witness and Wat on stopped on outsi le of door, witness on upper side an 1 Watson on lower sule. Catoe came out and pulled door too. Mr. Gregory came up , sidewalk. Catoe says: "Hurrah for Kershaw." Mr. Gregory was up about even with witness. Witness was on upper side. Gregory stepped back a little piece and shot Mr. Catoe, shot twice. On cross examination witness said first shot struck Catoe. Knows it because Catoe fell between 1st and 2nd shots. Mr. Blakeney rigidly examined witness as to position of parties and his ability to see Gregory and Catoe at one 3 ? * luiu saiuQ nme, tne witness seemed to get a little confused. Witness went off immediately after helping Catoe into store to look for help and when he returned found Catoe in Guard house. Saw wounds on head when he saw him in guardhouse, but didn't know where body wound was. Catoe had no wounds on head when he left him at store. Witness had taken but one drink with deceased, and that was before witness went to supper. Catoe was sober. H. H. Truesdale: Went to Oatoe's store after shooting. bound Uatoe lying across the inside of door and Watson sitting down by his side. Told Watson to go for doctor and isked Oatoe it he was shot. Catoe said yes he was shot twice. A.hked him where lie was shot. Jatoe sai 1 : I am shot in the jreast. I open shirt bosom and wouldn't see any wound and thought be was mistaken. W. n. uiroat ana I'Al. lilackmon ; me in. We got liim up to counter an i ho still said lie was ?hot in breast. I again tried to find wiieie wound was and ihout that time policeman Gregory and Krantf Hough came in uid carried him to gutrdhonse. Saw no wounds 011 head of deceased while loo dug lor wounds 11 store. 1). Ed. Blackmon : Saw Caioe at Carson's store before dif lenity, with uun. After shootng went to Catoe's store and >nw Gregory and Hough arrest leceased. Gregory pulled Ca00 and Hough hit i.iin. Don't low how many times. Saw hitoe afterwards in carrying lim home, and saw blood on lead. D. A. linker testified to metis < iremonts in regard to front of | Jatoe's store. Dr. W 0. Twitty : Saw Cao at his ho ? on hrh. llullet lad been previously extracted < ] (Continued on dlli page.) I Newsy Georgia Letter. Comments on Lancaster's Dispensary Election?Georgia Farmers' Like Their South Carolina Brothers, Now Holding Tight to Cotton?Other Matters of Interest. Mr. Editor: With considerable regret, we filed away the last is-ue of The Review, never more to receive its welcome weekly visits. But The Nkwsi is all right. Bright, clean, neat and newsy, with the same editor who made The Review so interesting and so popular, as editor, The News will meet with great public favor, no doubt. A*s we, with a great many others, hoped, the dispensary election in Lancaster county reQ 11 1 ill Oil afta^tttu a! .% 1 ? uuivv V* ill Ull V*Oi > V IIC1 llllll^ V 1Utory for "no dispensary." And so the dispensary must go and we believe that if everyone will work hard and pull together for a strict observance of the prohibition law, there will be less, considerably less liquor drank in the count}' than ever before, notwithstanding the prevalence of "blind tigers." The great slump in the cotton market during the last few days, came as a thunder-clap from a clour sky to a great many people, who were confidently expecting to see the market steadily advance, with little f U All rfl* f A f OIAIT vuv/u^ut kjl aujr ucv^lilltJ W1UUU' ver. But the farmers have shown their wisdom by holding their cotton off the market, since the price went below 10 cents, and we believe, with Harvie Jordan, that if they will hold a while longer, good prices will come later 011, for there is 110 questioning the fact that the crop is small and the demand for cotton goods as great, possibly greater than ever. But as a Macon cotton buyer says, t,\r 1 ? " i oil can never ten about horse races, women and the cotton market." President Roosevelt, on his trip South in a few weeks, will pass through Macon, but mt ortunately for those who would like to get a tilimp^o of liiin, he will pass through at night and will not stop over any length of time. 1 he band has promised to play as much of "Rushing though Georgia" as possible during his very brief stop here. Mail} people are attending the big State Fair in Atlanta now. In two weeks more, our big fair here will b-gin and for two weeks wo expect to have a ' tiim* I* 1111111> i*'? ll-Mi' Smith Day, Circus Day and arev; 1 ,y will be i'uii of inter est t > vi iiors who etijoy a good , live, up to date fair. Mr. W. II. Burns, a former Lancastrian, who is traveling! >a esinan for a large tobacco house, is making his lieadquar ters in Mscon now and has ! moved his family here. Many Carolinians are located in Ma con and throughout the whole I State. But they all think Car olinaisa great State and never fail t<> speak a good word for their native State when an opportunity presents itself. The rural free delivery svs11ein is meeting with great favor ! ill (ieoinrisi ;l11< 1 rlmihtloaa in <>11 parts of the country where they have this system, it enables the farmer to get the daily paper. to get all his mail more promptly and saves him a great deal of time, besides, it also furnishes fairly remunerative employment for the carriers employed in carrying the mails over the routes. Former Lancastrian. (irand Juries. A Plea for a More Thorough Investigation Into the Financial Affairs of Counties. From Newberry Observer. "We find the books of the county treasurer neatly kept," etc., etc. So say the grand juries. So no doubt the grand juries have been saying in Greenville and Richland and Edgefield and Dorchester for lo these many years. And the confinding public thought it all right. Rut investigating cc mmittee8 have found that in the last six years about a hundred thousand dollars have been stolen in Greenville, that Richland is $50,000 out of pocker, Edgefield $4,000, Dorchester $2,000. What does a grand jury investigation amount to anyway? In these cases it seems they amount to nothing, lor it we are not mistaken not one of the shortages named was found by that body. And why inn? There ought, to be men with sense |enough on every grand jury to asceitain positively whether a county otficer is short?whether there has been extravagance or theft or graft or carelessness?in short, whether the o.'Iice is finan eially straight. 'Neatly kept" books <lo not always mean a clean" record. The committees appointed by the grand juries! have plenty of time to ascertain the real condition ot afliairs in tin1* county offices, to examine every claim and voucher and bank deposit, and to lind out to a certainty whether there is any shortage?if they would on * take time for it and not tie afraid of offending their friends in ollice Hut it is no i?tl etion on ttie honesty of a public officer to liol ititil on a strict account and t investigate his olfi ie tloronh!v ?in fact if he i? the right kind of ollieer h" will I?? glad to hav ii done. Glati.l j irv ; j>i?i i s'noUid * 11: i n in ire than ihev i m<?n - Would > ' i' ii ' n lo :. pi: blic ;i i 1 r;: < ?i f li?* t ruo <?i difion of conn; v financ \s i is now tV?re is room Jo sir:pro* 111at o! nor counties?nn.'i nob ii?r ran tell which?are in Ihr oo> (lition of Itichlaud, E Icefield hi; 1 Dorchester. Grand Jury's Report. A Strong Paper?Condition of the Public Roads?Law in TPprrorrl 4-r\ \X7,^-1 - AAA AXV/gMl VA IVJ JLXUC1U VV UI K" ing Must be Strictly Enforced. The grand jury, having concluded its labors at the present term of court, made its find report Wednesday afternoon aud was discharged. The report is as follows : To ilts Honor, 0 W. B ichanI an, Presiding .Judge. We, the grand jury of Lancascaster county, beg to submit the following report : We have examined and passed on all bills ot indictment handed to us by the Solicitor. We have examined the books and papers of Hie county olficers and find same neatly and proper ly kept. Our foreman was present and saw (he annual settlement between the Auditor and Treasurer and the Comptroller General of the State, as required by law, and said settlement was perfectly satisfactory. Wo have, by a committee of our body, examined the Poor House and find it in as good condition as can be expected. In a former report we have referred to the bad condition of the roads of our county and we deem it our duty to again ca!l the attention of the court to their condition. We held an extra meeting of our body in September last to consider I lie roads and found that they were in a deplorable condition and not well worked. We conferred with the County Supervisor and in accordance with our demand, he agreed to give notice to the r> ad overseers 'o warn out hands and work the various roads at least lour days let ween ihat true and the present term oi court. Wo now find that tiie roads have not been worned as agreed upon. In our I opinion to see that the roads are ic ...??> ..t ' mii>c in wiic m i ur must important duties ol the comity super vi-or and we I eel sine thai "he customary methods employe 1 in working the roads ot this county are totally iut Ifi dent. Wa there tore urge that ihe law in regard to road working ho strictly enforced and that anyone who is res pon-i'de tor their present c muith o he tiel 1 'ccountnhie for his neglect, ol duty. We present 11. If Mackev, J. A liridg s, L L. Cant hen, Andrew Rollings a id Rieil Thompson tor u.oog dyn .m le or other t-x plo-1ve ill <ie .>. ro <n c t lie o<, dn? ot Levis R. oerlsop on oi nlinnt Kc?iiv 1st l'.M)") Wi' opuses to i|- iVP 'HIUP ! ') no I1' Ii<>; > ' n, I, V. It .ben s-.ii, i> 1' II 11, .Lures K'lberison n o B,>vd. We orvsi M. I) ], vo inr . ik'.>i1 i??ir t i:e ci j ?m >? ] w. W ji noftses '< i ' i \ e !-oMw : \V. (J. (Mvlmrif. W. 1. Trsnllviv. Smn I > \V> -i, ;Mo"! ; , ft!. ,n>n (J ,i |n , > ! J A I O ? I* i :i i , ,vi;w ly submitted. E Ii. Luulv, Foreman. '