The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, November 29, 1912, Image 1
YOLUME I, X Of BEE 95. XEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLISA, 7.1(;| 'tk" HSHKtfAOK MVaiHJ TWICI A TflM, ftM 1 Hil
MUCH WORK 90NE BY
THE CRIMINAL COURT
I
I
CASE AGAINST B. MAYER HAVIRD |
TRIED ON WEDNESDAY.
>'u*nber of Other Cases Tried by the \
Court and Several Pleas of Guil- j
ty Taken.
<S> <?> <5> <S> <S> <$> <S> ^ <$> <$> <?><$><?><$><$> j
<s> <S>
At 5 o'clock on Thursday af- <S>
ternoon the jury still had under <$>
^ consideration the case of the <s>
<?> State vs. B. A. Havird, charged <?
- -
<S> with murder. A mistrial seem- ^;
ed probable. !
<?> <S>i
The general sessions court, Judge R.
I
Withers Memminger presiding, has
been working steadily during the week,
and a great many cases have been dis-j
posed of. The case of most general
interest taken up was that of the State i
vs. Former Mayor B. Mayer Havird, of
Silverstreet, charged with murder.
This case was given to the jury on
Wednesday afternoon, and the jury
considered the case all Wednesday
night and still had it under consideration
on Thursday.
Thursday being Thanksgiving, no
1 cases were taken up on that day. On
Friday the court will resume the trial
of jury cases. When the jurors, except
those in the Havird case, were discharged
on Wednesday afternoon, the
nrturt was pnffaared in the trial of R.
VUU* u ?? 0 ? 0
S. Peigler, Wallace Peigler, Ben Norman
and Jim Gregory, white, charged
with riot and with assaulting Seaboard
Conductor Dedwyler at Whitmire re-,
gently. This case will be finished when
court resumes on Friday.
Acquitted of Selling Liquor.
Walter Davis was tried in his ab-!
sence on Monday afternoon on the;
charge of violation of the dispensary
law, and was acquitted by the jury.
Pleaded Guilty to Store-Breaking.
* Silas Spence, colored, pleaded guilty
to -housebreaking and larcency, the
charge against him being that he entered
the store of S. W. Williamson, at
Helena, and took therefrom tobacco
and other articles, among them two
watches. Spence was remanded to jail
for sentence later during the term.
i Convicted of Deadly Assault.
The case of the State vs. Frank Kerr,
colored, charged with assault with intent
to kill upon Berry Suber, colored,
v and carrying concealed weapons, was
given to the jury on Tuesday morning.
Berry Suber claimed that he and
his wife and daughter were behind
Kerr and a crowd going from a hot
supper in the Maybinton community;
that Kerr and his companions were
cursing violently, and that when Suber
went up to w.nonstrate agair.st their
language in the hearing of Suber's
wife and daughter, Kerr drew a pistol
on him. cursed him and threatened
to kill him. Kerr and his companions
contended that Suber was the aggressor,
that he threatened Kerr with a
knife, and that Kerr had only a co^a
" J? a n ^
C'OIS UULLit 111 U1S aauu. auu i&ncauii j
to get out of the way of Suuer's knife.
The jury convicted the defendant of
the entire charge?assault with intent
\ to kill and carrying concealed weapons.
Kerr was sentenced to serve 18
? months. lie was represented by Mr.
B. V. Chapman.
< Caught After Twelve tears.
Wesley Leapliart, colored, pleaded
guilty to a charge of grand larceny,
the offense alleged against hioi being
the stealing of a bale of cotton from
Dr. J. A. Siigh more than twelve years j
ago?in October, 1897. Leaphart told
Judge Memminger he haa not had a;
"rest day" since his connection with
the crime; that he had been in jail
' five months, and asked for the mercy
of the court. He was sentenced to
serve six months. He thanked the
court very heartily a^d promised to'
"be a man now." !
Pleaded <*uiity t/ Forgery.
Joe Davis, colored, pleaded guilty to '
fftro-incr tho Piirinrspment of H. B. Rik- i
&***?> (
ard and Geo. D. F. Lyles on a $65 note
payable at the Farmers' Bank of ProsParity.
The note was never accepted;
^ by the bank. Davis was sentenced to
I ' serve three years.
Andrew Pratt Convleted of Murder. |
Practically tht entire day on Tuesday
was takcar up with the tria.1 of the
case cf thf- L Andrew Pratt,
James Chick, Sam Chick and Jim McClerkin,
charged with murder. The,
case was given to the jury on Wednesday
morning, the verdict being guilty
with recommendation to mercy as to
Andrew Pratt, and not guilty as to
the three other defendants. Pratt was
sentenced to life imprisonment. The
defendants, were charged with the killi
ing of another negro, Gordon Hodges,
at a church in the Maybinton community,
in June, 1911, the evidence adduced
by the State being to the effect
" * "? j i? r*?^4.* i
that trie latai snot was nrea u> nan
and the State contending that the others
abetted and encouraged Pratt in
the commission of the crime. By ap-1
pointmenc of the court, Mr. B. V. Chapman
represented Pratt, and Messrs.
{ Henry C. Hollo way and Frank W. Fant
j represented the two Chicks and Mc|
Clerkin.
The Havird Case.
The case of the State vs. B. Mayer
Havird, charged with murder, was
tried on Wednesday. Havird shot
Luther Bledsoe at Silverstreet on December
23 of last year, with a shot
gun, inflicting upon young Bledsoe a j
wound in the leg from which Bledsoe j
died a day or two later. At that time
Havird was intendant of the town of j
Silverstreet.
The testimony was to the effect that
Havird and Luke Sheppard had an altercation
in the store of H. C. Lake
early in the morning on December 23.
The testimony of the witnesses differed
somewhat as to the details of this difficulty,
but it appeared that Havird and
Sheppard were separated by Mr. Lake
and Will V. and Luther Bledsoe, in the
altercation Havird lost some articles
out of his pocket?just exactly what
the witnesses did not pretend to be
definite about. These articles, or some
of them, were pickecLaGp in the store
and handed to Havird. Havird and
Sheppard then both left the store. Havird
went home and secured his shot
gun.
The testimony of witnesses for the
State was to the effect that H. C. Lake
| and Luther Bledsoe met Mr. Havird as
he was coming back down the street |
with his shot gun. The State's con- j
teation was that Lake was asking Hav-1
ird to go home and put up his gun, and
that Bledsoe went forward to hand
Havird some articles which Havird had
I
lost in the difficulty in the store, when
Havird fired upon Luther Bledsoe. W.
V. Bledsoe, a brother of Luther Bledsoe,
then fired several times at Havird
i with a nistol. inflictins one wound iid
on Havird, w.oh did not prove serious.
Havird said he went home and got
his gun with the intention of going
back and arresting Sheppard. "I
thought," he said, "that I would protect
myself and arrest Mr. Sheppard.
I went on down street, and when I got
down there Mr. Lake and Mr. W. V.
Bledsoe and Mr. Luther Bledsoe were
coming up the street. I was near the
edge of my store yard, or right at the
edge of my store yard, and Bill Bled
soe was coming on up me street wjtn
his hands in his pocket, walking this
way, and Luther Bledsoe was commanding
me to put up my gun, and I
?avo to him 'What hnvp vnn c-nt tn rin
with it?' When I says that he run his
hand in his pocket this way (indicating)
and the gun fired." He said he
was dazed as a result cf the difficulty
in the store, and that his hand was
numb from a wound inflicted upon his
hand in the store. . He said he had no
intention of killing Bledsoe. He said
his gun was in his hand pointing downwards.
As Havird had come out of his
home with the gun just before the
! tragedy, it was discharged, Havird
! said he did not know how, the lead go'
ing up in the piazza ceiling. Mrs. Hav1
ird and tlleir children then followed
him on down the street and witnessed
the shooting.
The case was ably presented to the
| jury by counsel both for the State and
j for the defendant. Mr. Harry H.
Blease, of Staunton, Va., assisted his
brother, Mr. Eugene S. Blease, in the
defense. The State was represented
by Solicitor Robert A. Cooper. The
case was given to the jury after an
exceptionally clear and able charge by
Judge Memminger. The jury retired
at 5.30 o'clock on Wednesday after-!
neon.
You can always get a lot for your;
1 money it y a: jaitronize a r~u osfrrf :
' dealer
FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON.
Heavy Downfall in tfost of Southern
States?Colder Thursday.
AT*nr on o rOQ
kSXIO W ieii vv cuiicouaj \j rti uii
of the Southern States extending from
the Panhandle, of Texas, to Central
Georgia, and Wednesday night the
South felt the effects of a sudden drop
in temperature with prospects of colder
weather Thursday. At Vicksburg
the snowfall was the first ever recorded
there in November, and at Jackson,
Miss., it was the heaviest on record.
At Atlanta the snow began to fall
shortly after noon and a storm raged
for several hours. At few places did
the white mantle remain long, in i
many cases previous rains being re- J
sponsible for the snow melting as soon I
as it touched the earth.
Birmingham, Ala., Nov. 27.?The first
snow of the season began falling to-;
day. The flakes melted almost as !
quickly as they touched the earth.
Chattanooga, Tenn., Nov. 27.?A fu- 1
rious snow storm raged here through- J
out the day, and for several hours the
ground was covered with a white covering.
Late this afternoon, as a result
of the rising temperature, the snow
had practically all disappeared.
r* ,T;11^ XTr->\r 07 Tho fir?t cn- I
VX1 CC11 V illC, AlU ? . ^?. J. OX4V- ,
of the season is falling here tonight
following a cold rain early in the evening
Columbia, Nov. 28.?Three towns in
Northeastern South Carolina?Anderson,
Greenville and Spartanburg?today
reported the first snow of the
season. The flakes melted as fast as
they fell. It is snowing in this city at
midnight.
Jackson, Miss., Nov. 27.?The heaviest
fall of snow ever recorded in this
section began at 11 o'clock this morn
ingand continued for three hours. Rain
had fallen earlier and the snow soon
disappeared.
Vicksburg, Miss., Nov. 27.?Snow began
falling here about 10 o'clock this
morning and recorded the first snowfall
for November in this section. II
melted rapidly.
Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 27.?The first snow
of the season heean falline here short
ly after noon today and raged furiously
several hours.
iColumbus, Ga., Nov. 27.?Snow fell
here tonight for the first time this winter.
By 7 o'clock the fall was onehalf
inch deep in places.
CHARLESTON'S MAYOR
WEDDED IN NEW YORK
John 1'. Grace Marries Miss Ella B.
Sullivan?Will Btk at Home in
Few Days.
New York, Nov. 27.?One of the most
important weddings of the present
season took place at noon today in the
Church of the Incarnation, at One
Hundred and Seventy-fifth street and
St. Nicholas avenue, when Miss Ella B.
Sullivan, of Charleston, S. C., was
quietly married to John P. Grace, mayor
of the city of Charleston. The
- Ktf f Krt Dfttr
C tJI tJUIUil V W cti> pciiuiiiicvi uj mc nc?. J
Father P. Mahonev/, rector of thfc
church, and only a few friends and
immediate relatives of the couple were
in attendance.
The bride, who has been staying at
the home of her brother, J. F. Sullivan,
on One Hundred and Eighth street
in this city, was given away by her [
mother, Mrs. Herbert Nicholls Lawrence,
who has come on from Chicago,
her present home, to be present at the
wedding. Miss Sullivan was attended
by Miss Ada O'Brien, and Dr. Harold
Hancock, of Charleston, acted as best
man for Mayer Grace.
During the ceremony ihe rear of
the church was filled with the children
from the parochial school in the
upper part of the rectory, and they
gave the bridal pair a noisy congratu- j
lation as they departed. The wedding
party left the chu;?h ir% several automobiles,
and Mayor Grace and liis
bride afterwards departed, on a brief
honeymoon trip. In a few day? they,
will rp?;;r: tr> Charleston, whore tlio;
' ar ' -yvi .
NEWS OF PROSPERITY.
Marriage of Miss Lillian Wise and Mr.
E. A. Counts?Personal Mention
and Other Matters.
Mr. A. B. Wise attended the Shriners'
meeting in Columbia Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Bedenbaugh have
returned from Jacksonville.
Misses Mary W&rren and Ellen Warts
spent Thanksgiving day at Kibler's
the guests of Miss Annie Mae Bedenbaugh.
Dr. and Mrs. G. W. Harmon spent
several days this week at Ninety-Six.
J. A. Baker reached home from Tennesse
with a fine car of hogs.
Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Wise have returned
from Columbia, where they attended
the funeral of Mr. Abram Stork on
Wednesday.
Rev. S. P. Koon, president of Summerland
college, spent Wednesday
,horo
UV/1 \s.
Mr. Vance, of Columbia, spent the
week-end with Mr. Roy Kohn.
Miss Effie Hawkins will entertain
the William Lester chapter Friday
afternoon at 3.30.
Rev. S. C. Morris has gone to Anderson
to attend the Methodist conference.
Miss Alda Ray Wheeler, of Summerland
college, is home for several days'
stay.
Mr. Guy Maffett, of Charleston, is
here on a visit to his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. G. A. Maffett.
Mr. Charlie Mat.his of Savannah is
home, on the sick list.
Messrs. Pat Mitchell and Bur Barnes
of Wofford college, are home for
Thanksgiving.
Mr. George Willis, of Newberry college,
is visiting Mrs. H. P. Wicker.
Miss Lillie Mae Russell, of Carters|
ville, Ga., sp?it Tuesday with Mrs. J.
I S. Wheeler en route to Hendersonville
to see her sister, Miss Janie Russell,
; who is critically ill.
! Mrs. Carrie Moseley and little grandson,
Heth Copeland, have returned to
Clinton, after a visit to Mr. G. D.
01UWU.
Mrs. Delia Shealy and son, Clyde,
have gone to Savannah to visit her son.
Mr. R. E. Shealy.
Mr. Furman Shealy, of Whitmire, has
been home for a few days.
Mr. Hal Kohn, of Columbia, spent
Thanksgiving at the Wise hotel.
Mr. J. E. Norwood, of Newberry,
spent Thursday with Mr. A. G. Wise.
Messrs. H. J. Rawl and Geo. Cook
o m rtrvanrlir* or fVi a nr^olr in Vanrhnrr*?
ai^ Dj/VUUlU^ U*C '? 111 4ltTT VUll ? at*
tending court.
Mr. E. A. Counts and Miss Lillian
Wise were married Tuesday evening
at 6.30 at the home of the bride's parents,
Mr. and Mrs. L. G. W'se on McNary
street. Rev. S. C. Mo. /is pastor
of the bride performed the ceremony,
after which an elegant supper was
served. The happy couple have the
best wishes of their many friends.
SHRINERS WILL HAVE BEER.
^onoriil Tlolirnlil'^ huiiii/kn Tliaf Ilaor
V^VIUnil UHI n 1 licit 1/LV1
For .Banquet is >ot Violation of
Law.
Columbia, November 27.?That it is
not a violation of the Gispensary law to
order beer and have it shipped in
where it is intended for use at a banquet
was the opinion rendered by As-cictant
Attnrnpv fJpnprnl DpRnibl
A quanity of'beer, said to be intended
for use at the Shriner's banquet
here to-morrow night, was seized
by dispensary constables when it arrived,
on the charge that it was a violation
of the dispensary law. A delegation
of the members called on Governor
Blease and presented the matter
to him and he referred them to the
attorney general's office to look into
the law.
Assistant Attorney General DeBruhl
gave a written opinion, in which he
said it is not a violation of the dispensary
law to purchase beer and use
it in the way the Shriners intend, and
upon this showing the governor ordered
the constables to release the
beer, which was done.
The matter created much interest.
The Shriners will be here from all
parts of the State tomorrow and they
are making preparations to give an
elaborate banquet at Craven Hall.
The following is a copy of the letter
written by Asst. Atty. General DeBruhl
to Governor Please giving his opinion;
"Hon. Cole L. Please, Governor cf
Soi;'a Carolina, Columbia, S. C. ?Dear
Sir: I am informed that Omar Temple
of Shriners have ordered and had
shipped to Columbia to one of their
members a quantity of beer for the use
of the Shrine at the'ir meeting and
banquet here tomorrow, and that this
heer has been seized by one of the dis
pensary constables.
"The beer is bought by the Temple,
will be paid for with funds of the
Temple and is to be used by them
when assembled here tomorrow, just
as supplies of food are to be used at
their banquet. It is not to be sold or
distributed among members, but sim
ply to be drank at the meeting by the
members of the Temple present. No
charge is made against the members
for the beer or any other article served
at the banquet; the beer is simply to
be a part of the bill of fare.
"In my opinion it is not a violation
of the dispensary law to purchase beer
and use it in ihis way.
Yours truly,
"M. P. DeBruhl,
"Assistant Attorney General."
vaiuhn appeals to governor.
KIea.se Hears Piteous Tale of Doomed
Man?Spends Hour Inspecting
State Prison.
Columbia, Nov. 27.?Governor Blease
made a visit to the State penitentiary
today and had an hour's talk with T. U.
Vaughn, the Greenville man, under
sentence to die in the electric chair,
having been convicted of criminal assault
on inmates of the Odd Fellows'
Orphan Home while he was its super1
intendent. Vaughn has addressed several
communications from his cell in
the death house to the governor asking
f?;r ap opportune 10 ws:h V-m
and today the governor visited the
penitentiary. Vaughn was brought
from his cell u the death hoim to i ?
superintendent's office, where he
talked with the governor. The governor
listened patiently to the piteous
story of the condemned man, but all
that he could promise him was that, he
would think carefully over everything
he told him.
Vaughu DowiKiast
Vaughn shows the strain under
v/i V)o? Kaon Hvino- jinrl annears
I Winuu lie lias u^vn -s-1
to be very blue and downcast. His
eyes are watery and he seems to be
living in the deepest kind of gloomy
spirits. He is kept confined in the
death house within a few feet of the
electric ch' ir, where he has been sentenced
to die on December 20. However,
the appealing of his case to the
supreme court has served as a stay of
the sentence of the court.
The governor, after talking with
Vaughn, went out into the penitentiary
yard among the prisoners and made an
| inspection. He found among the prisoners
an old negro who has served already
twenty-two years for stealing a
$27 watch, and another negro who has
served nearly a dozen years for stealing
$9. The governor looked over matters
around the State penitentiary,
i spending considerably over an hour
! thorn
Several of those who were among
the number of prisoners paroled by the 1
governor for Thanksgiving called by j
his office today to express their appreciation
of his gift of freedom to
them, and several asked the governor !
if they went home and made good men !
if they could hope for full pardonfc.1
Those among the number liberated who I
were at the penitentiary were released ;
i this morning and departed for their j
| homes to eat Thanksgiving dinner with
! their people. There were about fifteen i
i
I i roiooccH pt thp neniten
j in LUC UUILU ICLVUU^U ~- t I
I tiary and the rest of the thirty-two ;
I who received clemenc^' were scattered !
| throughout the State on various county j
I chaingangs and they, . too, received .
their liberty today.
i
A New Telephone.
A new telephone station has been
added to the farmers' line 3200, which j
extends from the Newberry, S. C., ex- j
change to Kinards, S. C. The new sub- j
scriber, is Mr. J. C. Gary's residence, j
The farmers of Newberry coujity are!
making excellent progress in the mat- j
ter of securing telephone service and ;
here is every indication that this coun- (
ty will soon be covered by a net work i
of telephone lines.
I i
Peopfe' will encourage your fads as
long-''as yo:i are willing tosouander'
^onr money on them.
LYNCHED AMD BODY
THROWN IN RIVER
BELIEVED NEGBO WAS LYNCHED
AT PEAK.
Inquiry Appears to Show, It Is Said
By Correspondents, That Negro
Was Killed by White Posse.
t
Lexington, November .27.?Further
investigations of the hold-up and robbery
of P. B. Ellisor, of Newberry
county, on last Friday evening, while
he was returning to his home from
Prosperity, and the subsequent battle
which followed at Peak, in this county,
between a posse of whites and two negroes,
resulting in two white men being
injured by pistol bullete from the
weapons of the negroes, and the killing
of one negro, Richard Speaks, by
those who were in pursuit and the admitted
shooting of another, reveal the
iact mat tne missing negro was lyncned
and his body thrown into the Broad
river, just below the trestle at Peak.
A Useless Search.
This is said, on reliable authority,
; to be the opinion of the officers who
{have been on the search for the missing
negro. It is stated, in fact, that
when the officers arrived at the scene,
after the occurence on Friday night
or early Saturday morning, they were
informed by several persons that it
Ka ncoloce to malrp an Affnrt tr?
WUUIU UV/ UWVIWO vw ?*W.-V . *?.
find the other negro. To satisfy themselves,
however, the officers did make
a close search and did track the negro
to a point near the river; but could not
find any further clues.
Killing of Speaks.
The dead negro, Speaks, had in possession
when examined by Sheriff Miller,
a seven-shooter Iver-Johnson pistol,
a long bladed knigfe, as keen as
a razor, a hunting case Waltham gold
watch, and about $7.50 in money.
Speaks body was sent to his relatives
| iii Florence, after the coroner's inj
quest.
Two Lyuchiiigs.
| If the other negro, whose name was
i given as Brown by the negro who was
with him and who died of his wounds,
was lynched and thrown into the river,
as has been stated, this would make
I two lynchings to occur within the same
j day and at very nearly the same hour;
' and both having originated in Newi
j berry county. It will be remembered
that a negro was ta"ken from a magistrate's
constable in Newberry county
about 10 o'clock Friday night and
/
his body riddled with bullets. The two
j killings at Peak, just below the Newberry
line, would make two lynchings
within a radiu.? of about twenty-five
miles on the same night at about the
same hour. One was for the alleged
assassination of a white farmer, the
other for the hold-up and robbery of
j an old man on the public highway of
I Newberry county, and for resisting ar?t.
ofFr?rt .nade to take
j i cot r? a an v**v? v ..
him into custody.
Whether the second negro was
lynched or not, the officers have been
unable to secure any further information
than the foregoing sets out.
DEMOCRACY OX-JJOOR STEPS, j
.
Newberry Crowd Eats Dinner oh
i State House Steps?Greeted by
Blease.
Columbia, Nov. 27.?A party of Newberry
county citizens, who brought
their wives and children to Columbia
today to shop and see the sights of the
city, brought luncheon with them and
ate their dinners spread on the steps
of the State house. 'That is a striking
illustration that this is a Democratic
administration," said Governor
Blease, as he was going to tinier and
stopped to shake hands with the visi
tors. They all knew thp governor and
informed him that they were going to
vote for him for United States senator
two years hence.
Lyceum.
Owing to the serious illness of Mr.
Litchfield of the Litchfield of the Trio,
our next lyceum number, the entertmr
ment will bo postponed.
We regret this very much but hope
to announce a new date in a few days.
| This is our second attraction and we