[Si tHspatrh-iVfurs j^f
VOLUME NO. 51 LEXINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1921. NUMBER 43.
[aged man has
by his own
f family impi
| y James Barfield, 63 years old. Mrs.
Maroellus Cook, 48 years old, her son,)
if*---.; 1
: Ira,-ag?d 20? and her daughter, Min^Ohie,
aged 16, and- Henry Wheeler, a
hand elthployed by the Cook
5 TxrHRy,' are'"in the Lexington county
-Jail, charged with the murder ot Mar- i
- ' ' I
- melius Copk, a man 66 years old, a!
- vl. >
paralytic, wftpse throat was cut from
Kear to ear last Friday at his home in
the StMo&n, ; ^>e details of
Uthe crime reveal it' to be xme of Ifee
%jposi revolting In the history ot the j
-State. All of the parties are ifenorarit
people, none of xrfront ate able to
j write except Wheeler, who just manages
to scrawl'his name, but admits
jiever having: been to school and hav^ihg,
raredy ever attended church or
.Sunday school.
A confession made to Sheriff Roof
-jgfe ,|he presence of ?he editors of The
^^gpatch-News by Ira Cook and
pgy^eeler, and substantiated by Mrs.
Ippfbok after being lodged in jail early
g^ffednesday, is to the effect that Ira
^Cbok cut his own father's throat!
Ile his mother held one arm,
eeler holding the other and the
og daughter holding his feet. j
fill Roof first secured a confes-j
from Wheeler, Cook refusing to
3 anything to ^say, but finally on
Jday he tremblingly told of the
? -deed, laying the x blame upon his
P&aother and her alleged paramour,
f&K "My mother persuaded me to help
gwiier," the boy .said with $ome signs
Kpf' emotion. According to his story
PlBarfield had promised him and Hen|r
jy Wheeler, some chickens and a calf
||^ he would help get Cook out of the
?|8Hty. According to his story his
Spjlfcther, who had suffered two strokes
K|J|^-f>araly8is on the right side and
|||fcho, though able to get about t;he
In a* /shuffling manner, had
ifS^cticaliy lost the use of his right
jpaicm and leg, was sitting on the side
pypf< the bed oiling his gun. He had
||Sasked the 15-year-old daughter to
p|pitfhg him some shells, which the
SpHiother forbade her to do. At this
S&point, said^ook, his mother took the
Krafri away from his father and she
IjA&feld one arm, while Wheeler held the
igofoep, the 15-year-old daughter holding
his feet, while Ira Cook proceed^1#
to cut the old man's throat from
?*ear to ear, almost severing his head
Nfcrom the body. Wheeler then placed
^.the razor in the hands of the dying
i *--u -> *- ~ U A until
{ma nexu tut; uauu ugunj v*.?>...*
gor of dfcath had firmly fixed
strument of death in his hand,
i color to the theory of suicide
the murderers attempted to
to cover up their tracks.
Cook and Wheeler both said
ar.field and Mrs. Cook had con- 1
the plot and Barfield had ind
them to place the razor in
irdered man's hand and hold it
the hand stiffened. Wheeler
>ok both told of bad blood bethe
elder Cook and his wife
limed that Mrs. Cook the night
the murder had attempted to
her husband with calcium ar3arfield
denied any implica-,
EDMUND NEWS.
e condition of the cotton crop
neighborhood could be taken
idication of the crop generally,
FOn\ be one-fourth of a crop
"vitiade. The boll weevil has "tail hold
aijd down hill pull." On breaking
^?iopen the half grown bolls, one finds
: -only a brown sodden mass containing
? -from two to half dozen grubs. Not a
. ' narani Pvi\roaat.u hirncplf V>llt that
-^wishes he hadn't planted a seed.
*
. <There has been a lot of talk the last
P;.V$ew years about production, reducjs
tion . and, now, it has happened
^whether the farmer is willing or un'.willing.
The specialists sent out by
fcCaemson College last year said that
i^/yre .would plant cotton one year too
"many and it strikes us most forcibly,
^mentally and financially, that this is
| : Aw, now, who wants another poPp^tic&l
"spasm" this year? If a judge
fe qi probate can't be appointed, let's
%^?tand the candidates all up in a row
'"eny menv miny mo" 'em out to
who is to be "it". What 'say?
rill be lots cheaper in time,
THROAT CUT
SON-ENTIRE
JCATED IN PLOT
tion in the murder, but in an unguarded
moment admitted having
bought the calcium arsenate and giving
to Mrs. Cook, claiming he believed
it was intended to poison boll
weevil.
\
The confession of Cook was corroborated
in detail by Wheeler, who had
been with the Cooic family* for about
ten days, the two f&i&Uibs being connected.
Wheeler . is from &aluda
county. -A relatiye informed The
Dispatch-News that"' he fia served a
term in the penitentiary -tor4 attfempt.
ing to pass a worth v.?3s check; He
[;had matje a crop Baluda county
this year* accohping t6v this relative,
and had'it taken away from him by
a party holding: a claim against him.
i'He *ras supposed to'have "been en1
gaged to the Cook girl. *
I Barfield is a man passed 60 years
of age. When the sheriff and the
newspaper mem came from the cell
of the younger men he requested an
interview and seemed anxious to
learn what the boys had to say.
fhrtiurh dpnvine their anv comnlicitv
in the murder, he appeared extremely
anxious to learn what the boys
had told. He was trembling like an
aspen leaf, but stoutly protested his
innocence both of illicit relations
with the Cook woman and guilty
knowledge of the murder. He admitted
appearing on the scene within
a few minutes after the murder had
been committed and upon approaching
was told by young Cook that ''everything
is allright now." He did
not stay long and proceeded to
Batesburg, riding some distance with
a neighbor without mentioning the
fact that Cook had been killed or
had committed suicide, as he claims
he was informed by the family.
Some time after the murder members
of the family phoned to Lexington
that the old man had committed
suicide. Coroner Weed repaired to
the scene. At the inquest it was developed
from the testimony of Dr.
J. J. Wingard that it would have*
been a physical Impossibility for the
dead man to have given himself the
wound by which death was caused.
Effort was made at the inquest by
the others to fasten the guilt on Barfield,
who was arrested by Deputy
| Sheriff Oswald and lodged in jail Saturday.
Sunday morning after being
placed in confinement he ma.de a
sworn statement laying the blame on
Cook and Wheeler and they were
promptly arrested Sunday by Deputy
Oswald. ' Monday Wheeler made a
confession and Tuesday Ira Cook told
of his part, implicating his n\other
and sister, who were soon plated under
arrest. They have substantiated
the story told by Cook and Wheeler.
The jail is now so full that Sheriff
Roof is put to his trumps to take
are of the prisoners. He has no accommodations
for women and will
probably have to remove the Cook
women to either the Richland county
jail or the state penitentiary. In all
probability the case will be disposed
of at thr next term of court, which
meets the second Monday in September.
i money, blarney, and promises, and
! an awful saving of gasoline and auto
j fepairs, and patience and temper to
the candidates, if the roads all over
; the county are in the condition they
! are in hereabouts.
After a respite of seven years, our
jolly friend. Mr. G. W.* Jefcoat, is
again walking the floor o'nights with
1 the baby, trying to key a good bass
voire to tones suitable for the ear of
a wee daughter; and the baby really
hushes, whether from fright, amaze.
merit, or admiration, we can't say,
I'but our sympathies are all with the
1 baby.
Also, Mr. W. M. Spires is engaged
likewise, a tiny daughter having arrived
one day last week. We think
the stork shows good judgment in
: leaving these little girls with these
i big, husky fellows, who look abler
{ to take care of them, these hard
times.
Mr. and Mrs. Julian Sharpe visited
relatives up in thr St. Peter's section
j Sunday.
Mrs. Annie Spires of Gaston spent
| last Thursday with her sister. Mrs.
1 W. M. Spires.
; GILBERT MASONS TO
j. HOLD PICNIC SATURDAY
. i
t -
Gilbert lodge. No. 176, A. F. M.f
'will give a picnic and barbecue Saturday
next, to wj^ich the public is
cordially invited. An.interesting pro\
?
,gram has been arranged for the day, 1
'and some of the best/known Masons
of the state will take part. The public
generally, Masons and others, are
cordially invited to attend. Following
is the program which will be carried
out:
f Program.
Invocation, 10:30 a. m., by Rev. W.
A. Shepard.
Address of Welcome by Hon. Cyrus'
L. Shealy.
"The Ancient Mysteries and Modern
Masonry," by Brother C. C. FishHurrn?.
''Missionary?An Idea Above Organization,"
by Brother Waller Bailey.
'*'Reiatiorf8hip of Ma'soKry to JReli-1
gion," by Brother Legara Inglesby.
"Masonry ara Practical Force/.' by
Brother James H. Fowies, District
(Deputy Grand Master. j
c- 4Mi?he Best Thing m the World," by
Brother O. Frank Hart, Grand Secretary.
..
PROF. DREBtER WILL GO .
TO COLLEGE IX X. C.
Friends in this county of Prof. E. '
S. Dreher, for' many years superintendent
of the Columbia city schools,
and a member of the well known
family of the same name in Lexington
county." has accepted the position
'jot business manager of the North
Carolina College for Women at
Greensboro. After leaving Columbia
Prof. Dreher held an important position
with the American College in
China, returning from that country
rkn s?r*rT>iint of his health. Lately he
has made his home with his brother J
at Irmo. His many/friends here will |
wish him abundant success in his
new home.
MRK. HENRY SHULL
J PASSES TO BEYOND
Mrs. Maggie P. Shull. young wife I
of Henry H. Shull, i^ssed into the
great beyond at 12:45 o'clock yesterday
morning at 201 Huger street, i
' Mrs. Shull, who was a Miss Norton !
i 7 I
; of North Carolina, was only 21 years
[ of age and had been married about a j
j year. She is survived by her hus!
band, a farmer of Lexington county,
j an infant child, and by five brothers
j and three sisters. The brothers and j
.sisters, all of whom are residents of|
! i
; Columbia, are as follows:
i J.'A. Norton. W. W. Norton, L. C. j
i Norton, James C. Norton, L. B. Nor-;
, ton, Mrs. Elizabeth Lewis, Mrs. j
f May Grant and Miss Hattie Norton.
Funeral services will be held at the i
! i
Methodist, church at 3
I Y? 11UXV. J K/w* vvv
' o'clock this afternoon conducted by *
! the Rev. Mr. Betts. Interment will j
; follow in the Shull burial ground.? j
: The Stat<>.
9 r
! "BOB" LEAPHART WILL
NOT BE IX RACE.;
1 /
| I
; C. E. Leaphart. former county ;
1 treasurer, will not make the race for,
\
' probate judge. Positive announde*
ment to the effect was made yester- j
day by Mr. Leaphart, to a news-;
i
! paper man. Mr. Leaphart. v, hose i
' term as county treasurer expired July
i 1, has since that date devoted him-i
I :
; self to his private affairs and did not
j care to become a candidate in the
i coming race. , j
i 1 ? ?p r
! PIXEY WOODS PICNIC
I NEXT SATURDAY
i The picnic of Piney Woods local of
.
the farmers union will be held at the'
j Piney Woods parsonage Saturday,
August 20. An interesting program
i has been prepared and a large crowd
is expected to enjoy the day.
| DKATI1 Mil. JOHN" A. KA.MINKlt
Mrl .John A. Kaminer, originally of
; this countv, but recently of Columbia.
i
I died very suddenly in that city last
! Thursday at the home of his son-mi
law, Kobt. F. Martin. 010 Calhoun I
i
; Ft. He was only sick a few hours
! with indigestion and "died. Mr. Kara- <
! iner was a good man. reserved,-but |
I I
i clever tevery one he met, a good j
'neighbor and friend, ready *<ind wil-1
i ;
| ling to serve them at their call; was
ja member of Zion church in this!
! countv. He is survived by one j
; daughter. Mrs. Robert Martin, and
two brothers, M K. Kaminer, Job. A.
i
J Kaminer. He was in his 5!)th year
| of age. His iv mains were intered in
i F1 n:\vod cemetery. Columbia, where
! i
he re'ds in nonce.
! !
THE MISSES 1JERLY
f ? ENTERTAIN" FOR VISITOR.
A pleasant social affair of the past
week was the entertainment given
ilast Wednesday night by Misses
Sarah and Kathryn Berlv in honor of
)
their charming guest, Miss Lolie
Holloway of Orangeburg. The evening
was pleasantly spent in games
with heart dice. Delightful refreshments
were served by Mises Bertha
Berly, Gladys Harman, Virginia
Evans and Bertha Caughman. Those
-present were: Miss Lolie Holloway,
guest of honor, Misses Mar? E.
Poiiahmon Pdari<i Pniie-hman. Bruce
,Caughman, Leone Kyzer, Juanitaj
George, Katie Lou Clarke, Mary ElJen
Caughman, Blossie Clarke, Annie
Corley, Ernestine Barre, .Neita Lee
Harman, Mamie Lee Callison; Dr.
/Homer Mathiasr, Dr. . Riley, Messrs.
James L. Tapp.fJr., and William I'app
of Columbia, John Fox, J. D! Jordan,
Jacob Kaminer, L. M. ^McCarty, P.
O. McLain, Norman Geiger, Horry
Wessinger, Hoy Wessinger, Chalmers
Wessinger,' Claude Harman, Samuel
A. George, Broadus Oswald, Hugh
Co'rJey, Bee Oswald, Harry Lee Oswald
and Ruf'is Haltiwanger.
, ? ? \
,50 CASES PELLAGRA
I IN HORSE CREEK VALLEY
'
t Thirty-two cases of pellagra in the
Horse Creek valley section were visited
by Dr. A. H. Hayden, epidemiologist
of the state board of health. Mr.
W. D. Wright of Langley had reported
to the health board the presence
of some 50 or 60 cases of pellagra in
that section and last weeK wr. wayden
visited the community, and saw
personally 32 cases.
The cotton mills in the Horse Creek
valley are running at full time, Dr.
Hayden reports, and there are no
cases or urgent need, he says. His
report covers the towns of Langley,
Bath and Clearwater and their vicinity.
Of the 32 cases of pellagra, two
were among negroes and two deaths
were also included.
Most of the cases Dr. Hayden saw
have developed this year, he says.
In one family of seven, .the mother
and four children were sufferers from
pellagra, and several other instances
of children being victims of the dis- j
ease were noted. With changes of!
diet, improvement * as been noted.!
the report says. With the mills run-1
ning at full time, it is hoped that j
the pellagra situation in that sec-j
will be improved.?!
'\iUVSll-* l/AV W V^..-T ...
1
ton tin- past week were Prof, and j
Mrs. Arthur P. Hurmfm. ami their'
I three sons. .John Fuller Harman. Ar- I
i
j thur I-\ Harman, Jr.. an-1 Marion h).)
[ Harman, all promising' young men. i
1 Prof. Harman anil family made the;
trip from their home in .M-mtgom-;
%ry. Ala.. to Lexington through. |
the country in their ear and report a:
pleasant excursion. After spending I
a week with Col. and .Mrs. M. D.
Harman. Prof. Harman's parents. th?r{
family left on the. return Tuesday j
morning.
. i
Prof. Harman. who is an old Lexington
boy, is always a welcome visitor
to the old home town. He has
more than made good in his chosen
profession of teaching, taking high
rank among the well known educators
if the South, being On" ef the;
i . i
1
civil H i V ^ >
The State.
DOTS FROM PLEASANT HILL. (
Mr. 'D. I.. Taylor and wife visited
their daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar
Price Sunday.
Mr. Drayton Taylor and family visited
Mr. James Hallman and family
Sunday.
Mr. J. Z. Taylor and wife visited
their son and daughter. Mr. and Mrs.
Willard Taylor Sunday. # 1
Mr. Lawrence Taylor and wife, also I
l
Mr. Ruben Taylor and wife and little I
son. Manning, spent a short while \
with their sister and brother, Mr. and j
Mrs. Burly Leaphart? Sunday even-j
ing. j
Misses Eva and Lottie Risinger and |
little brother. Charley, spent Sunday
with their cousin. Mr. and Mrs. Talrru.ge
Long. . \
Mr. and Mrs. Bowman Rawl and
three small children made a flying j
trip to their son and daughter. Mr. I
and Mrs. Oallie Taylor Sunday after-j
noon. j
Mr. Brinton Shealy, better known j
as Brint, spent Saturday night with j
his pal, Mr. Dewie Taylor.
Mr., and Mrs. James Long, also
i
Mrs. .T. !). Taylor visited Iter brother
and their uncle. Mr. \\\ \\\ Anderson;
Sunday.
We are glad to report at this writ-]
ipg that Mr. Tessie Taylor who underwent
an operation some weeks
ago has returned home from the Bap-j
tist hospital. Hope he will continue |
to improve.
Mr. L. J. Friek and wif" spent
Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Berly j
Leaphart.
Mr. fCallie Tavlor and Mr. James'
j
Long spent a short while with their
brother. Mr. Simpson Taylor. Sunday
morning and while there took on one
bait of watermelon.
Mr. Lawrence Taylor and wife and
Misses Crawford and Dewie Taylor
and Douglas Burkett took in the
Children's day at Styx Saturday andi
reported a nice time.
COLUMBIA MOB'
IN PERSISTEI
TO LYNCH F(
Jesse Gappins and C. O. Fox. who
together are charged with the murder
of W. C. Brazell. 19-year-old
transfer driver on the Augusta road
last week are being held in th^ Charleston
jail, where they were taken
last week by Sheriff E. Austin Roof,
after having been removed frcln Au
gusta to. Savannah, by Sheriff" Plunkett
."to avoid collision with a mdb
.which threatened to visit sumpaary
punishment on the two men. "Soon
after they were removed from the'
Augusta jail a mob. supposedly forced
of friends of the dead boy in. Cohim,
bia, proceeded to search the Richmond
county jail in Augusta and
there was talk of a like move in
Savannah. Sheriff Roof went to
Savannah and removed the men to
the Charleston county jail, where it
is believed they are safe for the time
being. It was the intention of
Sheriff Roof to bring the men to the
state penitentiary, which he felt sure
he could have accomplished without
danger, but, -acting on instructions
from the governor he came back
from Charleston without them. The
Southern train on which he returned
from Charleston as well as the train
on the Atlantic Coast Line the same
night was searched* by armed masked
men at points near Columbia. Per/
haps there have been few instances
in which a mob displayed more persistency
in an attempt to carry out
their expressed intention of lynching
the prisoners. For more than a
Went the officers of the
law on the jump and using-- everyj
precaution to avoid violence.
According to reports from Savan- j
nah Fox and Gappins made confes-1
sions which implicate Kirby as deeply
in the plot as the others, though
Kirby stoutly maintains that his confestVoji
was the true version of the
affair.
Father of Murdered Boy Speaks.
V,
M. E. Brasell, father of the murdered
boy, Monday issued a statement
in which he pleaded for the
law to take its course. The statement
is as follows: i
"I am a law abiding man. and j
though I know that no punishment, j
however cruel, could possibly be too 1
severe for these men, yet I would pre- .
fer to see the law be allowed to take '
its course. The lynching of the three '
men. or two of them, can not give i
t
me back my boy and it may possibly;
cost the life of some of my friends or
my murdered boy's friend^. It is the j
sworn duty of the sheriff -to protect,
his prisoners and I should not blame
[ him for protecting them from a mob!
t any more than I should blame him!
1 for risking his life to hold them!
i
should their friends attempt to res-!
I / '
cue them. If I were in the sheriff's j
! place I should hold them if it cost j
j me my life and I now expert tne
! sheriff and other officers to do like-j
l wise. I should be true to my oath: j
i j
I they will be true to theirs.
I "The representatives of the law ;
i * :
1 first arrested the men, who otherwise
j might by now have made good their
I escape, and T know that the law can !
J be trusted to hold them and to punj
ish them for their brutal crime. The I
I death or injury of a sheriff or of,
1 some friend of mine or my boy's will '
| DISTINGUISHED ALABAMA !
EDUCATOR ON VISIT
TO OLD LEXINGTON HOME,'
-? I
1
a '..omr nr i
rHWARTED
<T EFFORTS
)X AND GAPPINS
not help me to bear my los3. If I
were to read tomorrow that Fox and
Gappins had been lynched I should
1
feel no better or happier than I do
now. These men nave broken the
law and will be punished without de?
1 AT t- ml ^ P
my oy cue ia,w. me xyu^iutig m
them will not make their, punishment
more certain. Two crimes do not
*make a right. The law has.done its
part^, in capturing the murderers and
obtaining the evidence against them;
it will do the rest by punishing
them."
It is believed that the statement '
of Mr. Brazell had .a gopd effect for
law and'order.
Proceedings at Inquest
"That the said William Brazell
came to his death on the 8th day of
August, 1921, in the county of Lexington,
state of South Carolina, at the
hands of C. O. Fox, Jess^ Gappins
and S. J. Kirby, as a result cf wounds
inflicted by beating, cutting and .stabbing,"
was the verdict o: the coroner's
jury rendered at Leesville Friday
morning at the conclusion of the testimony
at' the investigation into
the death of the young Columbia taxi
driver who was killed Sunday night
*
on the road between Lexington and
Leesville.
Coroner W. C. Weed presided at
the hearing and Solicitor T. C. Calli
son examined the witnesses, the first
one being; N. S. Geiger of Lexington,
who was acquainted with Brazell and
who identified the body when it was ,
found in the woods Tuesday morn-,
ing.
Sheriff J. T. Plunkett of Augusta
was the most important w'itness. He
went over conversations had with the
prisoners while tlT^y were in his
charge, and told of the signed state- \
ments made by the three men. There
is. no material difference in what he
told the. coroner's jury from what has
already been printed in so far as Fox
f
and Gappins are concerned, but in* .
their statements they accuse Kirby
with taking a leading part in all the
transactions, including the holding of
young Brazell while he was being
murdered and of Kirby helping place
the body in the car and of helping to
remove it to the woods. Kirby has
insisted that he was an onlooker only
while this was in progress.
During the inquest a pocket knife
said to be the one used by Fox to *
cut and stab Brazell was introduced
as evidence, together with two pocketbooks,
a card case, stick -pin and
W. O. W. coin, all of which were
taken off the prisoners.
According to the statements of Fox
and Gappins the trip leading" to the
death of young Brazeli had been
planned Thursday before it took
place. The killing, they said, was
not premeditated. . At another meeting
held Sunday afternon by the three
men in a cow stall near the boat
landing on Congaree river, it is
claimed by the statement of the two
men that Kirby delivered to Gappins
the blackjack with which Brazeli was
hit over the head Sunday night.
t The inquest was held in the town
theatre at Leesville and the building
was fiHed beyond seating capacity.
There was no disorder whatever during
the proceedings.
ten highest paid superintendents of
education in the Southern states. For
12 years he made a splendid record
as superintendent of the city schools
el' Seima, Ala. Last July he was ap
pointed county superintendent of eu laation
of Montgomery county, Alabama.
a position which he lias filled
with credit to himself and profit to
his county.
MARRIED IN X. C.
Xews has been received in Lexington
of the marriage in Raleigh. X. C.,
of Mr. Fred R. Hiller. a former Lexington
county boy whose home is at
Chapin, and Miss Annie Josephine
West. The marriage was solemnized
on Thursday, August 11.
Mr. Hiller for some time has been
located in Raleigh, where he holds a
responsible position with the Southern
Bell Telephone Company. MP. Hiller,
who is popular in his home town, was
at one time a valued employee of the
Citizens Telephon ? '.Lrrpan;.