Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WATCH THE DATE ON YOUR LABEL WATCH THE DATE ON YOUR LABEL NUMBER 19 CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROUNA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1923 VOLUME XXXV CHEATED THE CHA1K Furies, York County Murderer, Hang* Self in Death House. (Saturday's Columbia Record William C. Faries, 60-year-old York county man under Sentence of death for the murder of Newton Taylor, 18 year-old boy of Clover, and confessed slayer of three other members' of the Taylor household, sentenced to , die in tHe electric chair on August 24th, robbed the chair of its victim early Saturday morning by committing sui cide in his cell in the penitentiary death house. He hung himself with cords made of sheets and tied to the upper bars of the cell. Faries left a note, in which he in dicated his purpose 6f leaving this world. He was found early this morn ing, his body white and cold, hanging against the barred wall of his cell, his prison mattress between him and the bars. - l "Dear friends," read the note Fa ries left, penculkul_iii_a_si:ratchy hand, "I leave you all in peace and hope, to meet you all in i>eace. I want to go down in peace "and no one to make light of me, and my hope is to meet you all in glory and peace." At the bottom of the page on which the note was written were also scrawled the words, "5 o'clock." His body was found when a guard SVCnt to take him breakfast at 7 o'clock, so that the time of the suicide is fixed at somewhere between 5 and 7 o'clock. Coroner J. B. Scott viewed the body at 9 o'clock. Saturday morning and decided that inquest was not, Nec essary. ? An unusual feature > of Faries' sui cide was the fact that he tied his own hands before he let his body fall into the noose around his jieck. His evi dent purpose was tro make it impossi ble even fot himself to prevent the accomplishment, of his purpose, should the suffering .brought on by strangulation of hanging cause ""his hands to pluck at the noose and pre vent his dying. It was evident that he had climbed to the iron bars of the cell, adjusted the noose around hie neck, and then with his teeth and fin gers tfed the rag around his wrists. He then jumped from his perch and the cord around his neck caught hifh in a death grip. . i* ' Guard Harden went to the death h^use to take Faries his breakfast Saturday morning. He saw through the bars that a mattress was hang ing against the bars, cutting out any view of the interior of the cell. He did not enter but went back to the penitentiary office to report what he had seen to Captaih Evans, of the prison guard.* Captain Evans then, went to the#l eath cell an?T investiga ted- " o- < Faries had tied the mattress against the bars presumably to prevent- ?he possible gaze of any inlooker, should any come into the bbilding before he finished* his final preparations. The unbleached sheet from his prison bed he had torn into strips. These he -had twisted into ropes. ? One was tied about his neck, the end fastened to the cell bars at the top of the prison wall. Another was tied about .his wrists. He wore his "B. V. D.'s, roughly torn off at the knees and a shirt. His feet were barfe. His gray head bent forward, with a palor of death, and his hands and feet were of the same paleness. His body was cold. . The last conversation Faries had with anyone from the big outside world was on Friday, when Rev. Has ford B. Jones, pastor of the Southside Baptist chilrch and'H. M. Stames, a deacon in the same church, called to talk with the condemned man of his spiritual welfare. The three men toad the Scriptures together and then they prayed. Faries ? prayed for his wife and sixteen children and then he prayed for the Taylor family whose circle he had broken with the steel from his gun. He prayed that God might forgive him for the crime ha had committed. Faries was seen in his cell at the penitentiary by the prison police and the attendants from the kitchen, when his supper was delivered Friday night. He was not seen after that untiL his body was found this mom? ing. There were no wounds on his body^ The guard at the outer door of the death house heard no sounds dur ing the night, and all was quietness when the preparations for death were made by the ione prisoner in the death cell at the early morning hours. Faries was convioed in York for j young thirteen yur old Taylor boy. On the stand h? confessed the killing and also admitted having kitted Leila THE MEETING AT BKTHIJNE. Well Attended and Another Scheduled For Today at Hermitage l'ond. The big get -together between city, town and country meeting and agri cultural rally at the h<,sP>table little city of Bethune In Kershaw county last Friday night, August 3rd, was a most successful and enjoyable event. The meeing was under the i^uspices of the Camden and Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce and nearly four hundred men and women '.attend ed from Camden, Bethuno and other sec?*H?s of this county, Camden, the county seat being represented by more than one hundred. The ladies of Bethune Home Dem onstration Club and School Improve ment Association provided fi deligtful supper. Secretary K X. Reardon of the Cam den and Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce presided, explained ob jects of meeting and introduced the speakers. Mr. Leon L. Rice of An derson, S. C., and Dr. N. E Winters the former speaking interestingly and convincingly of the itdvantages and operations of the South Carolina Cot ton Growers Cooperative Marketing Association, and the latter delivering a very entertaining and instructive [talk about practical farming methods under boll weevil conditions. Miss Jennie V. Boyd, home demon stration agent, J. W. Sanders, county agent, and E. L Reardon were the central committee in charge from Camden, while Mr. J. D. Laffltte, of Bethune, and o&er public spirited men of Bethune and vicinity cooperat ed splendidly in making this meeting a success. Camden's business and professional men and women who at tended are gratified with the results obtained in bringing about closer re ciprocal relations between people of the county seat and different sections or Kershaw County. The next big get>together gather ing will be the basket picnic and all around good time, county-wide meet ing at 12:30 o'clock, P. M.f. Friday, August 10th, at Hermitage Mill Pond, near Camdeh, during the short Course of the Boys' pig and com clubs, and girls' home dempnstratic*, poultry %and 'sewing clubs of this county, to which the general public is invited by Miss Boyd, Mr. Sanders and the Cam den and Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce. E. I .R. Athlete Dies From Injuries. C9lumbia, August 6. ? Harold Samp son, 21, who was injured while mak ing a fire dive at a local bathing re sort last Tuesday, died at a hospital here this afternoon from the effects of the injury/ Young Sampson frac tured one of his vertebra when he dived into the pool, on the surface of which a thin coating of gasoline was blazing. He was believed to be im proving until yesterday, when he had a relapse. _ 1 1 ? ' jp i il i l i i l a i ? ? Claud Johnson, 20, a cousin of the Taylor children. Gertrude Taylor and hemstster, Dolly, It* and 22, were also shot by Faries, he admitted, but they recovered. The Taylor family lived across the little mill town street at Clover, from the Faries family. Faries pleaded at his trial that he had been greatly aggravated by the family across the street. He said that on the day of the killing his lit tle son had been struck in the head with a rock by one of the Taylor chil dren. He said the thought that his little boy had been hurt had driven him crazy. * Faries was sentenced at the York court last November and sentenced to die in December. His appeal stayed the execution. On July 20, last, the court dismissed his appeal and under the new law, the remittitur being handed down within ten days the date of the execution was again automat ically set as August 24. Faries original Appeal was based on numerous - exceptions, the main one being that one of the jurors, H. W. Witherspoon had before the trial expressed the opinion that Faries should die. "Fighting Bill' Faries, as he was known in his own community, was * son of "Ku Klu* - John" Faries, whose sobriquet was gained by a brush he had with Klansmen in Recon struction days. As the story is told in York county, John Farias -and his wife stood off a party of Klansmen who had come to punish him as an al leged informer. Mrs. Faries armings herself and standing resolutely by her husband. They wounded four of the ware 2,000 Union soldier* in York 'bounty at the time, the wounded were taken to North Carolina for medical sflanliniV * j -? ' 'yjij, ?t\ ? ? ????: ^ BKTHUNB NEWS NOTES HuppeninK* Interest As Told By Our Correspondent. Bethune, S. C., Aug. H. The pro cetdB of the luncheon served last Friday evening at the school house given under the auspices of the School Improvement and Home Dehumstra tlon Clubs netted about $50.00. The Kpwortb Leagues of Sumter district are on an encampment at Big Springs. About tWo hundred are camping. Mr. Loose who is repre senting that organization gave a talk at the Methodist church Tuesday evening. Miss Katharine W^rd is visiting relatives at Wards. Mrs. Sallie Tiller left Saturday for a sanitarium in Columbia. Mr. Tom Bethune, of Pavo, Ga., i3 Visiting relatives -here. Misses Mamie Lou McDonald and Kathleen Clyburn of Kershaw are visiting Mr. and Mrs, A. B. McLaurin. Miss MaiV MeKinnon spent last week in Timmonsville with Miss Floy White. Mr. and Mrs. W. M? Stevens left Monday for High Point, where they will spend several days. Mr. and Mrs. Craig Best, .o'f Harts ville, spent the week end with their daughter, Mrs. G. E. ParrotL Mrs. A. W. Humphries is spending several dayjt at the hqme of her pa rents in Mt. Carmel. Prof. O. R. Bell, of Lancaster, came down last Friday evening for the get together meeting. Miss Alene McDowell, is spending this week at? the home of her uncle, Mr. Tom Horton. * ? Mr. and Mrs. L. K. Yarbrougb, of Sumter, spent the week end in .town, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. King werk'visi tors in Columbia Sunday. . Messrs. G. B. King, W.E. Davis and B. W. B?st left Sunday for the moun tains of North Carolina. ?V # Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Robertson spent Friday and Saturday in Winnsboro. Miss Gsssie kough of Kershaw is visiting h^f sister, Mrs. K. T.- Ka tridge. Master Billy Morgan, of Monroe, is visiting Vance Morgan. Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Bethune spent Saturday and Sunday with the for mer's mother, Mrs. Mary 'Bethune, enroute to their home ifi Cheraw, af ter spending the past week in the mountains. Little Miss Margaret Hearon is at tending a house party given by her cousin, Mary Beattie in McBee. , Mrs. B. L. Norwood and children of McBee spent Monday at the home of Mr. N. A. BethUne. A truck load of boys and girls, chaperoned by Mrs. A. J. Smith, pres ident of the demonstration club left Wednesday morning for the three days camp at Hermitage Mill pond. - Messrs. Charles and Frank Hum phries of Camden spent Sunday with their* brother, Dr. A. W. Humphries. Me&daffied Maggie Clyburn and Eva Morgan left Wednesday morning for a visit to friends and relatives in ?Marshville and Monroe; * Willene, Eloise and B. F. Estridge returned Saturday from a week's stay with their sister, Mrs. Yarbrough, in Sumter. 1 Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Pate are receiv ing congratulations on the arrival of. a son August 7th. TO THE MERCHANTS AND BUSI NESS MEN OF CAMDEN: As -a tribute of respect to the mem ory of our late and l^nented Presi dent, Warren G. Harding, and in ac cordance with a State-wide proclama tion issued by our Governor, I would respectfully suggest that all places of business in the City of Camden be closed during the hours of the Presi dent's funeral *this Friday afternoon, between the hours of three and five o'clock. H. G. Garrison, Jr., Mayor. Requested To Close. In co-operation with the request of Mayor H. G. Carrison, Jr., and in re spect to our late President, Warfen G. Harding, we request that all bus iness houses in Camden close between three and five o'clock on Friday, Au gust 10th. Camden Retail Merchants Association, By Ralph N. Shannon, President. Barn Burned. Jane Lewis, a colored woman, re siding on the W. E. Johnson place about ten miles north of Camden, had the misfortune of having her bam hunwd about 2. o'olock - Wednoaday morning. Thr*e calves and one cow were badly Mt-ned before they could be gotten out of the bem. It ? not | kiwwtt bow the fire originated. sr U.IVAN SWIMS CHANNEL. Massachusetts Man Crosses in 2t? Hours and Fifty Minutes. Dover, August 0. Henry Sullivan, of 1<OYV<<11, Mass,' who finished his swiiji across the English Channel to night, landed at front of the Calais Casino, His time was twenty-six hour*,- fifty minutes. , Henry Sulliyan is the thin} man to accomplish the hazardous feat "ofj swimming the English Channel. Tile firpt to make passage across the nar row but always extremely choppy course, with its rushing tides and swirling eddies, was Capt. Matthew WYbh, and the second T. W. Burgess. Both were Englishmen. Webb made, the swim on August 24-125, lStS^ covering the-, twenty two and one- half miles between Dover an i Calais in twenty-one hours and forty-five minutes. Webb was drown ed July 2<1, lHKIi, while attempting to swim the rapids at Niagara Falls. T. W, Burgess accomplished the feat Sept. Oth, 1911, swimming from South Foreland, England to La Chat elet, France. His time was twenty tvyo hours, thirty?iive minutes. The present was Sullivan's seventh attempt /to make the , swim. In all his efforts he had *made notable marks in 1D21 getting within five miles of the French shore after having been in the water nineteen hours and five min utes. When Sullivan took the water off Dover on Sunday he got away in fine style under, what were declared to bo favorable conditions. The sea whs calm and temperature of the Water was 62 degrees Fahrenheit. When Burgess made the swim he also had a smooth sea, but the tempera tre of the water was two degrees higher. j Amojig the numerous persons who haw tried to swim the channel have been several women. They have, however, never been able to set any notable mark. * There has been standing for a long time an offer of a London publication of a prize of $5,000 for the successful crossing of tho channel by a man oi woman swimmer. Death Near Stateburg. D Hagood, Aug. G.? Wallace Sanders, an old and highly respected citizen of Sumter county, died at his residence near Stateburg, last Saturday morn ing at 9:30 o'clock, after a long and painful illness. Mr. Sanders was a farmer by occupation and his entire life was spent in Sumter county. He was 73 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by hi& wife and three children as follows: Mrs. R. M. Moore, of Horatio, Mrs. J. B. Jack son of Columbia and E. P. Sanders, of Durham, N. C., and also by two brothers, William M. Sanders and Lewis D. Sanders of Stateburg.- He was buried at the old historic High Hills Baptist church yesterday morn irfg at 10 o'clock in the presence of a large concourse of relatives and friends, the Rev. W. S. Stoney, officia ting. ~ 7 "? . w ? Killed Near Bennettsville. BeHnettsville, Aug. 5. ? McRae Wea therly, aged 34, brother of Sheriff J. A. Weatherly of Marlboro county, was instantly killed and J. P. Gibson, Jr., who was driving Mr. Weatherly's car, was painfully bruised at 10:30 o'clock tonight two mile^north of Bennetts ville, on the Cheraw-Bennettsvill? highway when their car was demolish ed in a collision with another car con taining J. W. McLaurin, Neil Mc Daniel and Frank Thompson, all of Clio, who were injured to an unknown extent. Both cars were completely wrecked. Mr. Weatherly's throat was cut, presumably by his raised wind shield. Mr. Gibson, who at this hour is resting favorably apd will recover*, is connected with the McCall Mercan tile Company of this place. Mr. Wea therly leaves a wife and two children. Watermelon Slicing. The Men's Bible Class of the Cam den Baptist Sunday School were hosts to the Ladies' Bible Class and Senior B. Y. P. U. at an old time water melon slicing at "White's Beach" last Thursday evening. Notwith standing the rain which came up la ter, there was a large crowd present. Everyone enjoyed to the fullest this, one of the choicest fruits of Dixie. I Entertaiiftr For Guesta. In honor of her cousins. Misses Mary Annis and Kathleen Younta, of High .Prints C? Goodale entertained a number of her f i tends on Wednesday evening, at her home oa Rutledge street. A delicious ke course wai served. n.l'NCKS DOWN MOt N'TAIN. Cur Take* Toll .of Two Uv?8 Near Hendcrsonville Sunday. .Spartanburg, August 5th. Smith II. Whtte and his wife, Mrs. Mary [Pickens WhltO of Jonesvillo, were killed and five of their seven children were ,morc or less seriously injured a\>out 5 o'clock this afternoon, when the automobile in which they were returning from a day in the moun tains, went ever the outer edge of the Appalachian highway in Henderson county. North Carolina, four miles north of Saluda, and plunged some 7a to 100 fo?t down to the bank of Cirepn Htver. The accident, stated by Coroner (?. K. Dixon of Henderson-, villi', to have been unavoidable, hap pened us the White car was passing another automobile going irr the op posite direction and driven, according to Coroner Dixon, by a man named K, S. Lancaster of Campobello. .John White, eldest son of the deceased cou ple, was driving the car, and the indi cations were, the coroner said tonight, that the he drove so close to the edge in passing the other car, that the dirt softened *by recent rains, > gave way under the oiside wheels before he was aware* of the danger. Mr. White was hrown from the cat' and killed on impact with stones used to retain the embankment, which is nearly perpendicular. He was believ ed to have b^en instantly killed. Mrs. Whie lived about 30 minutes and had been brought to the road level before she expired. ? The children were taken to the Sa luda hospital, where, they received medical attention. John H. White, the driver, aged 17, and W. C. White, aged eight, were not hurt. Lucy, aged 14, suffered scalp wounds. Juanitar aged 12, suffered body bruises and probably a broken arm and body bruises; Pearl, a broken arm and body bruises; Pearl, j aged three, has a broken nose and j painful cuts; S. H. White, Jr., aged j eight months, painfully bruised about 'the face. Ben Benson Dead. < Benjamin Benson, an old colored man for many years a resident of Camden, died at his home on Market street 'Tuesday. ' Benson was the fa ther of the two Benson boys ? one employed on the street forces^ and another bjr the Parlor Meat Marked, both good citizens. For a number of years the father had been residing with other children in Massachusetts. His funeral occurred 'on Wednesday afternoon tfrom Trinity Methodist church. / Not a New Car Every Year. Scip Tate, colored, who resides on Mr. Allen J. Boykin's place> south east bf Camden, does not have to have a new car every year like- most folks, but is content to make out with the one he possesses and we do not doubt but what he is better off financially. He has a 1912 model Chalmers car which he purchased second hand five years ago for one hundred dollars, fie says it has~not been in a garage for repairs since he has owned it and he would not trade it for a brand new car. New Cotton Firm. Messrs. Frank D. Campbell and Oscar J. Smyrl announce that on Au gust 15th, they will open a cotton office in the rear of the. building now occupied by the Army and Navy store, and will deal in cotton and fer tilizers. Both of these .young men have for several years been with Mr. F. M. Wooten in the cotton business and have numerous friends through out Kershaw and adjoining counties. Mr. Smyrl will remain with Mr. Woo ten until the first of September, Mr. Campbell conducting the business until Mr. Smyrl leaves the Wooten firm. Awarded Scholarship. Glenn C., Pool, son of Mr. and Mrs. O. R. S. Pool, of West Wateree, has been notified that he has been award ed the four-year scholarship in the University of South Carolina to fill the vacancy in Keushaw county. Young fool is a grandson of the late Mr. H. F. Boykin, and is a grad uate of the Greenville high 'school. He and his parents have been making their home in West Wateree for the past year. First Open Bolls. Mr. L. J. Whitaker, who has con siderable farming interests .in and near Camden, brought the first open bolU.oX coUcbl to opy Qflto Tffldnea day. They were plucked Wednesday morning and were grown from what is known as Price's seed, sent out by the Government. . ;.V! - , MUCH PAYING COMPLETE. Appropriations For Stroot Usiitto* name Will Ho $4,000 Loss. In making up the budget for tho next fiscal yl'Hr the finaiu-o committer uf City Cou'ncil has cut tho appropria tion for stroot maintenance approx imately $1,01)0. Last yoar the* appro priation for thtf stroot working forces was $10,000. For tho coming yoar it y.ill bo only $6,000, It is said the levy will not exceed 25 mills for all pur poses, and this also allows for tho proposed additional bonds for paving and sewerage which it is practically certain will be voted on the Nth of this month. Quite a fe\v of the other depaVt monts of the city have boon cut, with out impairing efficiency, which will mean a still further reduction in ex penses of city government. . , Four of the tine 'mules used by tho st i tit repair forces have been placed in pasturage and 'will be kept there until fall and then will bfi offered for sale. Six and one-half miles of the prin cipal streets of Camden have boon paved, or are being paved at the pres ent time and another year will see a still further reduction in expense for road maintenance. The longest con tinuous stretch of paving so far com pleted is that of Broad streeFHfrom Mt, Moriah Baptist church on the south to the city limits north of the Kirkwood. Another important Crotch and perhaps the most traveled is De- ? Kalb street from the Seaboard freight dopot on the west to the Southern _ passenger station on the east. Most of the travel from north to south passes on this street. Lyttleton street from Rutledge to Chestnut is now being completed and will very likely be opened for traffic by tho last of the week. A -force of laborer* are now busy on Fair street from DeKalb to Green - street and on Laurens from the Con federate monument to the Court Inn, grading these streets getting ready for the ccment and asphalt. The next work to be taken up after the voting of the additional bond issue will very likely be LaFayette, Mill and Chestnut streets. Another short stretch of paving re cently completed and opened to traffic is that of Rut! edge street loading to Lyttleton. Boy Hurt By Car. Jim Lloyd, a colored lad of about seven years, was 'knocked down on Main street and bruised Saturday during a rainstorm by a car owned t and driven by Mr. W. F. Nettles. The boy was hurrying to cross the street and get to shelter when he ran in front of the car. Although Mr. Net tles was not at fault, he picked the lad upland carried him quickly tp the hospital, where an examination Bhow ed no bones broken. Later in the af ternoon,' Mr. Nettles carried the boy and his father to their home in -the Egypt section of Sumter county where the former is well on the road to re- ? covery. 4 Will Go To Rock Hill. Mr. A. K. Blakeney, of this city, - left this week for Rock Hill, where he goes with the Anderson Motor Company of that city, manufacturers of the well known southern cars by that name. He will be 'in the sales service of the Anderson corporation. Mr. Blakeney will retain his connec tion with the A. K. Blakeney Ice Co., of Camden, and Mr. Benton Sheorti will be associated with him :n the conduct of the same. Now Open Every Day. The Majesty Theatre reop?n<*d yes terday running full time ? six days each week. The management also announces that they have bought the new season 1923-1924 feature pic tures, and that in every instance the people of Camden are promised as good a program from now eti. as was shown in Camden at this popular playhouse last winter. Mrs. Spears Dead. Mrs. Nellie Spears, wife of Mr. J. M. Spears, died suddenly a( her home about six miles north of Cjimdcn, Thursday, of last week. wm 70 ? - years of age, and it is said was found dead in bed early Thursday morning. She leates several sons and daugh ters. The ftmeraP and burial <v<iurred At DeKalb on Friday, seryi<<a being conducted by Rev. S. B: Hatfield. Today As Day of Mourning. . Washington. Augmt 1? Preifatent Coolkige today issued a proclamation calling upon the people observe next Friday as a <$*y of national mourning and prayer.