Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

V” % f WHO SHOT COHEN? CUILESTON COMWETS JDIY . CONDUCTING INQUIRY HimiA STANDS GUARD Cok«a ftfur Ik* l*tt*r k*4 t*k< Nftt prior to tho opening of tb* In*. Thn witnow dopnrtod lhroa*b to » window. « 80 W. P. Poalnot, n Hyde committee man, anw Bronthor* and McDonald In an altercation. As tb* crowd sar**d In b* heard a shot. Two a«n In a corner were flcbtta* with their lists. McDonald was at bis left. James Allan grabbed McDonald and jerked a rerolver out of McDonald's pocket. The witness was seated just back of Cohen. He saw pistols In the hands of Cantwell, McDonald, Wingate and Sergt. Quinn. Me saw a pistol flash phone, but several men cried, "Not T"». •>*•> 7 ' ’ Witnesses Tell Conflicting Stories as So Scene in Death Chamber—Mc Donald Accused—Brown Accused But Accuser Falls to Identify Him —What Others Said. Only the coroner, counsel for the state and the Jurors are allowed to Question witnesses, the coroner hav ing at the outset announced he would follow the law, which regards an inquest as merely an ex parte pro ceeding by the state. No spectators except three news paper men and two members of the family of the deceased are present, only attorneys and witnesses being admitted besides these. Every per son entering the building, except sol diers in uniform, Is searched from scalp to heel and any article that might be considered a weapon Is taken from him by the sentries. All the witnesses are held In segregation under guard. John P. Grace, mayor of Charles ton, arrived at the court house in company with Mr. Logan and said he was present as an attorney. He was admitted after he had been searched. The mayor as he handed over a re volver which he took from his hip pocket turned to Col. Blythe, com manding the troops, and said: "I want you to bear witness that I gave this up before being searched." As he left the building the mayor regained his revolver and replaced It In his pocket. James R. Cantwell, chief of police, appeared with a pack age of papers and other property which he said had been removed from the persons of Henry J. Brown and Edward R. McDonald at the time of their arrest last Friday. The eblef, after he had been dis armed, was escorted by Capt. Meyer to the court room* but. when be bed delivered his parcel and an oral mes sage to Mayor Grace he was excluded on the ground that he was a witness. Capt. Meyer took the package from him and examined It before he would permit it to pass Into Mr. Grace's hands, la order to satisfy himself It did not contain a weapon Half a doten pistols, mostly of the magazine type, with holsters were produced by the coroner as weapons recovered from the committee room, where Friday's affray occurred. An other Interesting exhibit was a col lection of hats left behind by their owners In the hurried wholesale exit from the room when the shooting commenced. Joeeph A. Black, the county chair man, was the first witness. His tes timony wag in substance the state ment from him already summarized except that he described as a "tall man with a little black hr.t” the per son who be said aimed a pistol at him, saying, "I'll get the . Mr. Black averred that when he ap pealed to Police Sergt. Quinn the lat ter drew a gun on him. "I am almost positive he snapped It," the witness declared. "I threw my hand over my face," he went on, “expecting to bo killed Instantly. Mr. Cohen was at my side. I heard Just then the crack of a pistol from where the tall man with the little hat was standing and looking down saw Mr. Cohen on the floor at my feet. Pre viously a shot had rung out in the anteroom. Starting out I saw Chiof Cantwell with his pistol drawn upon a man whom two other men were bolding. Mr. Cohen grabbed my leg, fut I Jerked free and wont on, as threats were being made In the room against me. After the shot that kill ed Cohen there was a fusillade. Two more shots sounded as I went through a window. Mr. Cohen did not speak. I am positive he was kill ed by the large man with the small hat." The witness said he saw no other persons with revolvers out except Chief Cantwell and a man over In tho corner whom he did not recognize. Coroner Mansfield on Mr. Cobb’s ad vice refused to let Mr. Grace cross- examine Chairman Black. “ Lee Holmes, a member of the Hyde majority in the committee, heard, he said, a shout in the ante room. "Put up that gun,” followed by a shot. He heard Committeeman McDonald, inulde the committee room, say to a man named Brouth- ers, “You can’t intimidate us.” Mc Donald, as Brouthers advanced to ward him, drew a pistol. About that time the witness started for a win dow. Just them a man standing in •the centre of the room and within his view raised a pistol and fired three or four times In a northerly direction. He believed he would recognize the man if he saw him again. Ho did not see Mr. Cohen and did not see Me-* Donald fire. • N. B. Barnwell, a Hyde.committee man, heard in the anteroom, he said, a commotion in which Goldman's name was mentioned, then a shot, followed by a rush into the commit tee room. William Wingate crowded in. He saw a pistol in Henry Brown’s hand. Chief Cantwell, gun in hand, entered and Joined a group scuffling ifi a corner, from which presently, a shot sounded, He saw a pistol in Mc Donald's band. Other persons bad pistols out also, bnt the witness does not remember who* they were. A. man whom ho understood to be Brown and who had been in the room fired towards the north. He saw no shots toward where Cohen fell. AU those who led the rush into the room were. In citl- sens* clothes. He believes Wingate wns among those who flourished pis tols. He thinks all the weapons he mw were magaxlne pistols mKteeman, said he sprang'betwoen ae he tU so a shot was r Ms ehoeHw by eomekedy leDonald He did not at nay n pistol sad did not see Mr. * In the northeast corner, but could not say who had It or where the bullet went. Brown was there, but witness did not see a pistol In his hand. He saw Sergt. Q&inn throw his revolver In Chairman Black’s face. John P. Michel, a Grace commit teeman, took the stand. He testified he mw Brown gain the centre of the committee room, he said, and start firing. He did not see Mr. Cohen J. W. Robson, Hyde committee man, saw a man whose forearm and hand only were visible to him fire rapidly several times at Wingate.. He saw Chief Cantwell fire at a man whom two others were straggling with at a window. He grasped the chief’s revolver with both hands and It went off, the bullet striking a wall across the street. He turned and saw Cohen lying on the floor. He used a chair as a shield to prevent crowd from trampling on Cohen. He does not know Brown. . Harry Hancock, Grace committee man, said he saw Brown shooting but when Brown was produced admitted he couldn’t say whether the map be fore him was the one he saw shoot ing. He said, he intervened in a row between Brouthers and McDonald and grabbed the latter’s pistol and it went off. He afterwards saw Mr. Cohen lying six feet away near a window. J. I. Cosgrove, another Grace com mitteeman, said he saw Brown shoot Wingate, then fire deliberately at him again after he had fallen. He yelled to Hancock to disarm McDonald and saw them grapple. He went himself to assist In overpowering Brown. He caw Cohen, with Black and another man, crowding through a window. Cohen suddenly Tell backward into the room. He had pnt one foot on the window sill and the other on a chair. Chief Cantwell ran up and grabbed Brown by the throat. The witness caught the chief's hand and ae he did so ths chief's pistol was discharged. . , I presume he intended to shoot Brown,” said the witness. Cosgrove said he saw pistols In the hands only of Brown, McDonald and Cantwell He Identified Brown upon the latter being produced before him. He said Cohen fell near the spot where .Mc Donald and Hancock were struggling He doesn't know in what direction McDonald's gun was pointed On Tuesday several now lines of testimony were opened but th tended rather to Incriminate in the affray porsons not heretofore accused than to throw light on the main quee- tlon as to whose hand fired the shot which brought down Mr. Cohen One witnose. Jerry W. Dunn, mode the first direct imputation of guilt for that homicide. He aald he mw one of the two men now in arrest, Edward R. McDonald, shoot Mr. Cohen in the back, though be would not My the shot was deliberately aim ed at the newspaper man. Some evi dence was adduced tending to show that the police took special care to keep down trouble, whereas testi mony from othor quarters was that police actively participated in the disorder. Two witnesses said they saw a policeman stand in the doorway and deliberately fire Into the commlttae room. Allen Legare said ho heard Plain Officer Hogan, after convening in low tonos with Chief Cantwell, say "All right, there will bo held when I get to them,” where upon Hogan entered committee headquarters and a commotion cul minating in pistol shots immediately broke out there. E. A. Cobia Mid he beard Hogan say, "1 am going to get what I came for or they will have to carry me off in a wagon." W. B. Hearon, who admitted he had been tried for murder and ac quitted, Mayor Grace being his attor ney in that case, testified that he saw Hogan fire Into the committee room and this, he said, was the first shot he heard. Further evidence directly charging the prisoner, Henry J. Brown, with shooting William E. Wingate was introduced. Mendel L. Smith, judge of the Fifth circuit, has the distinction of being the first person not In military uniform allowed so far to enter the Inquest without undergoing a search of his person. Judge Smith had busi ness Tuesday at his chambers, open* Ing off the court room. When he ap peared at the court house door sen tries stationed there halted him and were about to Insist on searching him for arms, when somebody said: "Why, that’s the presiding judge of the sessions court.” Thereupon the judge was bowed past the inner cor don of sentries. A. M, Deal of Columbia was sworn in as official stenographer of the in quest. During the afternoon session, having need of spare notebooks, he sent downstairs for his bag. A sen try brought it and he was about to open it when Capt. Meyer, ranking military officer present, said with a smile, "Beg pardon, but I’ll have to examine that first for firearms.” No lethal weapons being found to lurk beneath its clasps, the grip was hand ed to its owner. Mr. Littlejohn of The News and Courier staff mw, he testified, the be ginning of a quarrel between Brouth ers and McDonald, but being in line between them he dodged and at that instant heard a shot from the north east corner. He made his way to the south wall andUncm passing In front prevented him from seeing middle of the room and sides. He heard men pressing In through the d.oorwajr. The only weapon he saw was a pistol held by a man in the centre of the room, whose hand only was visible to him. The muxxlo was directed toward the doorway. Somo shots were fired within six feet tke witness stood. He es caped through southeszt wind beerier a row at the door he ved to the oeo th west comer to get of tb* ttee of Ire. He heard ptatols eet McDoeald had e gee la his head, heeglag down a question, propounded tbi Solicitor Cobh, by Ifnyor G witness sold be heard exclamations In room after Cohen fell—“Brown did It. Brown did the shooting,”' The wltnoM wee not armed. Mr. Sams of The News and Conrier staff said he heard from hie seat within the committee room the noise of Rentiers’ arrest in the anteroom. Hancock tola McDonald that Ren tiers was flashing a gun. Chairman Black passed him going to the tele- yet, not yet! Hearing a Shot in the northeast, corner, the witness backed against the south wall. Black being then at his side. Several more shots rang out. Men were falling. He saw Brown standing in the northeast of the centre of the room and firing left and right, apparently at random. Of ficer Hogan (alias “Rumpty Rattles, a plain clothes man), as the witness passed him going out, threw his hand to his hip pocket, but let him pass. He saw Brown fire three times in a northwesterly direction. He saw somebody present a pistol at W. Tur ner Logan. He knew Brown well by sight as & former policeman. Brown being produced, the witness identified him. He did not see McDonald with a pistol. R: C. Richardson, secretary of the executive committee, said a shot in the anteroom or near the door stam peded the crowd. There was a sec ond shot, then a fusillade, then a lull. The witness had so far kept his seat, lowering his head, but at this stage climbed upon the window sill. Finding the balcony space crowded, however, he stepped back into the room. Then he saw Sidney Cohen on the floor. He put his hand on his forehead and said, "Sidney, old boy, are you badly hurt?" He realized then Mr. Cohen was dying. He gath ered hlo papers and went out to get a doctor. He met N. B. Barnwell and asked him to phone for a physician. When he reached King street the witness was arrested and was detain ed at police headquarters about an hour. While he was under arrest a plain clothes man came up, collared him and shook him. He saw McDon ald’s hand with a gun in it pointing upward, but held by several hands. He saw a man whom he did not know standing in the centre of the room with a pistol held towards the north. Brown being brought in wknem Identified He didn’t see him fire and saw only momentarily. He did not fire while the glance of the witness rested upon him. JUNE M. L SMITH FREES BROWN AND M'DONALD No Formal Warrants Have Keen I/Miffed Against Them—Militia Still la Montrol. With Col. Holmes B. Springs, Sec ond Infantry, South Carolina National Guards, In Command of the Charles ton military situation Friday, orders have been Issued aimed to relieve as many of the men in the reven local volunteer organizations from duty as possible, the arrangement being for one full company to remain under arms at Its armory twenty-four hours, while the other companies retain only a guard detail at their armoriee. the rest of the men being at liberty to return to their homes and work, after a week of constant service. These orders have been issued to be effective through this month, under the present arrangements. There has been no disorder In Charleston since the outbreak of last Friday a week. J5. R. McDonald and H. J. Brown, arrested by thd police on charges of murder and conspiracy to kill just after the pistol shooting of last Fri day, in the city Democratic executive committee rooms, wken Sidney J. Cohen, a newspaper reporter, was killed, and four others wounded, were released from jail Friday by order of Judge Smith, of the State court, on the grounds that there were no formal warrants lodged against the defendants and the inquest Jury's verdict found the death of Mr. Cohen due to a pistol shot fired by party or parties unknown. The court stated that the order for release did not prejudice the right of any one to take out warrants against the two men. Cheap Rates On All Railroads ’ Special Trains on Pregnalls Branch f • f* .. There Will. Be Pleasure, Profit and , , Inspiration For AH Who Attend ^ COUNTY FAIR Floral Parades, Fanners’ Parades, School Parades, _ Trades Display, Coronation of Queen, Automobile Races, Horse Races, Foot Ball Games. BEST FREE ATTRACTIONS Money Can Secure. Something New, Amusing and Entertaining^ y ■ ■ e Daily Concerts By the Excellent ORANGEBURG MILITARY BAND ^llr THE BEST tIVE STOCK SHOW Ever Seen At a County Fair Competative Township Exhibits Every Department Will Be Replete With INSTRUCT- ^ IVE DISPLAYS.. We make* no promise we do not fulfill, and We Promise^The Best County Fair Ever Held in South Carolina. Remember The Time and Place Orangeburg County Fair NOVEMBER 9 to Orangeburg, f 12, 1915 £outh Carolina NO ARMS TO MEXICO ENGLAND OFFERS CYPRUS TO GREECE 10R HER AID Carranza Alone ia Allowed Munitions From This Country. President' Wilson Wednesday de clared an embargo on the shipment and arms and ammunition to Mexico. President Wilson signed a supple mentary order, however, which ex- cepts Gen. Carranza’s government from the embargo and permits muni tions to go through to him unham pered. The prohibition applies tq the factions opposed to the government which the United States has recog nized. The president’s proclamation is based upon the authority conferred by congress in 1912 and follows closely the terms of President Taft's proclamation issued when the revolu tion was on against Madero. ^ All Belligerents are Striving to Wto Big Victory to Influence Neu tral States. With the rapid sweep eastward of the Bulgarians, the people of the al lied countries are watching with BLYTHE SEES GOVERNOR Mr. Manning Issnen Statement on the Conference. Gov. Manning, after a conference with Col. Edgeworth M. Blythe, of the First Infantry, who is in com mand of the militia in Charleston, said that he would not make, any change in the status of the militia in Charleston until the conclusion of the coroner's inquest. "No troops out side of Charleston will be sent there unless conditions change and make it said the governor. their efficiency, their loyalty and their ability to maintain order. I con fidently expect them to continue to do so.’’ RUSSIANS CLAIM SUCCESS; GERMANS STRONG IN WEST keenest Interest negotiations be tween their governments and Greece. neceg8arv These negotiations are being carried _ , u j ^ i on by the British foreign office in be- • Co \- B1 y the reached Columbia early half of the Allies. Having failed to Tuesday morning and spent all lay In convince Greece that It was her duty 1 conference with the goYenior, return- to abide by the Serb-Greek treaty an^ t0 Charleston on the Carolina ATTACK IN FORCE Germans Have Advanced Poor Miles Towards Morava Valley, Paris, Friday: The Germans are at tacking in great force near Passaro- wltxa, which commands the Morava ▼alley, according to a Nish dispatch to The Matin. The Serbs are resist ing stoutly and it Is asserted that the Invaders have not advanced more than four miles south of the river *t any point on the Danube front. The Bulgarians have been held in th* Tlmok valley where a new action is in progress along the entire front. help Serbia, the Allies have made a fresh offer to that country, including cession of the island of Cyprus. This offer and an outline of possible fin- tncial help are now being considered by, the cabinet. Should the negotiations fall, it is expected that Greece will be asked to demobilize or clearly define her attitude. Conversations also are pro ceeding with Roum&nia through the Special. The colonel of the First regiment is receiving many compli ments from citizens throughout the state on his tactful handling of the situation. Col. Blythe was engaged In a case In Greenvill^ when he received the governor’s call to go to Charleston and he promptly dropped his private business and responded to the call. His admirable handling of the sitna- French foreign office. AH the bet- tton fs vBrr gratlffffig to Gov. Man- Hgerenta think that the beet way to Influence the neutral states is to win a big victory. Austria, Germany and Bulgaria are trying for this in Servia, Germany In Courland and France, Italy in the Tyrel and Trentiho and Russia in Galicia and near Slonim, which, roughly, is the centre of the Eastern front Partis met France at Wat^With Bulgaria.* The council of ministers at Paris presided over by Presldaot..Pnla8a»e. announced at noon Saturday that a state of war existed between France HffgAiTix' fifcflj ilr x. til. OcTbbir me government in raising a tvs hundred million dollar loan in the United It. with France. Most anyiody eon tell yea through all stages of the they expect to be. nlng and to the people of the state. Gov. Manning gave out the follow ing statement after his talk with Col. Blythe: “I have had a full personal con ference with Col. Blythe on the situa tion in Charleston. The pi'esent status of the militia will continue un changed until after the conclusion of the coroner’s inquest. No troops out side of the City of Charleston will be sent there nnless conditions change necraaary. The Pherlee London Says Teutons Have Been Heavily Reinforced—British and French Repulse Attacks. London reports Wednesday: Along the eastern front activity is confined to the two tips of the long battle line. The Germans are pressing their offensive in the northern area, near Riga, while General Ivanoff claims several successes for his Russian army in Galicia. Reports from the allies on the western front indicate that the Geiv mans have been reinforced heavily and are showing a disposition to as sume the offensive. 'Field Marshal French announced the complete re pulse north of Loos of Germans who made an attack after heavy artillery preparation. Paris reports' that east of Rheims the Germans made a fierce attack on a large scale, occupying several French trenches. • make It l mtlrna have responded promptly to my call. Women Lose in N. J. Indications based on unofficial re turns are that woman suffrage is de feated in New Jersey by from fifty thousand to sixty thousand. A mi~ Jority of 23,671 wax recorded on ul official returns from 804 of tt state’s 1,191 districts, the vote being i6J66 for and 80,347 agate amendment. mimuj mrmm predation of the OMUsner In which Col. Blythe hoe handled the sltua- Uon, anfi ala* to acknowledge grate fully have the militia which will By a vote of «• (o 12. the chamber of deputies ft Peru Wednesday “— a change In the conriltntlon free-