The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, May 05, 1910, Page 3, Image 3
KILLED THREE PRESSLEYS
BOB JONES, A FAMOUS CONVICT,
IS SOON TO GO FREE. |
Spent Four Years in Jail Before the
Supreme Court Finally Ordered
Him to the Penitetiary.
"
Bob Jones will leave the penitentiary
on May 18 after a service of 19
years of a sentence of 25 years, four
years of which were spent in the
Edgefield county^ jail. At the State
penitentiary the records show that he
killed three men.
"Yes, I will leave the penitentiary
on May 18," said Bob Jones yesterday,
as he watched over the convicts
at work on the State house grounds,
"and when I am once more a free
man I am going back to Georgia and
start life anew. I am 55 years of age,
and have been in prison since 1885. I
am going to Richmond county, Geor.
gia, and settle near the little town of:
Harlem, where I intend to start as a
farmer and engage in the mercantile
business. I am a good trader."
In 1885 Bob Jones, who is one of
the most picturesque prisoners at the
penitentiary, killed Edward Pressley
and his two sons, Edward and
Charles Pressley, after a dispute over
a boundary line. He was tried several
times and was for four years
confined in the Edgefield county jail
awaiting the outcome of the appeal
to the supreme court In 1891 he
was brought to the penitentiary, and
it is said that he has made a good
prisoner and for the greater part of
the time has been a trusty. As the
result of his good behavior several
months of his sentence will be deducted.
He has never tried to escape
and, it is said, has always performed
his work faithfully.
When Bob Jones came to the penitentiary
he was a physical giant, with
broad shoulders, erect body and an
?
y athletic step. Now his hair is snowy
/ white. He feels keenly the humiliation
of being a convict and vows that
he will yet live down his past and
make a man.
"It was back in 1885," he said,
"and I was doing well. I had a good
business in a little country store. I
was making money right along, and
if the trouble had not occurred, I
would to-day have been one of the
most independent men in the State.
I had always been good to the boys,
but we quarreled in a field over a
line and I killed three of them.
"I think that I will go over in
Georgia just as soon as I leave the
penitentiary," he continued, "and
settle near the town of Harlem. I
am going to get married again and
I am going to be independent before
I die. Prison life has been hard, and
I don't know how I would have
- 1
stood it naa it not oeeu iui mc &uwness
of the officials?they have been
good to me."
He estated that he had been a
"trusty" for the greater part of his
prison life, with the exception of two
years, and that ho has never thought
of escaping. "I was convicted, and
I knew that I must serve out my
time," he said. "I am only 55 years
of age, and my body is ndt so weak
and there is some hope for me yet."
Jones drew on the ground with a
stick a plot of the ground and gave
his explanation of the trouble. "The
Pre6sley8 wanted to take about seven
acres of my land/' he declared, "and
as I had always been so good to them,
they did not believe that I would resent
their threat to kill me and I
didn't shoot until one of the boys
advanced on me with an open knife.
I then shot him dead. I next had a
hand-to-hand encounter with the
other boy and cut his left arm off with
vnifa onH fTiAn imt three of his
AUJ AUUV it * - -i - _
ribs in two and severed his heart.
The father then shot at me, and I
shot him in the legs and the wound
* proved fatal. It all seems like a
dream to me."
"I came to South Carolina from
Georgia over 30 years ago," said
Jones, "and I think that it would he
best for me to leave the State upon
being freed."
Jones is a man of intelligence and
has a shrewed eye and is very observant.
He gave a detailed account
of the trials and finally ended by saying,
"it's all over now, and I am go.
ing to try and forget the past."
Twenty-five years ago Bob Jones,
then a young man, went to the town
of Edgefield and announced to the
sheriff of that county that he had
killed three of the best men in the
county. He surrendered and was
placed in jau.
The killing of the older Edward
Pressley and his two sons, Edward
and Charles, was one of the most
sensational murders that has ever
occurred in the State. For four years
the case was fought in the court, the
State finally securing a conviction
carrying a sentence of 25 years.
In the fall of 1884 Col. U. R.
Brooks, the present clerk of the supreme
court, who was at that time
agent for the sinking fund commission,
went to Edgefield to collect the
dues on the land known as the Jennings
tract, which the Pressleys and
Bob Jones had purchased from the
fev '. .
...
V .
State. They had failed to keep up
the payments. Col. Brooks told them
that if they were not able to keep
the payments up that it would be
best for them to rent the place. When
the land was first purchased from
the State, the terms were that one"
1 ' ^ -X- A
lourtn snouia ue paiu m c<tsu auu wc .
remainder was to be paid in three
equal annual installments.
Bob Jones made the first payment
on the land, and by a mutual under- ,
standing between Jones and the
Pressleys one-fourth of the tract was
measured off to him and their agree- ,
ment was that Jones had paid for his
share and would not be required to
pay any more. The contract of the 1
State was lost sight of in which it
was stipulated that if the land was
not paid for it should revert to the
State and the payment of the onefourth
of the amount would not be ;
considered.
Later the land was rented to i
Charles Pressley. It will be thus seen
that Jones did not have any interest
in the land. He witnessed the contract
of the State in renting the land :
to Pressley and knew that he had no
more interest. In the fall of 1885,
while old man Pressley and his two
sons were planting oats on the land,
Bob Jones, who was then a young ]
man, went to the field. He carried a i
shotgun. He shot Charlie Pressley ,
dead between the plow handles. He
then ran off and was pursued across ;
- - - ^ -s r-fc -i^,:
I the neia DJ" Jtuawaru rrt;s?it;y. nunc
[running he managed to open his I
[knife. Stopping suddenly he turned 1
[ upon the boy and literally cut his
heart out. He then went back to <
where the father was standing and
said, "Grandpa, I believe that I will 1
kill you," and following the ^tate- 1
ment fired upon the old man, the j
wounds afterwards proving fatal. He
then went to Edgefield and surrend- '
ered. Jones narrowly escaped hang- '
ing. He was convicted and got a new i
trial. There were mistrials and a 1
change of venue to Lexington county
and another conviction.?The State.
m 1
A Knockout.
]
A young lawyer was engaged in a
case when a witness was put in the *
box to testify to the reputation of the
place in question.
This witness in answer to a query
as to the reputation of the place re- 1
plied, "A poor shop."
The lawyer inquired. "You say
it has the reputation of being a
'poor shop?' " 1
"Yes, sir."
"Whom did you hear say it was a .
'poor shop?' "
The witness did not recollect any ^
one he had heard say so
"What!" said the lawyer. "You ^
have sworn this place nas me reputation
of being a 'poor shop' and yet .
cannot tell of any you have ever
heard say so?"
The witness was staggered for a
moment at the words of the lawyer. ,
The lawyer was feeling triumphant
when the witness gathered himself ,
together and quietly remarked, ad- ,
dressing the lawyer: ,
"Well, you have the reputation of 1
being a poor lawyer, but I have never
heard any one say so."
Dukes to Buy Hotels. ]
j
Asheville, N. C., April 27.?If pres- :
ent plans go through the vast boun- 1
daries of the Toxaway company at
Lake Toxaway, including the hotel i
property and the adjoining lands, will j
pass into the hands of a syndicate, 1
the primary purpose of which Is to <
develop water power. Inquiries today
revealed the fact that the deals
have not been closed yet, but that
representatives of a well known firm
of this city, which has handled many \
of the large deals in this section, are
now in New York, and possibly the
deal will be closed within a short time.
While it could not be definitely learned
to whom the property was to pass
in case the deal is consumated, there
is a rumor to the effect that J. B.
Duke and N. B. Duke, the millionaire
tobacco magnates, and the principal
owners of the Southern Power company,
which controls the "plectrical
situation" in Piedmont South Carolina,
are prospective purchasers. To
this rumor further confirmation is
added to-day by a special from Washington
to the effect that it is reported
there that the Dukes have an option
on 50,000 acres of the land in the
Toxaway section, and that the company
plans to develop 30,000 horse
power to be used across the line in
South Carolina. It is well known
here that a deal has been pending for
some time, and that the title to the
large boundaries of land in Transylvania
and Jackson counties is being
looked up. Rumor has it that the
syndicate, if it takes up the option,
will build several other large dams
and dpvplnD hvdro-electric power. ?
Further rumor has it that the resort ]
features will be preserved and the
hotels managed as in the past. Pend- i
ing the close of the deal no arrange- ments
have so far been announced
for the management of the hotel
property this summer and the boun- j
daries have been closed, so far as g
fishing is concerned. t
GRB1SHAW DIES OP WOUNDS.
Death Claims Another Victim in
Charleston Mystery.
Charleston, May 1.?Another chapter
was added to the mysterious sensational
murder of Miss Margaret
Musgrove, in the death, this afternoon,
at the Roper hospital, of C. E.
Grimshaw, a Southern railway conductor,
who was shot with Miss Mus
grove last Thursday night on West
Point mill causeway. The immediate
cause of death was peritonitis.
The coroner's jury was empaneled
this afternoon, viewing the body, and
the inquisition will take place tomorrow.
Until an early hour this morning
the condition of Grimshaw was not
thought to be of an alarming character.
Last night Grimshaw expressed a
desire to see a Catholic priest, who
was at once sent for and the sacraments
of this church was given to the
wounded man. Shortly after midnight
the condition of the patient was
found by the interne on duty at the
hospital to have changed for the
worst and the coroner was notified.
Deputy M. S. Connelly repaired to the
hospital and took the dying man's
statement, which will be given to the
jury at the inquest.
When Grimshaw ran into the hospital
last Thursday night, announcing
that he had been shot, an examination
revealed two wounds in the
lower fleshy portion of his back. It
was at first thought that it was but
one bullet making the two wounds,
but later it' was discovered that two
bullets had imbedded themselves in
the body. No serious concern was
given to the wounds, although the
bullets had not been extracted, and it
was not until midnight last night
that the patient' showed alarming
3ymptoms. The injured man's condition
rapidly grew worse and a few
hours later it was apparent that the
wounds would have a fatal termination.
Grimshaw's ante-mortem statement
is of course guarded by the coroner,
but it is not expected that it will
3how any material variation from the
deposition which was made on Friday
and submitted yesterday at the
inquest over the death of Miss Musgrove.
His explanation was that he and
Miss Musgrove were shot by a man,
who looked like a negro. Miss Musgrove's
ante-mortem was to the same
affect.
Notwithstanding the theory of
Detective Brennan that Grimsha*
shot the woman and then shot himself
in the fleshy portion of the back,
to give the appearance of an assault,
it is generally believed that a third
party, interested in the woman's
family, did the act, having followed
the couple to the dark and secluded
causeway beyond the rice mill.
The police department is still at
work on the case.
It is not thought that the mystery
will ever be satisfactorily-cleared up.
The verdict to-morrow will probably
be the same as that of yesterday, that
the shooting was done by the "hands
3f party or parties unknown to the
fury."
The secret may be known to the
priests who attended both parties, if,
[n fact, Grimshaw and Miss Musgrove
really knew or had any suspicion as
to who committed the act.
The funeral services were held this
ifternoon over the body of Miss Musgrove
at the cathedral and the body
was quietly interred at St. Laurence
jemetery.
Commandant Starting Cut.
Angered, it is claimed, because of
the enforcement of the regulations
governing the Confederate soldiers'
lome, Mr. R. M. Davis, an inmate,
Thursday afternoon attacked the
commandant, Capt. W. D. Starling.
The old soldier was armed witti a
fix-inch knife, a vicious locking weapon,
with an automatic spring catch.
3apt. Starling was not expecting the
ittack and before he succeeded in
warding off the blows of the infuriated
nan, he had been painfully cut on
;he hand. It was only after Mr.
Starling, using a chair as a weapon of
lefense, had knocked Davis to the
ioor, that he ceased his attacks. Davis
jears several scars as the result of
contact with the chair.
Constable R. H. Thackham, acting
jinder authority conferred in a war*ant
issued by Magistrate Fowles, arrested
Davis and lodged him in the
county jail on a charge of assault and
mattery with intent to kill. He will
ce given a preliminary hearing before
Magistrate Fowles as soon as Mr. i
Starling has recovered sufficiently to i
ce in attendance. Mr. Starling was
-endered ill as a result of the excitenent
and nerve tension. He suffered
in attack of vertigo and is confined to
lis room.
Davis came to the home from Spar
:anDurg county, aDout two years ago.
?Columbia Record.
Those sample tablets and box pa)ers
at The Herald Book Store are
rreat bargains, <?et them quick, as
hey are going rapidly.
COTTON SEED FLOUR MENU.
Banquet Will be Served of Viands
Made From it Alone.
In order to bring before the general
public the merit of cotton seed
AM A fAA/1 A KonA'.'nf fA VVA ornrnn
nuui clo a 1 uuu, a uaii^uti iw
by the Texas Cotton Seed Crushers'
association during their convention at
San Antonio will almost entirely consist
of dishes made from that commodity.
The association recently
sent 1,000 pounds of this flour to the
king of England and Alfonso of
Spain, who are said to be greatly interested
in this new product.
Cotton seed flour is nothing more
than a high grade cotton meal best
known hitherto as a very fine feed for
milk cattle. Only high-grade seed is I
used in its manufacture, and the only [
process it goes through is a finer millng
and bolting. Those who have eaten
bread and pastry made from it claim
that cotton flour products are more
easily digested than those made from
ordinary flour, and that they have a
higher nutritive value. Mixed with
cereal flour, it will produce the very
best grade of bread and pastry without
shortening in the form of lard
having to be added. Although in its
natural state cotton seed flour is
saturated with oil in the flour when
prepared for human consumption, resembling
both in color and touch the
product of wheat. i
Cotton flour will be very cheap,
and for this reason it has engaged
the attention of food experts and
economists in this country and abroad
t
Fired Gun Into Train.
Gaffney, April 28.?As Southern
train No 41 was rnminE- south at a
lively clip, yesterday afternoon, between
Grover, N. C., and Blacksburg,
a shot was fired into the train, shattering
the glass in the window of the
rear coach, and narrowly missed the
flagman, who was in the rear end of
the coach at the time.
The shooting occurred just across
the line of this county. When the
train reached Blacksburg, the matter
was reported to the officers, and investigation
developed that a young
white man named Mike Blanton was |
in some way implicated. Blanton
was arrested and locked up at Blacksburg,
and when charged with the
crime admitted that he was present,
but said that the shooting was done
by Willie Little, with whom he (Blanton)
lives in North Carolina, saying
that he and Little were both drinking
and that Little was drunk, and
that when the train came along he
fired his shot gun without saying a
word.
Blanton was brought to jail this
morning by Constable J. H. Allison,
after waiving examination before
Magistrate Ligon. He says he is only
15 years of age, and that he had
nothing whatever to do with the
shooting. His father is here, presumably
to arrange for giving bond for
his son, which was fixed at $500.
Litte, who is a brother of L. A. Little,
of Gaffney, has not as yet been arrested,
and it is probable that he will
come to Gaffney to-day and surrender.
The punishment for this crime
is not more than $500 fine or imprisonment
for not more than five
years. It is said that a deputy sheriff
from King's mountain, N. C., saw
Little when he fired into the train.
South's Crop Damage Not Severe.
Washington, April 28.?Damages
to crops in the Southern States, east
of the Mississippi river, are not as
.A. ?
?T6EIL 88 BUmt? Ui llic mot icpvito
seemed to Indicate, according to
President Finley of the Southern railway.
He said to-day that reports
show cotton and corn have suffered
in the northern two-thirds of the
States of Mississippi, Alabama and '
Georgia, but that further south these
crops were not injured and that further
north they were not far enough
advanced to be seriously hurt.
"There is still ample time to replant
both cotton and corn," he said,
and "if this is* done extensively the
final yield may not be greatly reduced.
Reports indicate a general
suspension of cotton seed crushing by
oil mills, with a view to conserving
the seed for planting. The peach
crop does not seem to have been materially
damaged. Melons and cantaloupes
in Southern Georgia hay have
Strawberries suffered little. No damage
was done to fruits, vegetables or
other crops in Virginia." ?
Mole Gives Fire Alarm.
Branchville, April 29.?Last night
about 10 o'clock C. F. Nettles, a farmer
who lives about seven miles from
town, had the misfortune of losing
his barn, stables and provisions by
fire. Mr. Nettles says that he had
just retired for the night and that he
was awakened by a noise made by his
mule in trying to get out of the burning
stable. He succeeded in getting
his mule and cow out of the stables,
but could not save any of his provisions.
A ton of fertilizer was also
burned.
The loss was about $500, with no
insurance.
/ *
> v i
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>
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BAMBERG, S. C.