Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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HANGED IN ORANGEBURG. NEGRO PAYS DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDER OF HIS WIFE Confessed the Crime at His Trial and Said He Was Sorry?Weeps While on Scaffold. At 11:37 o'clock this morning at the county jail with the prayer "O, God, save me" on his lips, Allen Davis paid the death penalty for the murder of his wife, Lelia Davis, on Jan. 30 last. The negro was comparatively calm until he stepped upr\r? tran xi-h^re he besran to pray, VU v-uv V*U|/J ?? ? ?. ? ? - w _ his voice growing louder and louder, and it is believed that had he remained there three moments longer the doomed man would have lost his mind. Together with the coroner's jury there were about 35 persons was a large crowd, who endeavored gathered on the outside of the jail was a large crowd, whoendeavored to catch a glimpse of the hanging. The death sentence was read to Davis in his cell at 11:26 o'clock at which time he was also told that he would be given an opportunity to Smake a statement. He was then taken from bis cell and allowed to bid farewell to his compatriots in prison, and as he did so he urged upon them the importance of living better lives. The doomed man was then brought to the tower in the jail wrhere the steps are located, and standing on the staircase he was given an opportunity to make a statement. The negro only admonished those gathered there to be good and said that BeSiFSS) ^ V ' he hoped to meet them all in heaven. He was then placed on the trap, and while he prayed in a loud voice the black cap was placed over his face, and the trap was spring at 11:31. SjjufM : The body fell a distance of about ? 8 feet. Dr. T. C. Doyle, the county kt :* '' physician, and Dr. L. C. Shecut exi amined the body and pronounced him dead at 11:45 o'clock and at 11:50 the body was taken doftn. Davis was dressed in a light pair pof trousers ancf a checked shirt, and mr- before he was placed on the scaffold Bg$.\ he was given an opportunity to tell the other prisoners in jail good-bye. ; He seemed comparatively calm all time, but among those in the number to witness the execution was M. J. D. Jones, who knew the negro well. As Davis recognized Mr. Jones, he began to weep, and came llpfe? near breaking down. He regained his composure, however, and when ' asked if he desired to take any stimufelfxlants, he refused, saying that he |:f , preferred to go on the scaffold without any. Just before the arrival of the Sheriff, Rev. W. L. Johnson and two other negroes were praying and *- singing with Davis. They prayed with him then sang the long meter . doxology after which Rev. Johnson pronounced the benediction. After this Davis was asked several questions to which he responded readily. He said that he was 22 years of of age, and had been legally married to his wife by Notary Public J. E. Knotts, and that he had lived with his wife for two years. He said that he could read and write, and when* asked if he was prepared BB^y to die, he answered that he had no fear of death. Davis was asked if he had a good night's rest last night t0 which h^ responded that he had slept well, and that he had eaten a hearty breakfast this morning. The negro was asked if he was in the habit of carrying a pistol, and if he v intended to kill his wife the day he went to the church to which he re^.y:; . plied that he carried a pistol at times, but that he had no intention ^ of killing his wife when he did. Davis left a letter consisting of about four pages with Rev. Johnson which he said he desired read to all young men. Davis's father was in the jail yard this morning ready to take the body back home. The body will be carried to Antioch colored Baptist church where the funeral will be held to-morrow. History of the Crime. The murder of Lelia Davis, for BBywhich Allen Davis, her husband, today paid the death penalty at the county jail, was committed on Sunday morning, January 30, at Gospel Temple colored church, which is located in Willow township about 6 miles from Springfield. The man and woman had been separated for several weeks due to a family row, and on Sunday when Davis asked his wife to return to his home with him, she refused. She went to the church with another negro, and Davis forbade this negro to take his wife from the church. This angered the woman, and she said she would go with whom she pleased. When she told Davis this, the negroes at the church laughed, and it was then in the heat of passion that Davis drew his re voiver, piacea 11 10 me ear oi me woman and fired. The ball entered her head causing instant death, and as she fell to the ground, he fired the remaining balls into her body. Davis then fled and was a fugitive for nearly three months. I In March a reward of $11)0 was offiered by the governor for the ar- H rest of the negro, and on April 22 Davis was located at a railroad construction camp near Charlotte. N. C., by Constable S. J. Reed. He al was brought to the city on April 24 st and committed to jail. The court of general sessions for co this county convened on Monday, pr May 2, and on the following Thurs- 0f aay, May 5, the case of Allen Davis p{ was called, just a little more than a a week after his arrest. The negro was without counsel for his defense, g2 and Judge T. S. Sease, presiding, ap- m pointed Mr. J. S. Salley to appear in Sl] behalf of the negro. cc Davis was not permitted to plead er guilty at the trial, but when he was nlaned uDon the stand to make a statement, he confessed the crime, w saying that he was sorry, and that cj it had been committed in the heat of gl passion. Eight witnesses appeared cl for the State in the case, while only ai one witness testified in behalf of the m negro. . Cl Judge Sease sentenced the negro 7] to be hanged on July 1. When asked ta if he had anything to say why judg- w ment should not be passed upon him, w Davis said nothing. Some two or three weeks ago, Mr. clJ Salley, still interested in the case, at endeavored to have the sentence of f0 the negro commuted to life imprison- tb ment, and circulated a petition with Ci this view. He secured ten signatures tu to this petition, which was a strong j0 one, and which carried the names of p? nearly all of the county officials. The petition was sent to Gov. Ansel. Judge Sease and Soilcitor Hildebrand refused to sign the paper, however. Mr. .Salley also wrote several letters to in behalf of the negro. On Tuesday th Gov. Ansel wired for court stenog- ds rapher, C. H. Glaze, who took the th testimony in the case, to come to Co- m lumbia and bring with him the testimony. Mr. Glaze went to Columbia tb Wednesday but after going oveF this, Li announcement reached the city Wed- in nesday afternoon that Gov. Ansel had to refused to interfere in Allen's be- ge half. pi Towards the last few weeks of his imprisonment, the doomed man was sa visited by a colored preacher, and ji several days before his execution, tr Davis said that he was ready to die, re and that he hoped to make heaven B] his home.?Orangeburg Evening ly News. re ? Ti Elephants Charge Wildly. u in Greely, Col., July 1.?Angered by le the efforts of trainers to separate . ni them from two small elephants, two big elephants belonging to a circus yesterday engaged in a wild charge down main street of this city. The elephants, which were chained la together, finally crashed through a Wi fence into the front yard of a resi- qj dence, tearing up lawn and shrub- tn bery. st They were making straight for the ch bouse, which would in all probabili- ,te ty, have been wrecked in the collision, when they were brought to a ? ^^ v-v r\ 1 <-v 4- Vb A_ biup uy a. siuui juiapirr ncc vu cnuci qjj side of which they attempted to pass. vi " te Presented by Grand Jury. Sumter, June 29.?The Eagles and Elks are having their troubles. aE Yesterday afternoon on the request ca of three members of the grand jury, at Magistrate Harby issued seach warrants for the two club rooms and gave them to Chief of Police Bradford as special constable to serve. The chief was shown through the th rooms of both clubs and verything su there fully explained; how the locker of system and individual ownership ce prevailed. After he made his report the grand jury handed in a special Al presentment against J. Fred Wise and Ai James Calk for receiving and storing F1 alcoholic liquors on or about June G< 25, 1910. L< The first paragraph of the pre- M sentment pertains to the Eagles and M the second to the Elks. Messrs. Wise N< and Calk typify the two clubs, re- Sc spectively, and the witnesses sum- T< moned are members, employes and T< the chief of police. The bills were G< drawn as requested and many witnesses were examined by the grand jury. Late this afternoon true bills were returned. Messrs. Wise and Calk gave bond cc in the sum of $300 each. is ^ of Death of an Old Mauma. hi Cope, June 26.?Some weeks ago fr' Rebecca Sumter, a respectable old colored mauma, died at this place sv and your correspondent intended re- sv porting same, but was interrupted h? from doing so at the proper time, to However, he feels that some men- N tion should be made of this faithful old woman. She was a slave of the Ci late John S. Jennings and her young w mistress was the present Mrs. H. J. at Brabham, of Bamberg. Soon after ci freedom she moved on the place of F; Mr. J. M. Cope, and did good and gi faithful service year after year. For the past few years she has lived in v a little home of her son's at Cope, w She was a faithful member of Good bl Hope Methodist church, at which ai place she was buried. i th fEART HEALER IX TROUBLE. eld by Louisiana Court for Fleecing Young Man of $10,000. New Orleans, July 2.?A C Conlin, ias Astrop, the "heart healer," selfyled "master of occult sciences," ids himsef to-day in a bedraggled ndition in the confines of a narrow ison cell, through which his power penetration cannot effectively erce. Following his appearance at preliminary hearing yesterday on e charge of defrauding Frederick ilmon, a prominent young business an of this city, of $10,000 and his ibsequent commitment to a higher iurt, Conlin's supernatural "pews'* have not been able to secure a mdsmen in the sum of $2,000. In the meantime, Mrs. Salmon, ife of the complainant, who was larged jointly with Conlin with and larceny, has refused to disiss the case. It is charged that she id Conlin succeeded in robbing Salon through a scheme in which "ocilt science" was the chief factor, tie alleged robbery is said to have ken place at Hot Springs, Ark., hile Salmon, accompanied by his ife, was at that place. Conlin is alleged to be a 'hand iff king" who escaped from a prison Hot Springs several months ago, llowing his imprisonment there on e charge of defrauding a number of tizens of California. He was recapred, but was finally released folwing the cancellation of requisition ipers from California. No Race Riot. Jackson, Miss., July 2.?According advices received from Braxton, ere have been no developments toty in the rumored fresh outbreak of e race riot near Harrisville, nine iles from that place. Searching parties who are still on e trail of the negroes who killed ather Buckley, a white man, early the week, cut the telephone wire Harrisville and it is impossible to ;t into communication with that ace. x'he negro captured yesterday and id to have been lynched was not m Brady, who started the original ouble, but his identity has not been vealed. One report that reaches raxton from the scene says he was nched while another asserts he was leased after a severe whipping, vo other negroes, it is stated, were hipped, the purpose of the searchg party being to convey a moral sson to the legroes of the commuty. Postal Clerk Arrested. Laurens, June 29.?James Y. Walce, clerk of the Laurens post office, is late this afternoon taken to -eenwood by Deputy Sheriff Major be given a hearing before United ates Commissioner McGill on a arge of tampering with mail matr with no intent, however, of rob;ry. The charge is preferred by Postfice Inspector Graham, of JacksonLle, who made the arrest to-day afr sending a decoy letter through e Laurens office. Wallace is a popular young man id has been connected with the lo1 postoffice three years, being capile and efficient. Condition of Cotton Crop. Memphis, June 29.?The report of e National Ginners' Association, ised here to-day, gives the condition cotton up to June 25 as 83.3 per nt. The report by States follows: labama 81.0 rkansas 77.0 orida 81.0 ?orgia . 78.0 misiana 80.0 ississippi 84.0 issouri 83.0 Drth Carolina 77.0 >uth Carolina n.u mnessee 86.0 ixas 85.0 sneral average 82.3 Edisto Out of Banks. Orangeburg, July 1.?Owing to the ntinued hard rain, the Edisto river overflowing at this city. The city Orangeburg is situated upon a high 11 and no damage can possibly come Dm the river overflowing. The large bridge upon the Bull ramp road, crossing Caw Caw ramp, has been washed away and is resulted in great inconvenience i the travel between this city and orth. The mill pond of R. E. Edwards of reston was washed away and his hole stock of fish lost. His pond jounded in black bass, which he seire(^ from the government. F. W. arnum, of this county, suffered ?4- mill o r> /I r>An el cat uamagc: ai tiiio mm auu xuau. The farmers of this county are ;ry despondent over the rainy eather. The cotton crop is probay over a month behind at this date, id if the seasons do not improve lis county will suffer fearfully. MAKE GRUESOME THREAT. President of Steamship Company Receives Human Ear in Mail. Cleveland, June 30.?Wrapped together with a bottle of alcohol in which lay a bloody human ear, Harry Coulby, president of the Pittsburg Steamship company, received a letter here to-day in which he was threat1 - - ~ J ?.i?V mnfiloflnn gnH eueu wiiu uamcicao uuui??vu <***?. death if he refused to accede to- tne demands of the sailors who have been on a strike for two years. The man to whom the ear belonged, has already been identified as Edward Frazier, a non-union sailor, who was assaulted in Buffalo, New York, last . Monday. After the assault his ear was severed from his head by his assailants. The man was picked up , i several hours later by the police. He . was in a dying condition from loss of blood. Across his chest there was pinned a sheet of paper on which was written: "Don't be a scab." On receipt of the letter Mr. Coul( by turned it together with the bottle and its gruesome contents over to ' the federal authorities and a search was immediately commenced, every port on the great lakes for the perpetrators of the outrage. In the letter which has not yet been made public, it was explicitly stated that the writers were the same men who had assaulted Frazier. It was reported to-night that the Buffalo police had already made a number of arrests and the police of the other lake cities have been ordered to take into custody all sus picious cnaracters, especially mose ui i. : a seafaring type. The seamen's striae, of which this is a culmination, commenced two years ago on the question of a closed or open shop. Mr. Coulby has consistently stood for the open shop policy and the company's steamers have maintained their schedules in spite of repeated trouble with the men. . State Antitoxin Agents. Columbia, July l.?The following appointments of State antitoxin agents has been announced: J. S. Matthews, Denmark; F. J. Mann, Branchville; Kinsey & Cleckley, Bamfcerg. These appointments were made under a law passed bby the last legislature authorizing the South Carolina State board of health to furnish free of charge antitoxin in all cases of diptheria occurring within the State. Diptheria antitoxin is now regarded as a necessity in every case of diptheria. It is a high priced product and the State health department believes that by making it easily available and free, the death rate from diptheria in the State will be much lower. Over one hundred dis, tributing agents will be appointed under the supervision of the State board of health. Any physician can obtain the antitoxin without charge Dy applying u> me nearest uisii j.uucing agent. Work 24 Hours a Day. The busiest little things ever made are Dr. King's New Life Pills. Every pill isasugar-coated globule of health, that changes weakness into strength, languor into energy, brain-fag into mental power; curing constipation, headache, chills, dyspepsia, malaria. 25c at People's Drug Co., Bamberg. Beats His Wife to Death. Moscaw, Tex., July 4.?After shooting and fatally wounding Mrs. A. E. Parrish, his mother-in-law, C. H. McFall beat his wife to death with the butt of a revolver here last night. j He then escaped. McFall is said to have been drinking. We do not want the earth. A small part of it will satisfy us. Try us for a "square deal." C. H. MILHOUS, Manager Denmark Realty Co. SUMMONS. State of South Carolina, County of Bamberg.?In the Probate Court. J. J. Cleckley against Louis Robinson, et al. To Louis Robinson, Sr., Lewis Robinson, Jr., Minnie Robinson, Grant Robinson, Joseph Robinson, David Robinson and Mattie Lou Robinson: You are hereby required to appear at the Court of Probate to be holden at the Court House for Bamberg > County, said State, on the 11th day , of July, 1910, to show cause, if any you can, why the proceeds of the sale of the real estate of Sarah Robinson, deceased, sold by me should not be i paid over to J. J. Cleckley, Administrator of the said Sarah Robinson, to be applied by him to the payment of the debts of the said Sarah Robinson. Given under my hand and seal this , the 6th day of May, 1910. G. P. HARMON, (L. S.) Probate Judge of Bamberg County. H. M. GRAHAM Attorney-at-Law BAMBERG, S. C. Practices in all Courts of this State. Offices in The Herald Bnilding. ; J. Aldrich Wyman E. H. Henderson TIT"T7 noon At. TTonrlorenn TV j mu/u w aavuuvawvu Attorneys-at-Law BAMBERG, S. C. General Practice. Loans Negotiated KEEP< There is no reas should drink warn hot days when yo at such a reasona livered in any qua pounds up at any We Sell No. 1 Timot SMOAK'S SALE AND J. J. SMOAK, Proprietor | Til I 1 Vp llUiVll I | Bottom Note] fjj SATISFACTION G J NO. W. II "The Quality Store." 'Pho 1 No More Avith that automobile, bicycle, ? , have me to put it in first-class 2 prepared to do your work as ai cities, and my prices are about (A, also have in stock a well select T AU I UMUBILt & D1L "J" which I will sell to you at close w what you need I will get it for jZ, the next one. When in need c don't forget me. HI work gui Jj. B. BR 2 The Repair Man 3? iliili ili ili ili ili ft ili ft ili iligH 1 Do You like I it I ? < 0 < > t? and Most Stylish A p Novelties, Silks, at least money. Cal j ? iii are better prepare< I 0 jg than ever. B I 0 ( >? ? I 0 i MRS. K. I. SH I BAMBERG, ^*1? !? il? ;1? tl j il? il? il? il? ij Horses & i Rnorofipc IirM65IVU Full Stock in on hand at See us before A few Fane; Horses on Ha JONES jg BAMBERG >.< < #* . : : i ; * . ' J*' ... . ' " !ool1 ( on why you i water these u can get ice ble price dentity from 5 time of day. thy Hay Also LIVERY STABLE j Telephone 68 ? IcCUE I : in Goods | 1 in Prices j < UARANTEED |?| McCUE ne32. Bamberg, S. 0. |j ><';|f|j gun or pistol if you will * *. repair. I am Just as well lyone outside the larger ? twice as reasonable. I J ?||! :ycle suppues st prices. If I haven't f you just as prompt as *flp ?f anything in my line 9 mckle! the Prettiest 11 J lillinery, Dress j! f id at the very j |Jj| 1 on us. We 1 to please you j j UCKKOjl? S.O. . .jg9 innrmimiiJuimiUDiMiiiimiimiimfiTMMni ^ KBWSHawgWBHBHBHSMtMW U:$$ snononononooonononQooi < r?y" ?3 Wagons Ml Our Line j A all times. j ? you buy. j KfB y Driving | j nd.Y.Y.Y. | BROS.,]