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\: -1 A QJlir Hamburg ifrralb $2.00 Per Year in Advance BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1920. Established in 1891 WILLIAMSON GETS 10-YEAR SENTENCE i MANSLAUGHTER WITH MERCY RECOMMENDED. Killed Ham Brabham / Killing Resulted From Difficulty Between Children?Defendant ReIlied on Plea of Self-Defense. R. 0. \Williamson, k well known young white man of Ehrhardt, was " found guilty in the general missions court last Thursday of manslaughter in the killing of W. Ham Brabham, a prominently connected citizen of the same town. The trial was commenced Thursday morning, after many vain attempts had been made to post W pone the case,x and was concluded Thursdy afternoon late. The verdict was rendered just before court recessed for the day, the jury recommending that the trial judge exercise mercy in passing sentence on the young man.' Williamson was sentenced to serve ten years on the public works. The sentence was passed on Williamson Friday afternoon, Judge Simms stating Friday morning to the defendant's counsel that he wished to take the case under advisement before fixing the sentence. H. M. Graham, Esq., for the defendant, pleaded that extenuating circumstances in connection with the case be taken into consideration, and that thevfact that Williamson has a wife and two small children be considered. James E. Davis, of Barn' well, who also defended Williamson, had left previously for Columbia, and was not present Friday. The solicitor was assisted in the prosecution by B. D. Carter, Esqv, and W. D. Bennett, Esq. - Dr. Robert Black was the first wit ness called by the state. He testiI' ^ fled to the wounds found on the body. There was a gunshot wound, evidently caused by small shot, in>the left side of face and upper chesC and another gunshot wound on the right side of face and head and upper part of the * body, entering straight from the front, while the other wound indicated a slanting shot. C. C. Moore lived in the second house from Williamson; heard two shots on Easter morning last year. Went to the scene and saw the body of Brabham on- the ground. He also saw William^m, who asked him to bring him to Bamberg. ' J. P. Griffin heard the shots about 11:30 a. m., and the shots were about thirty seconds apart. Saw t Brabham lying on the ground face downward in the path or road in front of Williamson's house. Williamson's house was about 65 feet from Brabham's house. Saw Williamson, who said he had killed Brabham. Saw no weapon about Brabham's body. J. M. Kirkland testified that Ham Brabham worked for him. Witness was at the postoffice when he heard two shots. He went to the .scene" and saw Brabham lying with his hands outward. Searched him and found 1 no weapon except brass knucks in left hip pocket. The path in which the body was lying was fifteen feet from Williamson's doorsteps. J. E. Folk was the only witness who testified that he saw the actual shooting take place. Mr. Folk is deaf, but can hear a gun shot or similar shocks. He was sitting on his front porch near the Williamson house reading when a gunshot attracted his attention; looking up he ? ' " * T>?V saw BraDnam ana wnuaiusuu, ruauham making gestures. Williamson | was standing in his own door. Saw f gun raised second time, heard the shot and saw Brabham fall. The shots were a few seconds apart. Mrs. H. F. Purcell lived next door y to Brabham. Brabham was at her house that Sunday morning. She heard the shot, looked out and saw Brabham on his knees. Another shot j then sounded. Brabham had started j on toward down town when he fell. J The body was lying about ten feet I from the bridge. * J Mrs.'W. G. Burnett was the principal witness for the state. She and her husband lived upstairs in the same house with the Williamsons. On Sunday morning she had occasion to go down stairs. She saw Williamson before the shooting and he told " er that he was going to. do something that he hated to do. She asked him what it was and he replied that she would see. Mrs. Williamson then interposed and said that he was going to kill Brabham. She went back upstairs and told her husband, * ^ 8,000 DIE IN MASSACRE. Americans Make Estimate of Armenian Dead. Constantinople, March 27.?Estimates of casualties in the massacres at Marash, sent here by Americans, place the loss of life at about 8,000 Armenians. During the disorders 150 Turks were killed. There are 10,000 Armenian refugees in Marash.of whom 2,000 are sheltered in American orphanages and hospitals. Americans are also caring for wounded Turks, but there is great suffering at Marash because of a lack of supplies and nurses. A wagon train of American supplies was pillaged early in March between Antab and Marash. Forty per cent, of the buildings at Marash were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable during the massacres. Nearly all the shops were destroyed and more than half of the churches and mosques werer laid in ruins. The hills are so full of armed bands at present that traveling is almost impossible, but two m6re American doctors are now on their way to Marash from Adana, under guard of Turkish gendarmerie. who was reading, that "he was going to ask him about it." A few minutes later,' looking out of her window, she saw Brabham at his own house put on his coat, lock the door, j put the key in his pocket, and start! down town, it being necessary to pass Williamson's house. As he got in front of Williamson's house, William-j son hailed him and afcked him if he had called his wife a d liar and that he would kill the whole family. Brabham said "No, no," that he did not want any fuss, but that if Williamson wanted to fight for him to come out in the road or street. Mrs. Williamson then joined in the conversation and said that he could not fight Brabham, that Brabham was too large, or something like that. Braflham then said to wait then until he could get his gun, and the first shot fired. Witness did not see the shot, because she was expecting it and turned away to keep from seeing the man killed. After the first shot she heard Mrs. Williamson say that Brabham was not dead, and for her husband to get his pistol and finish him. Brabham said "For God's sake don't shoot again. Then another shot was fired. .On cross examination the witness added further that during the conversation Brabham said Williamson's wife had put herself in a man's place and he had talked to her like she was a man. George Burnett corroborated his wife's testimony, except that he was busy reading and did not pay much attention to what she said previous to the shooting. When the first shot u-nc firort hp lnnked r?nt. nf the window and saw Brabham in a stooping position. This closed the testimony for the state. Counsel for the defense stated that Mrs. Williamson is in a delicate condition and that her physician had advised against her coming to court. Her testimony in affidavit form was read to the jury. In this was related the cause of the beginning of the trouble. The son of Mr. Brabham had smeared coal tar on- the new suit of her little son. (She1 told Mrs. Brabham of it across from her house, and when she did so Brabham's boy denied it, and she said she knew it was so because her boy had said so, and added that if she had him she could kill him, explaining she said this to scare the boy so he would not do it again. She told her husband of the incident, and then told Brabham of it in passing. rShe told him she had not said it, or something to that effect, whereupon he told her she was a d liar, and that he would kill the whole family. Dur: ing the conversation Sunday mornI (nor Rrohhom h c\ fl ?snir1 hp wnnlri p-pf his gun and started back to his house when her husband shot him. H. A. Hughes testified that in passing Kirkland's store he hearu Brabham telling some olie he would kill the whole family if they put their hands on his son. Mrs. E. F. Zeigler said that she was in the store of J. M. Kirkland some days before the shooting, and that Brabham had related the incident. Said he told Mrs. Williamson she was a d liar and that he would kill ' the whole family; that the trouble started about nothing, that he had loaded his gun with buckshot the day he had cursed Mrs. Williamson, putting it beside his door, expecting Williamson would come to him about it. Witness thought this was on Thursday before Easter Sunday. R. Ehrhardt testified that Wil THREE DEAD IN SALLEY TRAGEDY CARLOS CORBETT FIRES FATAL SHOTS. Another Wounded. Hugh Fanning, Julian Cooper and t -ll Cnnf JM jan oiwirj miicu uu mc uiwn All Salley Section Men. Columbia, May 29.?Carlos Corbett, who shot three men to death and probably fatally wounded a fourth late Saturday night near Salley, Aiken county, came to Columbia and surrendered to authorities at the state penitentiary early yesterday morning. On advice of counsel he refused to discuss the circumstances in connection with the tragedy. The three men who'were killed instantly were: Julian Cooper, 23 years old and married; Hugh Fanning, 30, unmarried, and Bryan Salley, 21 or 22, unmarI ried. Corbett is 45 years old. James Salley, a widower, 63 years ' old, was brought to the Columbia hospital early yesterday morning. He has four wounds. One bullet entered the left temple and passed through the head. The optic nerves were so injured that both eyes were destroyed. A second bullet passed through the biceps of the left arm, entered the b8dv and lodged in the chest. A third ball entered the forearm and ranged downward one-half the length of the arm before it made its exit. Two bullets are also said to have grazed Mr. Salley's back, causing slight abrasions. Escapes by Strategy. Louis Salley, 18 years old, fell, posing as if shot and escaped without injury. He ran for help when Corbett is said to have gone back into the house to reload his weapon after firing the first fusilade. Julian Cooper was the first man killed. He was shot through the left temple. He leaves a wife and two small children. Julian Fanning received two bullets in the upper center of the breast, the bullet holes being only about an inch apart. Bryan Salley is Said to have begged for his life and was turning away when he received two bullets in the side and back. v Burning cane pumice in the road in > liamson worked for him. Some days! before the killing witness went to Kirkland's store for gasoline, and that Brabham told him he had a "wooden overcoat" for a- man who worked for .the witness. G. Marion McMillan testified to hearing a part of the conversation testified to hv Mrs. E. F. Zeigler. Miss Annette Moody, sister of Mrs. Williamson, heard Brabham make threats against the Williamson family. That her sister asked him about it, and told him she did not mean she would kill Brabham's son. Several witnesses testified to the good character of R. O. Williamson, who first lived in York county, then in Barnwell. One witness, J. AMoody, father of Mrs. Williamson, said he knew Brabham in what is now Allendale county, and that his reputation then was bad. That was several years ago. The defendant was the last witness called. As to dates, his testimony was somewhat confusing. He stated that on Monday before the killing he met Brabham, who asked him to go to an office and talk over their differences?caused by the little boys' trouble. Witness told Brabham it was nothing but women's and children's talk and he would not pay any attention to it, but Brabham warned * * i A -1_ x-n- A. ~ c -Tan mm ne naa Dener icuk to ma wuc. Wednesday his wife told him Brabham had cursed her and told her he would kill the whole family. Saw him coming Sunday and asked him about cursing his wife. He told of the conversation following, ending by Brabham telling him he would go get his gun, and started toward his own house. He then shot him. Brabham turned and Williamson said he was coming toward him when he fired the second shot. He was afraid he would be killed was the reason he had killed Brabham.. Brabham had had his foot on Williamson's step when they were talking. Witness said he was not mad at Brabham, and had no hard feeling toward him. Asked on cross examination if he killed Brabham because the latter cursed his wife, h? stated positively that he did not, but shot because he felt his life was in danger. DIES FROM PISTOL SHOT. Mrs. Hope Ready, of Jackson, Dead in Rear of Home. Dillon March 27.?Mrs. Hope Ready, of Jackson, was killed instantly today by a bullet fired into the right temple. She was found at the rear of the house in the yard with a pistol in her hand, it is said. When the report of the pistol was heard search *was begun for Mrs. Ready, who was found in a pool of blood a few minutes later. The bullet entered the temple and came out at the back of the head. Mrs. Ready was a young woman, ' " 1 nnlTT o Kr>iit firt navmg ueexi uiamca umj uuu^ days. Her husband is the son of Dr. William Ready, prominent physician of Clio. Before marriage Mrs. Ready was Miss Olivia Chandler. Her father operates a hotel at McBee and formerly ran a hotel in Clio. front of the Corbett home seems to have precipitated the trouble. Conflicting reports are given as to how the fire was started. The story as told.by the Salley boy who escaped and by residents of the community who were in Columbia yesterday was that the pumice caught from the exhaust of the automobile driven by the dead men. It is contended that the machine was choked down in this filling and that an exhaust spark started the blaze. Points at Issue. Corbett's contention as set out by other parties, is that the men in the machine applied a match to the pumice put in the road to fill in a gullv, drove down the road a short distance until Corbett came out of his house and then went back and entered into an altercation with him. I t As the tragedy occurred just across the Aiken county line in Orangeburg pnnntv thpi innnest vesterdav was con ducted by W. R. Kirkland, magistrate at Norway, Orangbburg county, wh?5 acted in the absence of the Orangeburg coroner who was out of the state. The verdict was that the men came to their death from gunshot wounds in the hands or Carlos Corbett. The five men left Salley at 10:30 o'clock Saturday night for a drive about si$ miles into the country to the home of the parents of Julian Cooper, whose wife and two children were supposed to be there. The Corbett home is on the highway between Salley and Cooper home, and the fire was started in the outgoing trip. Finding that in the outgoing trip. Finding that Mrs. Cooper and the children were not at the Coopers but at the home of a neighbor back between Corbett's place and Salley, it is stated they then started back and upon arriving at the Corbett place were halted by Corbett. Testimony yesterday at the inquest was that Corbett began swearing and declared he "had been run over enough by people from Salley.' Effort to reason, it is said, was of nc avail, and the shooting was begur after few words had been exchanged according to the testimony of the witness. It is claimed by some that the machine went only a short distance beyond the Corbett home and stopped waiting there until Corbett came oul to the fire. Many Shots Fired. Young Salley, who escaped, sav two of his companions shot down anc threw himself to the ground as if he too had been killed. After emptying his revolver, Corbett is said to have stepped over the young man while returning to the house. Young Salle} then scurried off to call for aid. He heard shots as he made his get away but was not sure any of the bullets were fired at him. The wounded mar at the hospital says he was shot ir thp head after Corbett had gone bacl to the house, and returned to the car Mrs. Corbett spent the night in th( barn. When the shooting was over her husband informed her of whai had happened and advised her to g( to a neighbor's house as he was go ing to Columbia to surrender by th( first automobile he could hire. Mrs Corbett -was so frightened that sh( was unable to get to the house anc consequently spent the night in th< barn. Corbett drove through th< country and arrived in Columbia a1 an early hour yesterday morning. All parties are white and belong tc prominent families in and arounc I Salley. Claims He Shot in Self-Defense. The following special from Columbia to The Charlotte (N. C.) Ob server was printed Monday morning giving Corbett's side of the trouble: Columbia, S. C., March 28.?Carloi GEORGIA TOWNS SWEPT BY STORM WEST POINT SUFFERS A BIG LOSS. Wire Service Down Cities Near Alabama-Georgia Line Report Heavy Death Toll?Many Dead at La Grange. Atlanta, Ga., March 28.?At least thirty-six lives were lost, a hundred or more persons were injured and properly damage possiuiy ruiiuxug into millions was caused by tornadoes that swept through Georgia and Alabama late today. LaGrange and West Point, Georgia, towns near the Alabama-Georgia border, suffered the heaviest, the estimated dead at LaGrange running as high as thiriy-six. Twenty-one bodies, six of whites and fifteen negroes, were fuond, it was known. West Point, which lost heavily last December from the flooded Chattahoochee, reported ten dead and , severe damages in the business sec. tion. The tornado also was felt in Macon . wli^re property damage ran high and some persons were injured. Washington, Georgia, a town near Augusta, also felt the effects of a storm, but apparently no lives were lost. The tornado in Alabama took its chief toll, according to reports to(Continued on page 8, column 5.) , A. Corbett, who last night killed Hugh Fanning, Julian Cooper and , Bryan Salley and seriously wounded . Jones Salley at the Corbett home, in Orangeburg county, two mnes irom , Salley, came to Columbia early this ( morning in an automobile and surrendered himself to the state peni, tentiary authorities. Corbett said that he acted in defense of life and to protect his home . against the alleged marauding party. According to Corbett's story, he , dnd his wife were awakened last , night about 11 o'clock, by flames , shooting up in the front of his home, which, along with his farm buildings, were threatened. He said that he had cane stacked in front of his house to the height of three feet paralleling the public , highway, and this was afire with the flames shooting toward the house. When he had the fire under control, l he said, the automobile, bearing a , party which had passed his house 5 came back up the road. He averred t that one of the party said: . "He has put out the fire, let's start it again. Corbett said he was standing in , dense smoke emanating from the smouldering coals and they did not L seo him. Threatened His Life. ? "When this threat was made," L said Corbett, "I warned the party ? that I would protect my wife and " my home at all hazards, and after I had spoken, one of the men, a hoarse voiced man, Jonas Salley, 1 think, exclaimen: 'Damn you, we > will kill you?' With this, two of the t men got out of the front of the car and advanced toward me with then hands in their hip pockets and twc r other men left the rear of the car I with their hands in their side pock5 ets like they were going to draw > their knives. These last two ad vanced as if they were trying to cut - me off from the rear. I then began 1 shooting." 5 Corbett said that when he firsl ? discovered the fire he smelled an 5 odor of either gasoline or kerosene, 1 and he is of the opinion that some 1 member of the party sprinkled the : cane and then ignited it. He was of the opinion that the J members of the party who live at ' Salley were drinking. He claims t that he was cold sober and has not > taken a drink of intoxicating liquoi during the past eight years. He * could attribute no cause for the men attempting to burn his house, as he ; alleged. 1 Corbett was formerly cnier oi 5 police of Sallev, and is now farming. 5 He is about six feet tall, of sparse t powerful frame, clean cut face and piercing, fearless eyes. When seer > at the state prison he was calm anc I collected and no element of nervousness was apparent. He said that h< came to Columbia to give himself ui to avoid possible further trouble. He said that he has large famil] - connections in the Salley section a: - have the dead men. Had he re , mained, these two elements mighi have come together, engendering IK>ssible riot and further bloodshed. 3 He said that he shot with a 3S i CARLISLE NOTES. Examinations Finished?Captain Palmer Inspects Unit. Saturday, March 20, marked the close of the second term at Carlisle, examinations being finished on that day. Both faculty and students are glad, as examinations are generally looked upon as a necessary evil. Tuesday, March 23, began the third term, which ends at the close of the year, many cadets were allowed furloughs after completing their respective ex- / animations and before beginning what may be termed "the home stretch" of the school year. Captain Resolve P. Palmer, infantry, R. O. T. C. section of the war plans division, general staff, from headquarters Southern Department, Charleston, S. C., visited Bamberg March 20 and inspected the R. JO. T. C. unit at Carlisle. Captain Palmer arrived in the morning and spent the time until 3 o'clock with the headmaster and professor of military science and tactics, going over the administration and records of the unit. Then followed an inspection of quaiters, rifles and personnel of the battalion and work on the drill field in physical training, close and extended order, and such other exercises as were called for. Immediately after chappel exercises Tuesday morning, March 9, the stu- -V dent body met to consider needs of athletics and methods of raising more . funds to support the ball team. Approximately $600 was subscribed by the cadets, which will go to school \ ' athletics. The first base ball game of the season was played on the Carlisle athletic field Thursday afternoon, which resulted in victory for Carlisle. Although this was merely a practice game?between the Bamberg team and Carlisle?it afforded much interest and amusement for both the players and spectators. Carlisle enters on her real schedule of games next wee'k, ! the first game being with Orangeburg. Since the purchasing of a strip of ianu joining 1110 aiuient ucm, *?uia , has begun to convert this strip into several tennis courts. Work on these ; courts-to-be is now going on. i calibre Colts special revolver and he said "I thought I got one at every ' crack." H? was under the impression that he had killed four men. One May Recover. Jonas Salley, who is desperately wounded, but has a fighting chance, according to his physician tonight, was brought to Columbia early this > morning in a car and placed in a local hospital. ??-| i H? was shot three times. One 01 the bullets went through the fore part of the head, penetrating both i eye balls and blading him. Two ; entered the left arm between the elbow and shoulder. 'One of these lodged in the chest, this last bullet being the only on? in his body. He will be operated on tomorrow and his eye balls will be taken out, ac' cording to his physican. Inquest Sunday. 1 s Salley, March 28.?The coroner's * inquest into the death of Hugh Fan ning, Bryan Salley and Julian Coop> er, who were killed at 11 o'clock last night, about two miles from, this town, was held here at noon today. ' The triple tragedy occurred about one mile over the Orangeburg county line v" 2: f ; and as the coroner of that county i was out of the state the inquiry was conducted by W. R. Kirkland, magis; trate at Norway, who came to Salley . this morning with Sheriff Dukes. The , verdict charged Carlos Corbett with s the death of the three men. i There was one witness?Louis Salley, 18 years of age, the only occui pant of the automobile not wounded. ; He testified that the three men who ha and .Tnnps Sallev. who ; is in a critical shape at a hospital in. Columbia, left Salley in an automo> bile and that the machine got stuck l in some pumice in front of Carlos i Corbett's house and that the pumice | caught fire from back-fire. He said ? that as they later came back past . Corbett's home he was out in the . road in his night clothes and stopped t the car. The witness said that Cori bett cursed and that the party in the L automobile tried to reason with him. - Corbett wanted to know what set ; fire to the pumice, Salley said. ) A large crowd attended the inquest, the verdict of wrhich was that these t three young men came to their death 3 from gunshot wounds at the hands of - Carlos Corbett. t Corbett went to Columbia to give ; himself up and it is understood that he reached the penitentiary at an I early hour this morning.