Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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- THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF BAUNWEL^ COUNT! Barnwell CoBsoIidated Juim 1, 1923. M Ju«t Like a Member of Ihe F«mlly M 1LUME LIIL BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY SOTH, 1930. NUMBER 31. TAKE MUTILATED BODIES OF , BARNWELL MEN FROM RIVER ' o FOUND IN SAVANNAH 11 MILES FROM ALLENDALE. \' Gunshot Wounds in Heads of Both Frank Harley and Shan Bates, t Examinations Show. The yellow Savannah river Sunday gave up the water-soaked and bullet riddled bodies of Frank Harley, 48- year-old farmer of Kline, and Shan Bates, his negro companion, who had been the object of wide search since their mysterious disappearance Mon day night of last week. The bodies were found ’ 300 yards below Johnson’s Landing, on the Savannah river, 12 miles from here, by J. G. Beard and Paul A. Horton, employes of the Savannah River Lumber company. A reward of $50 each, $25 offered by the State, and $25 by Allendale County, will be paid the men. A gaping wound, said by Dr. F. H. Bcyd and Dr. A. J. Harter, who ex- mined the bodies, to have been irr Barnwell Teachers Meet at Williston Sixtey Members of County Association Gather in Spite of Bad Weather. CONFESSION READ TO INQUEST JURY CORONER ADJOURNS TILL DE VELOPMENTS WARRANT. —Dr. Snyder Speaks. Posse Continues Hunt in Savannah River Swamp for George Wash- > ington. Alleged Slayer. m ted with a shotgun, was found over e right eye of Harley. The skull Was shattered and the physicians, in probing the wound, removed several small shot. Two wounds, one in the left ear and one ip the right shoulder blade were found in the body of the negro. Physicians said they were evidently made by a .25 caliber pistol. Checks With Confession. Officers who have been searching for the bcjdies since last Wednesday, said Sunday that they had found them in almost the exact spot Ausie Moore, negro, in a confession, said the bodies were thrown. Moore, who is now in the State penitentiary at Columbia, implicated Monroe Harden, nephew of Harley, and L. P. Ready, another white man, who are also be- in* held in the State penitentiary. vi>Uo „ were introduced to the ^ th . Moore was arre.tql »ft*r HirltY’t tri „ r Self, of Westminster, Williston, Jan. 25.—Last Saturday about 60 teachers were here from all parts of the county even though the roads an,d weather were bad. Many other visitors and friends were pres ent, too, from various parts of the State. All the officials thought the attendance and interest shown were good. The departmental meetings preced ed the big meeting, starting at 10:30 and ending at 11:30. In the primary ^department meeting Mrs. W. H. Man ning and Miss Sellers put on demon stration lessons, assisted by some of their pupils. Mrs. John Miley and Miss Julia Ray, in the meeting of the intermediate department teachers, put on demonstration .lessons in read- ♦ ing and arithmetic, respectively, these teachers being assisted also by some pupils. The high school group was address ed by Dr. H. N. Snyder, of Wofford college, his topic being the unchang ing qualities of character. The illiteracy department was ad dressed by Miss Wil Lou Gray, of Col umbia, she being assisted by Superin tendent Horace J. Crouch and Mrs. J. S. M. Finch. The general meeting started at 11:30 the presiding officer being Superin tendent Ackerman. Rev. W. R. Davis conducted the devotionals. A short talk was made by Miss Wil Lou Gray. Music was rendered by the Glee club. Piesident H. N. Snyder then talked to the teachers in his usual attractive manner. Then several wife told officers he left heme to go to Moore’s house. 'George Washington, negro, also implicated in Moore’s alleged confes sion, is still at large, but officers are ccntinuing to search the swamps near ] Allendale, Jan. 27.-—The confession of Ausie Moore, negro held in the State penitentiary, who has admitted that he witnessed the killing of Frank Harley, white farmer of Kline, and Shan Bates, his negro companion, on Monday night, January 20, was rea<i before a coroner’s jury here today. After hearing th© alleged confession, Coroner J. W. Main, of Allendale County, adjourned the iltquest over the two bodies which were removed from the Savannah River near John son’s landing yesterday. The jury will be called together as soon as fur ther developments in the case war rant, the coroner sai^d. A large posse of officers and citi zens of Allendale and Barnwell Coun ties continued today and tonight to search the woods along the river for George Washington, negro, charged by Moore with having killed Bates. Mrs. Harley told officers that the last time she had seen her husband alive was when he left Kline with Bates to go to Moore’s home. Moore was arrested shortly after the disap pearance of the two men. At first he denied any knowledge of them but later confessed that he had witnessed their killing and had helped dispose of their bodies in the river. Roy Hick* Ponders Transgressor’s Way Says Automobile Stealing Is Profiita- hie Business—Until Caught. Has Been Married Twice. CHOSEN BY MEXICANS = Col. J. E. Harley to Run for State Office Barnwell Man Makes Defimto An nouncement of Candidacy for Lieutenant Governor. Pascual Ortiz Rubio, who waa chosen President of Mexico in the na tional elections. Stolen Car Is Used in Theft of Cotton A. J .Bennett Lose* Tru c k and Is Then Arrested for Alleged Attempted Theft of Fleecy Staple. gave the association a most interest ing talk. A. M. Kennedy addressed the gath ering of teachers, offering » certain prizes for the best eisay from pupils . „ , , , .. , . I using this topic: “Why South Caro- Allendale and are confident that tha , ine Vegetables Should Be Used.” Mr. negro has not gone far »*«•" *, Kennedy represented the county nat- alleged to have said that Harden; ura , rf! , ourfes con , mlS8ion of which k.lled Hartej^ and^Washington killed he is the head The teacheri| are to Three ether negroes Moore’s wife ■ *** ^ ,nterested m ^ S^^young Hicks. It was a promliinf inree cuier negroes, moore s wue, rk> jn the e?gay coniesL . rpor—tho nrnmwA« hnvino- his brother and Bertha Washington,' * re r the prom,i,e: ' having to do w.th wife of the man at large are being 1 Th en, after .ome business was trans- p i en ty 0 f money and fine automobiles te ox the a ge, e oe g acte( j me€ ti n g wa s adjourend. an rf timp« Vmt u held in the Allendale County jail as. A)| the teache * and vi ^ ors were and b “‘ th ' '» ‘•material witnesses.” Solicitor Ran- wel , fed by the hi( , h school committee dolph Murdaugh, of Vamyille, who is |0( the g chool Improvement a , socia . assisting deputy sheriff N. E. Harter tkm Mrg G E Crooch chair _ in conducting the investigation, said. | man This dinner was very Kreat|y enjoyed. Roy Hicks, alias Davis, automobile thief extraordin^iy, by his own ad mission, husband of two women, slim, brown eyed, browirhaired, keen faced, sits on his cot in his cell at the Allen dale jail smoking cigarettes intermin- j ably and pondering upon the quick termination of an erstwhile promising career, says The Allendale County Citizen. And that is just what puzzles Third Man Reports. A warrant was taken out Saturday a hard cot in a jail—and the end not yet. i The young man, who says he is 20 years old, claims Gaffney as his home, 1 although he says his parents live at King’s Mountain, N. C. He was a | barber in Gaffney, he says, and at- j tended high school there until about • ^officers for the arrest of a third i MAKE APOLOGIES TO kite man, Carroll Fowke, said to be C0L EMILE HARLEY, 18 months ago. However, to young a witness in the case. Fowke report- . . . ... , . .. » . , T . • w 1 . I Hicks notion, barbermg is a terribly or o agii« ra e us me c D. L. Smith and W. P. Conyers Offer depressing way tp make a living. It Saturday and expressed his willing ness to tell all he knows about the deaths. I Amends for Remarks. didn’t bring in enough excitement, not to mention the income, so he began Moore, in his alleged confession, is Apologies for remarks made on the ^ look a, '“ ut for another Profession, said to have admitted that he wit- ^ <W)r House Wednesday by D. L. nessed the killings and helped to Smith, of Colleton, and W. P. Conyers, dispose of the bodies, but denies that he participated in the shootings. The, negro told officers where the bodies might be found and also described to . * them where to find an automobile, owne ( d by Harley, which, he said* had been used to take the bodies to the river and had been burned.” An automobile, said to be the property of Harley, and in which of ficers believe he was shot to death, was found near Savannah, Ga., 80 miles from Allendale, Sunday morn ing. The officers were able to identi fy it by by the motor number, they, said. The body of Harley was ,found Sun day morning shortly before noon, it was brought out 1 at a coroner’s in quest that was adjourned until Mon day at 11 o’clock. The body of the negro, about two feet from that of the white man, was located a few minutes later. The bodies were in water three feet deep a short dis tance from the bank. Coroner J. W. Main started an official investigation soon as the bodies were found. ^^^Harley, who is said to have had approximately $700 on his person when he left home Monday night of last week, had only $1.80 in small change in his pocketa . when his clothes were searched after his body had been taken from the river. <CONTINUED ON PAGE SOL) of Greenville, were offered Thursday by these two representatives to Col. J. E. Hailey, of Barnwell, both the A key left in a parked -automobile gave him the idea. He got in the car, manipulated the switch and drove off. He sold it cheap, hut it was clear profit. -“That gave him a thrill and he Colleton and Greenvillfe represents- ^ e 8 an a still hunt for parked auto- tives saying they held Colonel Harley 1 mobile s with keys left by trusting in honor and respect. , I owners. The remarks were made during I The game began to be real exciting course of the debate on Colonel Har ley’s bill to abolish the State tax com mission, which bill was killed. Mr. Smith said that he had said, ^This bill is Harley’s gesture, but deep down in his heart he wants you to kill it.” The remark was made faceticious- ly, Mr. Smith said. He said he had done Colonel Harley an injustice and that he ‘Trombly withdraws the im plication that he is not honest in all his statements.” Colonel Harley thanked Mr. Smith and said,' 44 ! don’t think any member here thinks I am insincere.” Mr. Conyers, rising to a point 'of personal privilege, said that he had made reference to Colonel Harley in his remarks on the . bill. He I said he had no intent to reflect on the Barn well representative and that he hon ored and respected him. Episcopal Church Services. The Rev. Sanders R. Guignard, of Columbia, will conduct services at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Bara- well Sunday morning at 11:90 o’clock, ia Invited to attend. for young Hicks. It was surprising the number of people who had good opinions of the rest of the world. Up to date, Hicks admits having stolen 11 automobiles and sold them. How ever, local officers have located 23 which have been sold in Allendale and Barnwell Counties, and they have rea son to believe that there are a num ber more to be r credited to young Hicks’ ingenuity. Hicks marriedgird in Gaffney about two years ago, from whom he claims he is divorced. He says he was married to an Augusta girl just be fore Christmas. He has had a letter from his wife in Augusta jrod a tele phone message from his mother in North Carolina, neither of whom, he says, knew what he had been doing. Asked what he intended doing when he was out of this trouble, the young man replied: 44 Well, I guess IT1 have a long time to plan, but it won’t be stealing automobiles.” Mrs. .Lome Easterling and Mrs. Marie Mice attendejd the MacKay- Langley wedding in Orangeburg Fri- d«r. A. J. Bennett, of this city, had the misfortune Monday night to have his truck stolen from the yard of his home and was later arrested by Aiken County officers, charged with the at tempted theft of five bales of cotton, when the tiuck was found burned a- bout ten miles from Aiken on the Co lumbia roa^d. It is safe to say that not even Mr. Bennett’s enemies be lieve that he is guilty of such'a crime and his friends sincerely hope that the party or parties who stole his truck and the cotton will be apprehended and brought to speedy justice. Mr. Bennett says that the thief who stole his truck also rolled his passen ger car from his garage in an attempt to steal that also, but fortunately the machine was locked. He immediately reported the theft to Columbia au thorities, with the request that they fei'd in finding it, and has offered a re ward of $100 for the arrest of the guilty party. Imagine his surprise, therefore, when Aiken officers served him with a warrant charging him with attempting to steal the cotton from the Rev. Noble Stewart. He immediately went to Aiken and fur nished bond of $1,000. Mr. Bennett told a representative of The People-Sentinel yesterday that another man had also been arrested by Aiken County officers in connec tion with the alleged theft of the cot ton, but nothing about that is said in the following dispatch from Aiken telling of the Barnwell man’s arrest: “Aiken, Jan. 28.—A. J. Bennett, of Barnwell, a former mayor of that place, was today artested and placed under $1,000 bond here on a charge of attempted theft of five bales of cot ton belonging to the Rev. Noble Stew art, who resides six miles from Aiken on the Columbia road. “Early this morning the bales of cotton were removed from the- Stew art yard, having been rolled the short distance across the field to a truck, which apparently stood waiting on the pavement. After it was loaded, the truck proceeded on its way, but, acci dentally, the drivers wrecked the truck at Plunkett’s pond, only four miles from the Stewart place, and the truck caught fire. “One bale of cotton was consumed by the flames but the other four rolled clear of the wreckage. Efforts were made to cover up all trace of the own ership of the truck, but one license plate and the motor number were left, evidently being too hot to handle. From these clues, Bennett waa found to be the owner of the truck and dep uties from here went to Barnwell this afternoon and effected his arrest. 44 Mr. Bennett a4mits the. truck to have been his but maintains that it was stolen Monday afternoon in Bara- we\|, denying any connection with the case.” It would seem that a grave injustice has been done Mr. Bennett, in having him subjected to the humiliation of arrest on no further evidence than the ownership of the truck and every ef fort should be made to apprehend the real thief, i 1 t. — ' It is understood that the warrant against Mr. Bennett was withdrawn yesterday, the information being re ceived by The People-Sentinel just before going to press. Col. J. E. Harley, of Barnwell, taember of the House of Representa tives and chairman of the important judiciary committee of that body, an nounced definitely Tuesday night that he would be a candidate for lieutenant governor in. the Democratic primary this Summer. Sunday morning it was published in the ,doily newspapers that Colonel Harley had the matter under consideration. Upon his return to Columbia Tuesday he said he had been approached by many people from ev ery section of the State, urging that he make the race, and he had definite ly decide^! to do so. Colonel Harley is a native of Barn well County, having been born at Wil liston in 1880. He is senior member of the law firm of Harley and Blatt. He is a graduate in law of the Uni versity of South Carolina in the class of 1902. In 1907 he married Miss Sarah Agnes Richardson, of Barnwell. He served in the Spanish-Americmn Was as sergeant of Company L, First South Carolina Infantry. Colonel Harley is not without ex perience in the halls of the general assembly. In 1904, at the age of 22, he was elected a member of the house delegation from Barnwell County, and again in 1924. Since being elected in 1924, he has served continuously. For 10 years he was mayor of his home town, he has presided as special judge a number of times, and has at tended three national Democratic con ventions as a delegate from this State. During the last week. Colonel Har ley led the unsuccessful fight against the State tax comission, seeking its abolishment and pleading for devolv ing of duties of the tax commission upon the comptroller general and the State treasurer. TAX COMMISSION SURVIVES FIGHT HOUSE BILL ABOLISHING BODY GOES TO ITS DEATH. BARNWELL COUNTY STILL DESTROYED BY OFFICERS Outfit Found Near Home of Monroe Harden, Held for Murder. Allendale, Jan. 26.—A large still was destroyed today near the home of Monrce Harden, who is now being held in the State penitentiary in Col umbia in connection with the alleged murder of Frank Harley, white, and Shan Bates, negro, whose bodies were found today in the Savannah river near Johnson’s landing. Eleven vats of mash were destroy ed by Deputy Sheriff N. E. Harter, of Allendale. Council Dunbar found the still and reported it to Deputy Harter* and Sheriff B. H. Dyches, of Barnwell County. The still was locat ed just across the line in Barnwell County. It was a steam-operated outfit and, according to Deputy Har ter, looked as though it ha^d been run only last night. It is believed by officers that this is the same still over which Frank Hartley and his nephew, Monroe Har den, are reported to have had a dis pute sometime previous to the disap pearance and alleged murder of iHar- ley. V —- “i Measure Introduced by Hun. J. E. Har« ley Killed by Yule of Sixty- two to Thirty-nine. MRS. M. M. PATTERSON BURIED IN" BARNWELL Passed Away in Columbia Thursday After Long Illness. The body of Mrs. Marion Mims Patterson, aged 60 years, who died Thursday morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Marion Ridgeway, in Columbia, was laid to rest Friday af ternoon in the Barnwell Baptist Churchyard, the funeral services being conducted by Dr. W. M. Jones in the presence of a Urge concourse of vor* rowing relatives and sympathetic friends. She is survived by her daughter, Mrs. Ridgeway, and three sons, J. M. Patterson, of Maxton, N. C., A. H. Patterson, of Anderson, and Randolph Patterson, of Newberry. Mrs. Patterson was bora in Edge- field and was the widow Of the Ute Howard Patterson. She bad made ber home in Columbia. for a number of years. She waa a member of the Barnwell Baptist Church, an institu tion which she loved dearly. ADVERTISE U The PeopU-SsntUM After being, in turn, patted on the back and then smitten in the face, the South Carolina tax commission, under discussion almost since the opening day of the legislative session, sur vived every attack made upon it and was given a new lease on life when the Harley bill, providing for its abolish* ment, went to its death by i vote of 62 to 39. . The bill providing for devolving the duties of the tax commission on the comptroller general and the state treasurer was brought over from last year. It was debated several days and many members of the House discussed it on the floor. When the measure came up Wed nesday, D. L. Smith, Colleton, made an extended speech in which he told of the work of the tax commission; of its efficiency; of the reduction of taxes on real property made possible by collections from other sources and of the advance the State has ms,de and that without increasing property taxes. V “The tax commission is gathering the coin that pays the bills,” he de clared. “Today there are over $7,000,000 of uncollected taxes under the comptrol ler general’s department. Do people rush up to pay taxes ? If taxes were paid as closely under the comptroller general ae under the tax commission, there’d he s surplus in the treasury. Mr. Harley says the tax commission costs too much—suppose you do save the expenses of the tax commission— at the same time you cut the revenues of the State $2,000,000. “If these inspectors are removed, will not the tax on farm lands be raised?” asked W. H. Keith, Gran ville. “Certainly,” Mr. Smith replied. “This bill is Harley’s gesture, but down in his heart he wants you to kill it. Does he want more taxee on his farm and plantations? Above Electorate. “The tax commission is doing a work that no politician bora of a wo man cculd do. It is above the elector ate. It is a godsend to every taxpay er of the State. It knows no favor ites—all are fed from the mum spoon.” - , “Didn’t you once work with the de partment of agriculture and go around poking a stick in sacks?” asked J. M. Thomas, Allendale. “Yes,” replied Mr. Smith. “And what was your salrty when you started myl when you stopped?” “It was $100 per month and then $160,” Mr. Smith implied. “Are you against the tax commis sion because you are in the bottling business?” Mr. Smith asked. Mr, Thomas replied he was not. “Well, then, give me credit for be ing as honest as yourself,” Mr. Smith said. W. P. Conyers, Greenville, spoke vigorously in defense of the tax com mission and in the course of his ad dress read a letter from a citizen of Virginia which has recently consoli dated certain departments of govern ment. This letter set forth that the tax commiseion in Virginia, somewhat similar to that in this State, haa not been abolished but haa been strength ened and is now regarded as one of the most valuable department of the Virginia government. * J. K. McElveen, Sumter, made a bitter attack on the commission. “You hear that this tax commission is the greatest thing ever created,” he said. “I tell you it’s got you by the throat. It takes advantage of every poor man in the State. The czar him self was not more dominating. I came up here to reduce taxes for my peo ple and I'm against this tax •ion. 1 ' After answering several the House being more or lees the time, Mr. McEhnsjg attack and when be previous question was The vote fas strike out the ishing the f T », aql a» . > **3 , J Li* g 4