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WOULD-BE RAPIST LYNCHED UNDERNEATH RAILWAY TRESTLE Richard Pucket Strung up and Riddled With Bullets Monday Night (or Attempted Assault on Prominent Laurens County Lady. Con fessed to Crime to Sheriff John D. Owings but Protested Innocence in the Face of the Angry Mob. SOLICITOR COOPER AND SHERIFF OWINGS PROTEST IN VAIN AGAINST ACTION Over One Thousand People In the Mob that Stormed the County Jail and Took Negro out Who had Been Placed There Pending Identification. Mob Orderly and Quiet Yet Determined. Rich Puckctt, a negro probably be tween twenty-five and thirty years of age, was forcibly taken from the coun ty jail by a mob of determined citi zens Monday night and, followed by a crowd of around one thousand men from many sections of the county, was carried to the C. & W. C. trestle which crosses the little stream a few hundred yards south of the passenger station, where he was strung up and riddled with bullets. This was the climax of an exciting day following an attempted assault upon a lady of a promlrtent Laurens county family on the Double Branch road just beyond the southwest edge of the city. Though protesting his innocense in the face of the angry mob surrounding him just boforo his death, Rich Imckett had earlier in the day to Sheriff .lohn D. Owings privately confessed his guilt of the attempted assault and the evidence gathered by the men in pur suit pointed so positively in his di rection that no doubt can he enter tained but that he is the right man. The lifeless body of the would-be rapist hung suspended beneath the railway trestle all during the night and until about nine o'clock yesterday morning when it was taken down upon the order of the county authorities. It was taken in charge by the under takers and yesterday afternoon it was interred in the colored cemetery near the city. The awful crime of which the ne gro was charged was attempted early in the forenoon Monday. The lady was coming to the city to visit a sick relative and had arrived within about a mile of the city limits. The negro, I who had been working in a field some] distance away, was crouched behind a large bush awaiting his victim. Af ter she had passed and had gone a few feet, the negro approached from behind the bush and attacked her, dragging her from the buggy into tbo bushOs to the side of the road. Choking her all the time. Her screams and he; almost incoherent declaration that her brothers worts coming on behind frightened the negro so that ho re leased his hold and ran wlthoui ac complishing his purpose. Bruised and scratched but otherwise not bodi ly injured, the lady succeeded in climb ing back into her buggy and driving) to town. She first stopped at the home! of Mr. .lohn Hicks and told him of her harrowing experience. Mr. Hicks telephoned the sheriff and the hunt ! was begun immediately. Word flew like wildfire over different sections of the county where she was known and I very soon hundreds of tuen were on the scene in determined pursuit. The Capture. Guards were placed immediately I around the scene of the crime to pro-] leot the tracks of the criminal and bloodhounds were ordered from Co-! Jumbia. Scouting parties began a| search of all the surrounding country.! It was when several men stopped at a negro house to get a drink of wa ter that the capture took place Two negroes were sitting beneath a tree talking when one of them got up and offered to get a dipp< r. The other one, who later turned out to be the would-be rapist, turned to go through the house when Solicitor Cooper or dered that lie he held as he seemed to act in a suspicious manner and ap peared to answer to the description given by the lady. He was quickly carried by automobile before bis In tended victim, but she could not posi tive identify him, She was almost certain that this was the negro, but she could not recognize the clothes he was wearing. It later turned out that he had change to cleaner clothes after working in the mud or possibly to avoid detection. Ab the lady's identification was not complete, the negro was hurried to the county jail for protection until further evidence could be secured and until the blood hounds arrived. Dur ing the long wait for the arrival of the blood hounds, which had been sent by automobile through the country, the jail was closely watched by silent and determined men who saw to It that no avenue of escape was left by which the sheriff or his officers could spirit the prisoner away. The crowd of men anxiously but patiently waited for further evidence against, the negro until about seven o'clock, When the dogs from Colum bia arrived. They wore carried to the scene ol' tlie crime and placed in the road where the attack was made. They took up the trail at once and followed it Straight to tlie house where Rich Puckett had been found. From the house, they followed a trail to the place where Rich Puckett was placed in the buggy to he carried off. It was then that all the crowd turned to wards Iho county jail convince: that the right man was in jail. In the meantime the- crowd from the surrounding country grew larger and larger and by nine-thirty it was ready to do its work. Demands be gan to be made for the prisoner and the crowd took on the aspect of a dis orderly mob. The sheriff appeared at the front and opportuncd the mob to desist. Solicitor Cooper ?:ot Up and promised to do his best to secure a speedy trial for the negro and stated that tlie lady herself would not be br?Ughl to tlie court room. The crowd Continued to call for the negro. Mr. Cooper asked them to wait while he telephoned the governor to ask for an immediate trial, or whih he could confer with close relatives of the lady; to see if they favored lynching the negro. Nothing would appease the anger of the crowd. In spite of the protestations of the solicitor, the sheriff nnd several others who want ed to hear from the governor and from the lady's relatives, the mob began to storm the side gatO of the jail. After this was broken in and IhO sheriff j overpowered, some of tlie leaders went into the jail itself ami in short, order broke Into the cage where Puck ett was confined. He was dragged out and down the steps Into the jail-yard beneath and from there he was car ried through the public square to the scene of the lynching. Hundreds of shots were fired when the fusiladc be gan, but comparatively few took effect Richard Puckett bore a had repu tation and had just been released( from the county chalngnng. At a ro-j cent term of court he was COJlvlCtCdl on the technical charge of burglary, having been accused of trespassing at night and spying on the premises of1 prominent Laurens citizens. His case was appealed to the supreme court, where the lower court was reversed. The county authorities thereupon turned him at lilx rty and it is said that Monday was the first day that he ANNUAL MEETING OF ADVENTISTS 0>er a Hundred Delegates to Attend Meeting of Seventh l>aj Adt enlists Here. The Camp Mooting of tlit- South Carolina Conference of Seventh Day Adventlsts, is to bo held in Laurens at the gospel tent on Irby Avenue, beginning Thursday, August 14th, and continuing for ten days. Preparations have been made for over 100 delegates, who are beginning to come in from all over the state. Over thirty tents have been erected to accomodate the delegates and in order to carry out the daily program as many as two and three meetings will be in progress at the same time in different large tents. The meals will be served on the cafeteria plan, In a large dining tent, and the problem of providing food BUfdclcnt for about 400 meals a day will no doubt tax to the utmost the abilities of farmers and merchants. in addition to the evangelists who have been conducting meetings here for the past six weeks, the following evangelists, pastors and educators will he present, Prof. C. Sorcnson, Washington, D. c. Klder O. Montgomery, Indianapolis, lud. Klder C. U, Stephenson, Alpharetto, Oa. Klder W. II. Beckman, Orlando, Fla. Klder I. B. Haynes, Baltimore, Md. Klder P. C. Hilgert, Poston, Mass. Prof. II. M. Hltt, Atlanta, O.a. W. H. Williams, Atlanta. Oa. L. 1). Randall, Atlanta. Oa. V. O. Ool<>. Atlanta. Oa. It. Hook, dr., Atlanta, Oa. I>. I). Llckey, Oault, Mo. The evengellsts state that a rare treat is in store for the people of Laurens in a spiritual way and earn estly invite all tin people to attend. The following program will he car ried out each day. Rising hell, 5:30 A. M. Devotional Meeting 0:00 -0:15 A. m. Breakfast 7:00 A. M. District Meeting 8:00?S:45 A. M. Workers Meeting S:00 -S: P*>A m. Childrons Meeting 8:00?8:45 A. M. Milde study or Instruction Meeting 9:00 10:00 A. M. Conference 10:30?12:30 P. m. Dinner 12: I ft P. M. Practical Missionary Work Commit tee Work 1: :;?? :'.: 00 Pest Hour Sermon or Bible Study 3:00 1:00 Child lens Meeting 1: 15 5:00 General Instruction and Question Pox 1:15 5:00 Young Peoples Meeting 5:15 -0:15 Parents Meeting 1 .*.?('?: 1 ."> Lunch 0:45 Song Service 8:00 Sermon 8:1", Retiring Boll 9:45 Silence- Bell 10:00 LADIES TO SERVE LUNCH. Will Have a Lunch Stand and Also Serve Refreshments at the stock Show in .Madden. The ladles of the Women's Mission ary Union at Maddens, will serve lunch there next Saturday, the day of the Clomson Car Kxhihit and the stock show. They expect to serve a most inviting lunch, including* barbacued hash. Besides these lunches they will also sell refreshments of various kinds The proceeds will he used ill the church improvements. Dr. Hughes' l ather Fleeted. In ?3 election of State officers for Virginia, held last week. Mr. Ii, T. Hughes, father of Dr. It. 15. Hughes of Laurens, was elected a member of the state senate. He received almost, double the vote of his nearest oppo-1 nent. He was elected to represent two Virginia counties, Pluvann and Goochlnnd, there being so many coun-i tics in that state that it has become necessary to combine counties in se lecting members of the legislature. Mr. Hughes has always taken an ac-. live part in politics in his state, having beon elected to the legislature sever-. al times. had gone to work Blnce leaving the i chaingang. The lynching crowd was a very quiet and orderly one as sue!) crowds go and little drinking was noticed. It was a sullen, silent and determined body of men. bent upon putting a quick end to the life o." the would-be rapist. LIVE STOCK MEN MEET SATURDAY To be Entertained at Madden. CLEMSON MEIN TO BE PRESENT The Regular Summer Meeting of (lie I.aureus County Live Stock Associa tion is to l?e Held at Madden Sta tion Saturday In Conectlon "Ith Clemson Institute. The annual, meeting of the Laarens County Live Stock association will be held at Madden Station Saturday, bo glnning about eleven o'clock in the morning and continuing all day. in connection with the meeting of the as sociation will he held a general agrl cultural and live stock rally conducted by a party of Clemson experts making nn educational tour of the state The usual live stock competitive exhibits will not he held this year as in the past, hut enough Btock will be on hand 1 for the Clemson specialists to use in their lectures. The ladies of Madden have made preparations to Iced the crowd that is expected to he present, la addi tion to a lunch counter, barbecued hash will he served, the proceeds from the sale of these things to go to the bench fund in the New Prospect church. With the Clemson party will lie W. 11. Barton who will address the meet ing on "Soil Building," W. I?, Stewart, who will speak on "Poultry," O. M. (Mark, on "Horticulture ", and .lohn 1). \V. Watts, of this county, who will speak on "Live Stock". The arrange ment committee is hoping to have tin address from Pres. W. 1). Ityrd, of the County Live Stock association. Plciuson Men at Princeton. The party of Clemson men. com posed of \V. II, Barton, \V, P, Stewart, o. M. Clark and John i?. W. Watts, will he at Princeton Monday, where they will hold one of the farm insti tutes. It is expected that a large j number of people will be present to hear these men speak. The Advertiser received by mail the lirsi open cotton boll of the season .Monday morning, it cam.' from Al bert Baldwin, of Ora, being ol the King variety, and is a well developed' specimen of cotton. He slates thai this boll was pulled early Monday morning. Mr. Walter Buff, who ha- been in the insurance business here and in cidentally a star backstop for the Watts hall team, left yesterday for Nowborry where he will make his headquarters in the future. During his short stay here he made n great hunch of friends, who regret his deci sion to anchor in another port. KDRIMNA.M) TH \MvS SOI,IHK HS. I'.id- Them Tell Hrandchihlrcu of Uni tarians' Lallantr> that Tliej Maj Complete Work Begun. Sofia, Auk. II. Kinn Ferdinand I > day issued a pathetic address to the army In it he thanked his so.dlers for the bravery and devotion Ih-.j.v dis- ' p'.cycd In the war against "tue, trench* i eron. a llies" and declared that their efforts would have been crowned with success, "had not a series of unf?r sccn political circumstances paralyzed our strength." "Tresse,! on all sides." the address continued, "wo were obliged to sinn the treaty of Bucharest our country not being in a condition to struggle against five neighbors. Exhausted and tired, but not conquered, we had to furl our glorious standards until better days. Tell your children and your grandchildren about the gallan try of the Bulgarian soldiers mid pre pare them to complete one day the glorious work you began." The friends of Mr. "Pick" H?rtgens, who had several bones in his leg brok en last week in a motorcycle acci dent, were glad to see him so far im proved yesterday as to be on the street first Open Holl. (?one Crom Here. Council Wants Two Done Away With. CHESTNUT STREET HAMPTON STREET Question Brought op as to Steel Itrldge on Host Main Street, but Nothing will be Dune there F.xcept Making licpnlrs on Present Struc ture. Railroad Couiniissloners John Cl. Richards and McDulllo Hampton, ac companied by General Manager An derson and General Counsol F. It. Grler, of the C, & W. C. railroad, were In the idly Thursday looking into the matter of repairing tlie over head bridge on West Main street and doing away with the grade ci'OBSlllgS on Hampton and Chestnut streets. '1 lie railroad commissioners were on their annual trip of Inspection over the (.'., X. & I., and Other railroads and stop ped in Laurens at the request ol the city council. in company with Mayor Itubb and several members of the council, the visitors went to the scones of the several crossings and Inspected the properties, Mr. Anderson promised to make the needed repairs on the Main street bridge Immediately. The matter of a steel bridge over the rail road at tills point was brought up, hut nothing definite was done in this di rection. The railroad will hardly hi' willing to build a steel bridge there at this time and the railroad com mission is not empowered to force the matter. The city will probably have to lie content with a wooden bridge there for some time to come Kor many years the question of do ing away with the grade crossings at the Chestnut street crossing, in the rear ol Mr. M Miller's residence, and at tin' HanijUon street crossing, m ar the resilience of Mr. M. I.. Cope land has boon agitated, but nothing ha.- ever boon done in tin: way ol a correction of the conditions, The rail road commissioners were invited here so that the matter might be laid be fore tllO'm. It is stated that Ihey Were asked by the council to recommend lo tili- railroad that an overhead bridge built over the Chestnut street cross lllg and that a driveway In- pi (HUM I liu deriieath the Hamilton street crossing. I After visiting the two sites, the com missions gave out nothing as to any! probable action they would take hut reserved their decision until a future date. While the doing away with Up grade crossing at Hampton Street would not likely increase trattle along this route, the building of a bridge at the Chestnut street crossing would very likely turn a great deal ol IraT lice from the South Harper street crossing lo this crossing. At pres ent, a great deal ol traHb avoids the Chestnut street cue inr because of tin- danger and because of the steep' approaches on either side. A bridge hex- would also make it much safer! for the school children living Oil the, south Side Ol the city. Chief Klcholborgor On Dock. W. c. Hlehelborger, Heap Dig Chief Of He- Marion police force is in Lau?? rons spending a week or so ol hi? va cation with his homefolks and a row hundred friends. Since having his native soil OlllCOr Kicbclbergcr ha made a line record abroad a an offi cor, having been tin- star ol th< Hoi ? nee force and now tlie boss eoekalo urn of the Marion department. \\< ha many friends and admirers here who are delighted always to sei him. Ills success ia Florence and Marlon is no surprise as Iiis work on the local force ? as exceptionally line. To Son e h i t ream. The I!. V I' I'. Society, of Warrior Creek church, will serve Ice Cream at the home "' ' ' da Yeargln 1'ii day evening June Ifith beginning at 0 o'clock, 'I 10 public Is cordially in vited. Inotlicr Speaker at f riendship. The \dvorti80f is informed that Mi. .1. M Daniel, of Greenville, has been added to the list of regular speakers at the picnic to he held at RVh ndshlp church, Friday the fifteenth, RECOGNIZE HUERTA John Lind to foe "Eyes and Ears" of President. WILL EXPLAIN ATTITUDE LATER President Wilson IIhn Two Hours Conference With llryuu und Foreign Kelntlons Committee, Showing Sen ators Ills Object In Sending Special Knvoj to Mexico? No Uctlnlie Pinn a hut Huerta Wilt Not He Itecognlxed. Washington. Au>; :>. Two hours of conference tonight between I'rosl dent WIIhoii, Svcretury llryun and (he senate foreign relations couunlt tee, brought about no change in tho attitude of (lie administration toward Mexico. President Wilson took the senators into his confidence tor enough to out line the following: That .lohn Lind, his special envoj to Mexico City, does not boar un> solution of the present situation, hut noes to continue this Koverutnont'a effort to Induce Provisional President Huerta to redeem lib; promises tor free constitutional elections Thai under no circumstance', due, the administration propose to reeog ni/.e the Huerta government. Thal Mr. I.iud hau gone to Mexico City to he the "eyes and ears" of the Washington administration on the ground, and to explain the attitude of this government when he has fully familiarl/ed himself with tho sit nation, That by withdrawing Ambassador Wilson and sending Mr. 1,11id the pie sidenl planned to have a man on the ground who was in sympathy with the administration here and was In no sense a factor in the solution in \h xleo Oily. These policies ami suggestions ol tin' president and Secretary llryun eanie out in general discussion It was made eleai that (he purpo.e 0 the conference was to establish mon frank and intimate relation:- between the senate and the administration, in the development of the Mexican pol icy mcI in furtherance of this Iba the president talked freely, answer ing many pointed questions. While the president disclosed no definite plan tor the pacllieatIon <> Mexico, the implication remained t.'ii' upon Mr, land':, reports would de pend to a large < (dent Ihe riitui i i?*?I Icy ot this country. Dl \ I'll Ol OP. STItK hl.I P. lather of Mrs. C. I. ItuilKill ill' (Ills Pi(y, ami an finiiient Southern Hi \ inc. Dr (I. It Strlckler, lather ot \|i . <". I-'. Itankln ol this city, died at an Atlanta hospital Monday nlghl aftet an illness of several months. !e Strlckler first became ill when mi l visit to his daurlilcr bei ?? months ago He recovered iilllcienl ly at t hat time to he carried to M lanta, where his son lived. APhourll his condition was lecogni/.etl a carious then, some hope was held out for his recovery. Several week agi an operation was performed an 1 i hat time he ha- gradna I ly weakt r. I ir. Si i Ickli i was one of ' I eminent liviiios in the soul ?>? e 11 ? byi ian ' bun h. being prof" ? ' Theolo| ?. .n I tliotl Sellin.a l 1 ! I ion I. Vfi? at t he t: an of h I.a ? ing o< cqpled pastorate i:. Iii ? no cities pr< ylously. tin occasions Dr. Strlckler vl 1 and Mr: . Pankin lo re an , Mr. Itankin's pulpit 11 ' " 1 terlan churi h, v. lu re hi Iticl and the veru'i'i lion Of yo<ii !aw'!'ig Impressions upoi ii;< . ir i l i e pi ople of Lauren . th ? pi t i > i papiizo with P.ev. n i Mis. Kankiii n the i: great lot s. II. It. O'Shlclds OoftH <o I nlon. Mi. H. P. O'Shiclds, who was i u ager of f?- - Watt:. Mills compan store here for several years hut wh has been living In Port Pawn to Some time. ).as moved to Onion, wher he has accepted a position us boolt keeper at the Nicholson ta'nii & Trus Company. Tlio Jrlnnds (of Mit O'ShloIdfl here win he Interested ' learn of his removal to Union.