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fpje (County llecorti. volume 27?no. 16 the county record, kingstree, s. g, thursday, june 22, 1922 price $1.50 a year in advance ? THREE MEN PAY !' DEATH PENALTY X1RBY, FOX AND GAPPINS ELECTROCUTED AT COLUMBIA E.tR- ' LY FRIDAY MORNING. _____ 1 ( The execution of the three white , men convicted some time ago of the ^ murder of William Brazell, a white ( automobile driver, C. J. Kirby, C. 0. , Fox and Jesse Gappins the three crim- ! inals took place in the state peniten- ; tiary at Columbia shortly after 6 o'clock last Friday morning. All ] wanted to make talks before their 1 death. The general tone was to ask for forgiveness, to warn young men against bad company and to express sorrow for the Brazell family. It is a noteworthy fact that not one ; of the three executed is a South |; Carolinian, all coming to Columbia j to live from other states. Of the J three who were executed Kirby was '' most resistent and did not want to 1 help the executioner expedite his work. The penitentiary authorities had ' j the work dispatched early in the < day in order that the curious might i not annoy them. The first of the i . prisoners were awakened as early as i 5:25 o'clock when the death warrant > was read. At 6:12 o'clock Kirby was 1 taken to the electric chair and was the first to be executed. All of the < preparations, all of the prayers, all [ ^ of the talks and the three executions J fifty minutes. j? fiftl minutes. ' 1 The execution was by electric cur-. i rent, registering 1, 900 volts. The statement is made that the record al-11 so shows that in Kirby's execution 1 there was a record of ten amperes.' > The prisoners are taken from the < death chamber to the electrocution! < room, then they are strapped in a 1 large chair and a slit is generally 1 made in the leg of the trousers for 1 , the contact with the electric power, j Out of the abundance of caution two i i shots at short intervals are applied i 1 and death follows instantly. | * There were three ministers in at-! < tendance at the execution, the Rev. | j J. C. Abaey, Mr. Murphy and the 1 Rev. J. W. Anderson. The three pris- 1 oners joined in the services and pray- 1 ere. < At each of the executions there < were separate groups of twenty spec- 1 tators, no more than this number ] being allowed by the prison author- < ities, although it is understood that |' there were many requests to witness < the executions. 1 Kirby in his last moments seemad to resist the officers as he wanted | < to make additional statements, al- j: though he had been making them! '< quite regularly for some days. None j 1 of the paiticphnts ever have denied 1 being involved in the murder, their 1 only statements being to shirk some part of the responsibility. 11 Jesse Gappins, who was quite j s young, when he was taken to the j t electric chair made a somewhat con-j J nected statement. In substance he1 said: i "Gentlemen, all young men and old I ones, too," began the young prison- 1 er, "I advise to keep good company. < I am here today to die for keeping bad company. If the truth wereN known, and God knows it, I would not be here to die today. If it had been left to me, young Brazell would have been living today. Let this be a warning to everybody. You may not believe what I tell you, but be-J fore God it's so; Jesus knows my heart. I know lots of faces among you. I have not had justice. Jesus died, after a perfect life. Good-bye, everybody. Stand by me, dear Lord, in my last moments on this earth." The young criminal prayed and then in a quiet t>ne, for a whole minute, without interference from the executioner, who waited as he prayed, ai ? Imnd nn tVio tVio vnimcr mur- I UAUVl v** t>uv m.v j ^ ...... ^ drere poured out his soul to God for c forgiveness. Gappins had tears in his ? eyes while he was talking and his s execution seemed to effect the spec- j i tators more than that of any of the ! ? others. 1 In less than three minutes from ? the time the first shock was applied ? Gappins vas declared dead. Fox was the last of the trio to i ^ be executed. He appears to have ? ,J>een the one who actually stabbed f Brazell to death. In his case the t physicians declared him dead in four ? minutes and seven seconds. Fox al- t so asked to make a statement, which t was quite brief, in which he said: c "I have very little to say, except \ that I want to warn all poor fellows rOBACCO GROWERS TO MEET HERE WEDNESDAY. Addresses Will be Made by Prominent Kentucky Speakers on Cooperative Tobacco Marketing. A telegram received here yesterday from W. E. Lea, Florence, says that on June 28th at 3:30 p. m. there trill be a prominent speaker here from Kentucky to address the tobac:o growers of this section on the subject of cooperative marketing of tobacco. There will also be a similar meeting at Cades on the 27thv of June at the same hour when prominent Kentucky speakers will address the farmers. o??? Judge Edward Mclver, of Cheraw, Fourth Judicial Circuit, died in Darlington Monday afternoon. Judge Mclver opened court in Darlington Monday morning but as he was not feeling well adjourned court at noon and returned to his hotel, summoned medical aid and soon passed away. Judge Mclver was about sixty-two years of age. nut in the world to .live right; I'm sorry I got in bad company; but I'm not good company. I bear no malice for any one, I have nothing to say against the other bqys, and I hope ;o meet them in Heaven." The three men executed for murder were taken to {he dead house where the members of their families, none of whom witnessed any of the jxecuticps, claimed the bodies and took them to undertaking establishments f6r burial. Columbia and the entire state feels much relieved that these executions lave be^n held. The community is iow awaiting the execution of two )ther young white men who were :onvicted of killing Mr. Arnette, and -vhose cases are now on appeal to :he supreme court after their sentence to electrocution. A brief history of the Brazell case nay be of interest. Young Brazell (vas murdered during the night of August 7, last year. The three men engaged his car to take them to fVugusta, whence they were to go to Florida, to sell the car, after they lad black-jacked the driver and left lim on the roadside. The young -driver was black-jacked as the party traveled through Lexington county, but the blackjack broke. Then to complete their job they had to put the :hauffeur out of the way. Kirby de rised the scheme of killing him. He >rdered Gappios to inflict the death .vound, but the young man refused, rhen Fox was ordered, and he obeyjd, the knife being jabbed into the iroung Columbian's body and twisted i round several times for each operaaon. The body was thrown in the underbrush near the road and the ;hree men proceeded on to Augusta. After leaving Augusta a short disance, the men had tire trouble, and stopping to get help, Kirby told of ;heir criminal act, and they were arrested. The nekt day, August 9, Kirby was brought back to Lexington ind he assisted officers in finding the >ody of young Brazell. Later he was >rougfat to the penitentiary, escaping efforts of a band of men to get him. Fox and Gappins were held in Vuguata. A mob stormed the jail, n an effort to get them. Later they vere taken to Savannah, and thence n dead of night they were smuggled jo Charleston, and several days later dill they were brought to Columbia, niter a mob had searched trains and lutomobiles and guarded roadsides for lays, in an effort to get hold of the wo men. All three of the men confessed to he killing. On the witness stand in Lexington, when they were tried last September, they told, unflinchingly, he horrible details of the crime, and hen on September 14, they were conricted and sentenced to the electric hair, October 21, being set as the late for their execution. All three ippealed, however, and their appeals stayed their executions. The appeals, vithout merit, were never perfected, ind on motion of Solicitor Callison in -exington on May 23, they were again sentenced to die, this June 16, being ?et as the date. . .Vain attempts have been made in ecent weeks to have the governo^ ;ave the lives of the prisoner ;itions for their commuta^i^^ave >een presented in behajr^f Gappins md Fox, these signed by some of he jurors who cwpicted them. But o all these the governor turned a leaf ear, and the justice of the law vas maintained. W. J. Cormack. ! BIGHAM DECLARES HE IS INNOCENT; i CHARGES BROTHER WITH CRIME. , CRIES AS HE TALKS TO REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STATE. From the Columbia State: Edmund D. Bigham, under death sen! tence for the murder of his brother, L. Smiley Bigham, said he would i like to see a representative of the State and when the reporter called to see him at the death house, Big; ham said he wanted to make a "pica I to the people of Florence county and of the entire state to do what they can, to tell the truth and not let an ' j ! innocent man suffer death for something he didn't do." Bigham told the reporter that he j asked for the interview because this 1 was his only way to put his case before the people. As he went over | the story of the killing of his brother, his mother, his sister and his; sister's two adopted children the condemned man broke down, crying bit j terly and protesting his innocence. "They accuse me of murdering my ; dear mother, who brought me into this world," he said in a broken voice, "when she died in my arms with me doing all I could for her." He declared that his mother's last words were: "Smiley did it" The condemned man looked through ; the prison bars in the death house and again broke into tears. "If my conviction stands," he said, "I will shed innocent blood for a crime that ; I did not commit" Bigham accused his brother of the horrible crime, declaring Smiley was insane. "I regret to say that about my brother, but he was accustomed to have spells of temporary insanity," Bigham declared. Bigham appeared to be breaking in spirit and whenever he mentioned j his mother he would cry and was unable to proceed with his story. His plea to the people of Florence county and to the state was made in an earnest tone. "I want the truth to be known. If the people who know will tell the truth about the insanity of Smiley, who had always been afflicted with spells, I will be exonerated. I am where I can not speak to the public, but I ask the law abiding people to express themselves and do so at once if they would assist me by seeing that I have justice. I hope they will do what they can before it is too late. "No one knows how it feels to be accused of anything falsely as I was j ?taking of the life of my dear moth1 - ?-? j ?? er, my onnner <mu my siovci, uc mu. | "My mother died in my arms with I mc doing all I could for her. The last words she said to me were that 'Smiley did it."' Bigham showed the reporter a copy of a letter signed "Citizen," which was printed in the Florence Weekly News Review, and also a handwritten j statement which, he said, was the one : he wanted to make at the time of his resentencing. "Citizen" asks a number of questions about the case, including ones regarding alleged discrepancies between testimony at the inquest and the trial, and about Smiley's alleged insanity. o SUES BANK DIRECTORS. Lake City Furnishes a Very Unusual Case. The liquidation of the Bank of Lake City has precipitated an unusual case. In winding up the affairs of the institution, the bank was unable to pay the stockholders the full value of their stock. Dr. J. C. Foster, now of Columbia but lately of Timmonsville, with certain other stockholders, has brought suit against certain of the directors to compel them to make up the deficiency in values. There is no charge of criminal shortage. The plaintiffs allege that the bank was permitted to become defunct through the neglect of these directors, thereby losing the value of the stock. Judge Shipp named Judge H. A. Brunson as special commissioner to take the testimony in the case. He has just handed down a decision to the effect that the defendant directors am in nowise negligent or liable and Mat the deficiency resulted from the leflation which has hit hard all over ne country. The report is now going iff ore Judge Shipp and the stockholders are preparing to appeal from his decision. o A reception for the members of the Williamsburg Chapter Winthrop Daughters will be given at the home of Miss Martha Jenkinson on Friday afternoon. * CANDIDATES FOR STATE OFFICES MANY HATS TOSSED INTO POLITICAL RING AT LAST MOMENT. Columbia, June 19.?A bumper crop of candidates for state offices makes a rich harvest this year for the treasury of the State Democratic Executive Committee. As one hat after another was flung into the ring, and these fell thick and fast up to 12 o'clock today, accompanying the sombreros of male candidates and the millinery of women candidates were checks of $100 and $200 denominations. "A pretty good day's business," remarked Edgar A. Brown, the state chairman who, hailing from Barnwell, where he is a candidate for the legislature, is incidentally boss of the works. Complaint was heard not very many days ago that this year there appeared to be little interest in state politics outside of the gubernatorial race, but the last day's gleanings, and it was only half a day at that, brought the biennial crop of candidates up to something a little more than par. Pledges were filed thick and fast this morning, so thick and so fast that the entire landscape was complete-; ly changed. Those political wiseacres who have heretofore predicated their prognostications upon the lineup as previously existing now face the necessity of revising the same because of new entries. Eleventh-hour candidates have rather complicated the situation for those who, until this morning, had no opposition. Political aspirants came today from various parts of the state. One shudders to think what might have happened to the aspirations and ambitions of some of these had their trains been late or had they J suffered more than one or two blowouts on the way. In point of fact, Sam T. Carter, state treasurer, is the one state officer who did not draw an opponent, a worthy tribute to a worthy and faithful official of the state government. There was also one withdrawal, Paul Moore, of Columbia, quit the race for state superintendent of education. In this race, however, are left six candidates, including two women, the first of the female sex to offer for state offices, Mrs. Bessie Rogers Drake, or Mariooro, ana Mrs. | Martha Wallace, of Columbia. For lieutenant governor two new candidates entered the political arena, E. B. Jackson, of Wagner, and Dr. i E. C. L. Adams, of Columbia. Two candidates for attorney general also announced, Harold Eubanks and D. M. Winters, both of Columbia. For comptroller general, T. Hagood Gooding, of Hampton, announced an^ two new candidates for governor filed pledges, J. J. Cantey, of Summerton, and William Coleman, of Union. ' I. S. Hutto, of Dorchester, J. J. McMahon, of Columbia, and W. F. Stevenson, of Cheraw, filed their pledges. The complete list of candidates as compiled after the clock struck the noon hour today, is as follows: For Governor. For Governor: Cole L. Blease, J. - ? ^ i -! rr 4. Uantey, wm. uoieman, juuh 1. Duncan, Geo. K. Laney, Thomas G. McLeod. For Lieutenant Governor. For Lieutenant Governor: E. C. L. Adams, E. M. Jackson, James K. Owens. / For Congress. For Congress: First district?W. Turner Logan, I. S. Hutto, J. D. Morrison. Second district: Jas. F. Byrnes. Third district: S. H. Sherard, Fred H. Dominick, E. F. McCravy. Fourth district: J. J. McSwain. Fifth district: W. F. Stevenson. Sixth district: W. R. Barringer, A. H. Gasque, Jerome T. Pate, P. H. Stoll. Seventh district: A. J. Bethea, H. P. Fulmer, J. J. McMahon. Other State Offices. Superintendent of Education: Mrs. Bessie Rodgers Drake, J. H. Hope, 0. D. Seay, C. H. Seigler, J. H. SwearinXTnr-fVia Wallacp. gCllj Hil U. i'4M? V44- ?. Adjutant General: Thos. B. Marshall, R. E. Craig. State Treasurer: S. T. Carter. Attorney General: Harold Eubanks, D. H. Winters, S. M. Wolfe. Commissioner of Agriculture, Commerce and Industries: B. Harris, George W. Wightman. Secretary of State: W. Banks Dove, Jas. C. Dozier. Comptroller General: Walter E. MEMORIAL TEMPLE TO WASHINGTON IS BEGUN.; Ground Broken for Magnificient Ma- j sonic Structure Honoring the Father of His Country. (Capital News Service) Washington, June 19.?The first | spadeful of earth has been turned on j Shooters Hill, just outside of Alexan1 dria, Va., where will be located the ! beautiful memorial to George Washington, the Mason, being erected by the Masonic fraternity of the United States. Washington, as Master of what is now known as Washington-Alexandria Lodge, F. A. A. M., left many relics of the most important historic interest. These, now in the. possession of the lodge in the old Virginia city, will be suitably housed in the beautiful fireproof temple to be erecti ed on a commanding elevation between Alexandria and Washington, !d. c. The building is to cost two and a half millions of dollars, and is to commemorate the Masonic activities of the Father of His Country, who carried Masonic teachings into his every official act, and who gave an impetus to the Masonic activities of the United States which is still a guiding force. The turning of the first earth was done by Louis A. Watres, of Scranton, Pa., who is president of the George Washinton Masonic Memorial Association. The invocation was made by the Rev. Dr. Morton, chaplain of the association. It is the plan of the association to erect a building which will be a Mecca for Masons throughout the world and one which will compare favorably in beauty with the Lincoln Memorial recently dedicated in Washington and the House of the Temple, magnificent home of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction, which has brought to Washington, D. C., the' boast of having the most beautiful fraternal temple in the entire world. BOY SCOUTS ARE OFF. Leave for Ten Day Outing on Pee Dee River. _____ Perhaps the happiest crowd of boys that ever left Kingstree was the bunch of thirty-six Boy Scouts who rolled out about 6 o'clock yesterday morning in trucks and automobiles for their annual summer camping expedition on the banks of the Pee Dee 1 river at Murrell's Inlet They will J be away from home about ten days, j They are well provided for the trip, carrying with them practically everything that is required for camp life, provisions, cooking utensils, tents, cots, etc. The Scouts were accompanied by Rev. Jno. W. Davis, Scout Master; Homer Clark, Assistant Scout Master, Messrs D. J. Epps, gererali, Duncan Gamble, chief fisherman, Willie Evans and Rudolph Cousar, bait catchers and general utility boys. It was a fine, jolly lot of fellows regardless of age or size. Their friends, and! that is the entire population of Kings- [ tree, wish them a grand and glori- j ous time and The County Record' feels certain that they are going to j have it. Here are the names of the ! Scouts: ' \ Jack Arrowsmith, Pickie Arrowsmith, Rudolph Adams, George Barr, Emmet Brimm, Hasel Baker, Dick Blakeley, Louis Burch, James Cole, Aubrey Cauthen, Cecil Cauthen, Warren Derrick, David Derrick, Calhoun Dove, Joe Deery, Theodore David, Carlisle Epps, Milton Fulton, Sam Fulton, Laurie Fulton, Flinn Gilland, Sumter Gamble, George Hunter, Carl Joy, LeGrand Joy, Lorraine King, . Inabinett, Carroll Player, Thomas Merrimah, Payden Montgomery, George Ansel Nelson, Davis Nesmith, Philip Stoll, Steele Singleton, Robert Smith, Fred Smith. ? ' o Miss Hattie McMurray, who has been attending the State Short Course , at Winthrop College, has just returned to Kingstree highly pleased . with her trip and full of enthusiasm over her work among the club girls ] of Williamsburg. ( Duncan, T. Hagood Gooding. SftHn'tftr. Third circuit: Solicitor?Frank A. : McLeod, John G. Dinkins. Fifth Circuit: A. F .Seiger. . Twelfth Circuit: C. W. Muldrow, L. M. Gas que. ] The big gun of the campaign will j be fired tomorrow morning at 10:00 1 o'clock at Columbia. t V / NOW THE TINE TO FIGHT BOLL WEEVIL INFORMATION THAT IS WORTH WHILE TO COTTON GROWERS BY DR. WHITE OF GEORGIA. "When do cotton squares begin toform?" This is a question which we now fear not many farmers can answer. A few days ago the writer stated in an article that the time to begin a fight on the weevils was just before the squares' begin to form. "When is that?" has been the surprising response. Farmers have not had occasion to study the growth habits of cotton closely, but scientists have and hence we turn to scientists to find out when the cotton plant begins to form squares. In bulletin 108 of the Georgia ex- ft periment station, Dr. H. C. White, Mp of the University of Georgia, tells us that cotton planted April 29 produced its first form of squares June 9. That would make 41 days after planting time, but Dr. White watched closely and observed that they set squares on an average of 34 days * after the seed began to sprout. This cotton had its first bloom July 6, or 27 days after the first square was formed. The first open boll was September 1. Thus it will be seen that the time is near when the squares or forms appear on the cotton, which is the time when the boll weevils begin to do damage. Reports have been sent out that the boll weevils were killing young cotton. Such reports are, of course, without foundation. Boll weevils do not kill cotton. If any insect is killing young cotton plants it is not the boll weevil for the weevil destroys only the cotton squares and bolls. This it does by its breeding habits and not only by its feeding habits. The fact is that when weevils destroy the squares the growth that * ' would have gone into the squares crnw intn the stalks which shoots un taller and larger than the plant not infested with weevils. Therefore, boll weevils do not kill cotton plants, but indirectly promote their vegetative growth. It is found that it is difficult to convince farmers that the boll weevil is harmless until squares begin to form and also that boll weevils can not reproduce until they can lay eggs in the squares. If they would understand this, a great deal of their present uneasiness would be allayed Therefore, we emphasize again that boll weevils are not now doing any damage to cotton'. They have no way of doing damage. They do not destroy cotton by feed ing and there will be no damage until squares form in which squares they can lay eggs that hatch out into worms and until the worms or immature weevil begins to feed. Again let us emphasize that the boll weevil is not how producing young. The small weevils are mature. They are runts. When a farmer learns more abbut boll weevils he will know that weevils change color as they grow older. The young are pinkish brown, the middle age brownish black and the older are grayish. See if you can find any other than grayish weevils in your cotton before squares form, and be convinced. If cotton was planted in April it is apparent that now or within a few days is the time to poison the obi weevils on the cotton before theyhave a chance to destroy squares. For the general guidance of the cotton farmer we would say that the application of poison to kill old weevils should be made from 35 to 40 days after planting. Let us say again what was said in a previous article: There is no good reason for putting more than one application of poison on young cotton, before squares form. One will do the work if it is put on at the time indicated. If put on earlier it will miss some of the weevils that have not come out from their winter quarters. Of course,.if a heavy rain comes along within 24 hour# after the poison is put on, then another should be made at once. If the poison i% on the cotton 24 hours before a rain comes it will have done its work. This first application of poison as previously stated can be made with a cheese cloth bag, fertilizer hornwith cheese cloth ower the end, or (Continued on last page) ' t',/