The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, June 22, 1922, Image 1
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',/