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Image provided by: University of South Carolina; Columbia, SC
Newspaper Page Text
CHIEF OF POLICE KILLED AT LEINA .1. lt. Harter Slain by Joe Walker. Lat ter l'nder Arrest. Columbia, S. C, September 1.? J. B. Harter, chief of police of AUendale, was shot and Instantly kill ed yesterday afternoon by Joe Walk? er,a Southern railway section fore* man. The killing occured at Lena, a Btation on the Southern railway in Hampton county, whither Chief Harter had gone to fetch a negro prisoner. The shooting, according to an eye wit ness, the Rev. William J. Langston, followed a brief passage of words a bout :i pistol which Harter had taken from Walker some months ago. Walker was arrested by Magistrate Zeigtet' at Lena. He was turned over; to the custody of Sheriff Lightsey and is now in custody there. He declines to talk, refusing to answer any ques tions whatever. The inquest will be held this morn ing at 11 o'clock at Lena. Chief Har ter's body was taken to Ksttll by an undertaker who took charge of the remains. ^Mr. Langston, who seems to have been the only eye witness of the whole tragedy, is n resident of Shan don Annex. He was in the station :?t Lena, waiting for the train and was sitting on a bench on the platform with Harter when the latter was shot. Mr. Langston gave a very clear ac count of the shooting. After the tragedy he hoarded the train for which he was waiting and came to Columbia. Mr. Langstou's Story. Mr. Langston, ;i man of slight build, and, at the time, very much unstrung, gave the following account of the shooting: "I was sitting talking lo Mr. Har-| tor at Lena and this man walked up swiftly, very much excited, and ap parently unexpectedly to Mr. Harter, and said to him excitedly. .Mr. Harter. Where is my pistol?' I haven't got' your pistol,' said Mr. Harter. And tho man advancing, said: Well, yon must have it;' and drew his pistol and struck the policeman. The police man drew his gun and tried to rise. As he rose In- struck the Btrangcr, and then the tiring began. And my impression is that after lie was struck j the stranger placed his gun against the policeman and fired several times' very rapidly; so much so that v. u could hardly tell which was doing the' shooting. I turned niy head away. I could not stand It, and ran for the doctor, and as 1 passed ny 1 saw the stranger standing over his victim looking at him. When 1 say policeman or Harter I mean the dead man. 1 have been informed that the man who did the killing was named Walker and was a section master on the Southern. 1 got the docn and hurried back as fast as I could. 1 went right iu the station agent and said:' Had't we better telegraph for the sheriff?' He said: 'No: it's no use. He's going to give himself up.' 1 left the agent and went into the waiting room and met Walker. 'I'm sorry, my friend, you have got into this great trouble.' He made no reply. He grunted; but evidently didn't want anything more to say to me, but went immediately to the doctor ami asked him to ex amine bis wound on the side of his head. 1 understood the doctor to say that It wasn't very serious. About 20 minutes before the train came in Har ter bought a ticket from the agent. I did not see him by the ticket. I pre sumed that he did. Harter was sitting on a bench outside the station and did not attempt to rise until attacked. As loitf; as 1 was there I did not see Walker give his pistol to any one." l.ii) on Platform. Mr LnngStoh said that Walker did not appear to him to be drunk. When his train pulled out of Lena, the Rev. Mr. Langston said that the body of the chief of police lay as it fell. A bystander had made a move to pick up the ottlcer's pistol that had fallen near his body, according to the miu ister. and was arrested from doing so by Walker. A. A. Richardson, chief game war den for South Carolina, was a' the home of his father. .Mai. H. w. Rich ardson, 1006 Harnwell street, yester day afternoon about I o'clock, when he was called over the long distance phone by Thomas M. Pcarlstlne, a merchant at Allcndalc, ami asked to obtain an affidavit from the Rev. William .1. Hangs toll, w'no was an eye ; witness of Hie tragedy at Lena, and; had boarded train No. 32 on the Southern railway from Columbia. Mr. Richardson left Allcndalc in January to accept the olllce of game warden. "Mr. Pcarlstlne called me up about I o'clock over the long distance and informed me that Hatter had been killed at Lena," said Mr. Richardson, "lie told me that there was a minis-1 tor, the Rev. Mr. Langs ton of Chan-' don Annex, on train No. 1)2 on the Southern, who was an eye witness to I the killing, and requested Die to meet j the train and get an affidavit fromj him, as to the circumstances of the ease. Mr. rearlstine said that Mr. Langstons1 time was so limited that they did not have time to.get it from him down there. A crowd was leav ing in automobiles right away for Lena, Mr. Pearlstlne said, and was going to get Mr. llarter's body and bring it back as soon as possible lo Allondale. He did not know whethei this man Waliser had been arrested or not, but there were plenty of peo ple going down there and if he hadn't been taken he would be pretty soon From what 1 heard from Pearlstlne, Harter In discharge of his official duty had taken a pistol away from this ?man Walker about a year ago at Allendale. l'earlstine did not say what reason Harter had for taking the pistol away from Walker.'' \ Fine Officer. J. B. Harter had been chief of police at Allendale for about three years, according to the chief game warden, and was considered one Of the hest officers in that section of the country.?The State. Walker and Son Held. Hampton. Sept. 1.?The coroner's jury of inquest over the dead body of .1. B. Harter, chief of Police Ol Allendale, who was killed yesterday afternoon at Lena, this county, this evening rendered a verdict that the officer "came to his death hp istol shots wounds from a pistol in the hands of .1. W. Walker, aided and abet ted by l!en Walker, his son." Hen Walker, the IS-year-old son of Joe V. Walkei-, was arrested today, and the coroner's jury implicated him in the shooting of Harter. F.\c< ntor's Notice. Having qualified as ICxecutor of the ICstatc of Mrs. "Sarah Frances Whtim, 'ate of ("hest >r coujify, lormerly ul Laurens co'intv, S.-'<\. this is to no tify all and singular the persons in debted to satUrestate to make imme diate settlement with Messrs. Henry Ai Mel.ure. my attorneys and all per sons holding claims against said es tate, present the same properly at tested to my said attorney-, at their Office in Chester, S. C. It, K. MOFPATT. Kxcctitor of ICstnto of Sarah Frances Wham, deceased. 6-11 ? WOOOROW WILSON NEWS. ' Wood TOW Wilson. Si- j?t :'. This community was visited by a very so? vere wind and rain storm last Fri day. Farmers are very busy gathering their cotton and peas now. Rev. L. S. Shoaly, of # Laurons, preached a very impressive sermon to a large and uttentlve congregation at Wood row Wilson, last Saturday night Misses Kessle Owings and Lily Martin visited relatives In Spartan burg las! week and report a verj pleasant trip. Mrs. Warfen Reld Is Visiting he son. Mr. W. L. Reid near this place Mrs. Annie Mae Oossett of Pncolet. spent this last week with her mother, Mrs. W. L. Reid of this place. We arc glad to report Mrs. Tot.. Spencer, who has been HI. better HI this writing, able to visit again. Mr. Will Burns and family of ltarks dnle, attended services at this plac Saturday night. We tire always mad to have them in our midst, come again Mr. Carl Owings of Dials, visited his uncle, Mr. s. L. Owings last week, No r..ntter what you have used, try Mustang Liniment and sec for yourself how soon it stops pain. 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