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,
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THE BANKS^LAURfNS
I OUR WEDDING GIFTS I
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your Wedding Gifts than at a Jewelry ^
Store and no belter Jewelry Store *n
than ours. Silverware in e very form, ^
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Phone 328-2 Rings
\ Reliable Jeweler Laurens, S. C. JjV
1
i
I will be at Counts' Stables, Laurens, S. C,
Friday,
Sept. 5th, 1913
I to buy Fifty Head of good big Mules from
4 to 8 years old. No small or aged mules
wanted.
