The Murder of David Waters taken from "Annals of Newberry, pg 532-534 “David Waters lived on the road from Higgins’ (now Kinard’s) Ferry to Newberry Court House, about one mile from Deadfall, on the place where the widow of Edward Stephens now lives. He was a thorough going, energetic man, and at the time of his death was, I suppose, the wealthiest man in that section of the county. He was murdered on the night of the 25th of February, 1819, as he was returning from a cotton gin where he was having his cotton prepared for market. The murder was committed on the side of the road between where Mr. G. Henry Werts now lives and Mr. Jeff Waldrop’s, and very near the residence of the latter. The writer was then only about five years old, but he remembers as if it was but yesterday hearing the messenger, who came after his father that night, tell that David Waters had been killed. The messenger was James Wadsworth, a free negro who lived in the same section for many years afterwards, and may still be remembered by a few old people yet living. “For a man to be found murdered at this day and time seems to attract but little attention; but at that time it must have been very different, for by daylight next morning I suppose every grown man within five miles of the place was on the ground, and each man constituted himself a committee of one to discover the murderer. The inquisition which was held on the next day; 26th February, 1819, by Powel Cooper, coroner, with David Thomas foreman of the jury, failed, however, to get any clue to the perpetrator; but it was not many days before the whole thing was brought to light. It was ascertained that he was killed by one of his own negroes, named Jerry, and that two others, Will and Jim, were accessories before the fact. The negro man, Jerry, was hung and his body burned a few yards from where the murder was committed. Will and Jim were terribly whipped and then cropped and branded. The wagoner, a negro man named Ned, was also given one hundred lashes, But I have always thought that in his case the punishment was wrong. It seems that Waters and his wagoner, Ned, left the gin at the same time about dark. Waters rode on ahead and when Ned saw him lying in the road he turned out into the woods and drove round him. His explanation was, that some time previous to that be had found a man lying in the road drunk one night, and that he had taken him up and laid him to one side and then drove on; and that when he told his master, Waters, of the circumstance he gave him a severe reproof, and told him never to touch nor go near any person whom he might see lying in the road after dark. This story has always looked reasonable to me, and so I have been impressed with the idea that his punishment was not justly inflicted. At the sale of the property of the estate of Waters, Ned was purchased by a Mr. Morgan, and was killed some years afterward by Mark Morgan, one of his young masters. It appears that they were engaged in building a chimney, as was then quite common, with sticks and clay, when some dispute arose and Morgan struck him with one of the sticks and killed him. “One of the negroes, Will, who was implicated in the murder, was bought by Daniel Clary, the father of Col. M. W. Clary, now of Edgefield, who lived at the place on Saluda River where Cannon’s Ferry now is. Will lived to be rather an old man, and died with dropsy after a long illness and much suffering. The other negro who was implicated in the murder was purchased by Mr. John Taylor, who then owned and lived on the place now owned by Col. John B. Leavell on Bush River. I do not know what became of him, but I recollect that it was said to have been through his agency that a circumstance happened which distressed the family very much and made quite a scandal in the neighborhood. “David Waters’ wife was a Miss Elleson, by whom - he left four children, William, David M., Daniel and Elizabeth. The widow married Edward Stephens and died some years afterwards with consumption. William Waters was killed by a kick from a horse, and David died a few years after wards. David M. Waters will be remembered, I suppose, by a good many of the people of the county. He removed to Tennessee about the year 1844 or 1845, and was there killed in a row some twelve or fifteen years afterwards. “Elizabeth Waters married James M. Davenport and after his death, which happened in about 1848, she married J. D. Heuston, with whom she is still living in Brunswick, Ga."