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Young Prosperity Man Accidentally Shot Early Last Saturday Morning This story originally appeared in the
Newberry Observer - Tuesday, August 22, 1939 - it has been re-edited
and corrected here to reflect what appeared in the
Newberry County Coroner's Inquest records of 1936-1939. Harold Hawkins, 20, a young farmer of the St. Luke's
section of Newberry County, was killed instantly around 2:30 AM Saturday morning in a hunting accident while on a
possum hunt with a number of his friends near his
home. Deputy Sheriff Hub Quattlebaum of the sheriff’s force who
investigated the affair stated that Lindsay
Bedenbaugh, a member of the party, is said to have had in his possession a
revolver which he fired into the air three times when
the young men imagined they heard something, whereupon as the last shot was fired it is said Hawkins fell mortally
wounded. "That Harold Hawkins came to his death by a pistol shot in the hands of Lindsay Bedenbaugh, said shooting being unintentional and accidental." The other members of the party were: Woodrow Bedenbaugh, W. P. Bedenbaugh, J. R. Bedenbaugh, McFall Bedenbaugh, Everett Kibler and Carroll Ham. Hawkins and (Lindsay) Bedenbaugh were neighbors. Funeral services for Harold Hawkins were held at 10 o'clock, Sunday morning with burial in St. Luke's Lutheran Church Cemetery. Wilbur Harold Hawkins was the son of George Wilbur Hawkins and Annie Alice Kunkle Hawkins.
From a book at Newberry County Library, Newberry, SC entitled Coroner's Inquisitions Newberry County SC 1936-1939 (page numbers and headings for each page removed). Note the date on the transcribed Inquisition does read August 1, 1939, but this is obviously a transcribers error as the shooting took place on August 19, 1939. The Observer Newspaper story said Monday morning inquest and that would make it on August 21st, 1939)
Inquisition held over the dead body of HAROLD HAWKINS of Prosperity, SC August 1, 1939 W. P. BEDENBAUGH being duly sworn testified as follows: Examination by Coroner I. H. WILSON: Q. You know Harold Hawkins who got killed Friday night? A. Yes sir. He was a very good friend. Q. Were you with the group of boys Friday night? A. Yes sir. Q. What were you doing? A. We were out trying to train some puppies to possum hunt. Q. Who was with you? A. Harold Hawkins, Lindsay Bedenbaugh, J. R. Bedenbaugh, Woodrow Bedenbaugh, McFall Bedenbaugh, Everett Kibler and Carroll Ham. Q. Tell the jury how the shooting happened. A. It was about 2:30 - Q. That was Saturday morning? A. Yes sir. Harold thought he heard someone after the dogs had treed a possum. He was not right at the tree where the dogs were and someone carried the light back where he was and looked, but didn't see anything. Then we left the possum alone and came on out of the swamp up by a little road. One of the boys thought they heard something. We all started running and Lindsay thought he was shooting in the air which it was not. J. R. was closer than I. I had the spot light up the road. I did not know anything had happened until I saw the lantern turn over. J. R. got there first and said one of the boys had been shot. Lindsay and I came up about the same time. I put my hand under his head and saw that he was shot. Three of the boys, McFall, Everett and one of the others went to get Mr. Wilbur. I stayed there and when they came I helped put him in the car. Q. Whose pistol was this? A. It was Marvin's. Marvin Bedenbaugh. Harold and Lindsay had borrowed it. They had been going out at night training the dogs and they thought someone was throwing rocks at them so they borrowed the gun to scare the people who were throwing rocks at them. I did not know that they had a gun until they shot at a possum in the tree. Q. It was just a bunch of you boys out together training some puppies? A. Yes sir. Q. Did you hear any of them having a falling out? A. No sir. J. R. BEDENBAUGH being duly sworn testified as follows: MR. WILSON: Q. Mr. Bedenbaugh, where do you live? A. Right here in Prosperity across the railroad. Q. In Prosperity? A. Yes sir. Q. What were you doing Friday night? A. I was out there with these other boys possum hunting. Q. Out where? A. Right back of Mr. Wilbur Hawkins' home. Q. A bunch of you boys were down there training some dogs? A. Yes sir. Q. Tell the jury just what happened, just before the shooting. A. We had treed a little possum out there in the swamp and we were trying to find it. We had tried some ten or fifteen minutes to find the possum. Harold was sitting back from the tree and he told us to bring the light, that he heard something. They carried the light back there and looked and didn't find anything. They told him that it was just one of the dogs. He said, "No", that he had seen all the dogs up there at the tree. We left the possum and came on out of the swamp up to a little road. Someone said they heard something and we all started running and Lindsay, who had the pistol said he shot three times. I did not know Harold had been shot until I saw the lantern turn over. I was not over eight or ten feet from him. I ran up to him and shook him and he did not move. I saw the blood running out. I did not know that he had been shot until I got to him. Q. You did not know he was shot? A. I knew something was the matter. At first I thought that he was scared and had faIlen down but when I saw the blood I knew something was wrong. He did not answer me when I called him. Q. How many shots did you hear? A. He said he shot three times. Q. Who was closest to the boy who did the shooting? A. I do not know. I could not have been far. Q. What distance was the boy who got shot from the boy who shot him? A. I could not say. Q. About five steps or ten steps? A. I could not say. Q. Did you hear Mr. Hawkins say anything after you got to him? A. No sir, not a word. Q. That was in Newberry County? A. Yes sir. WOODROW BEDENBAUGH being duly sworn testified as follows: MR. WILSON: Q. You were in the crowd with Mr. Hawkins when he got killed? A. Yes sir. Q. Were you near Mr. Bedenbaugh who did the shooting or near Mr. Hawkins when he got shot? A. I do not know. None of us were far apart. Q. You all were out training the puppies? A. Yes sir. We were out trying to train the puppies. Q. Why did Mr. Bedenbaugh have this pistol? A. I do not know except that was the first time that I had been with them - that they said that he and Harold borrowed it from Marvin - that they had been going out at night some and that somebody had been throwing rocks at them and they got the gun to scare them. Q. Harold is the boy that got killed? A. Yes sir. Q. Go ahead and tell the jury what you know about it. A. It was just like the other boys said. We treed a possum and while we were trying to find it Harold said he heard something like someone walking near the creek and to bring the light. I was not scared because I felt that it wasn't anything. I was a little older than the rest of them and told him to come on - that it was nothing. They carried the light down there and looked, but didn't find anything. They told him that it was just one of the dogs but he said that it wasn't the dogs because he saw all the dogs at the tree. We came on out of the swamp up the hill to a little road through the woods and about that time one of the boys called out that they heard something. All of us started running. I saw a little ahead of the boys. Q. You were ahead of the boy that got shot? A. We got kinda divided, four in one group and four in the other group. J. R., McFall, Lindsay and Harold went kinda out across the field and the other four of us went down the road. Q. Had the boys been fussing? A. Not a cross word. Q. You were all friendly? A. Yes sir. Absolutely. Harold, Lindsay and McFall were specially close buddies. Q. What time did it happen? A. I imagine it was 2:30. We had looked at the watch and it was 2:00 o'clock. They said it was 2:45 when we got to Mr. Wilbur's house. Q. The father of the boy who got killed? A. Yes sir. JURY: Q. Do you think he meant to shoot him? A. I know it was absolutely unintentionally done. He thought he was shooting in the air and he had it in the level. MR. WILSON: Q. How many shots were fired? A. I think I recall three shots being fired. Q. Which one do you think hit him? A. Which one hit him I could not say. I did not know anyone had been shot until J. R. hollered someone was shot. McFALL BEDENBAUGH being duly sworn testified as follows: MR. WILSON: Q. Were you with this group of boys Friday night? A. Yes sir. Q. Where do you live? A. I live about a fourth of a mile from Mr. Wilbur's. Q. The father of the boy that got killed? A. Yes sir. Q. Tell the jury in your own way just what happened. A. It was like the other boys said. We were all down there and had treed a possum. Harold was sitting out there under a tree and he thought he heard someone walking. Q. The boy who got shot? A. Yes sir. We looked but did not see anything. Then we came up on this hill and somebody said that they heard something and we all stated running. Q. Did you hear the pistol fired? A. Yes sir. Q. Were you close to the boy who fired it? A. I was one of the four a little bit ahead of the others. Q. As far as you know they were both friendly? A. Yes sir. Q. Did any of you have a falling out that night? A. No sir. Q. What did Mr. Bedenbaugh do when he found out that he had shot Mr. Hawkins? A. He came back and grabbed him and held him until they got him to the house. He died in Lindsay's arms. Q. This happened in Newberry County? A. Yes sir. EVERETT KIBLER being duly sworn testified as follows: Q. Where do you live? A. Right here in Prosperity. Q. Go ahead and tell us what you know about this accident? What time was it? A. I think it was about 2:30.We had treed a little possum and was trying to find it. Harold was sitting down by a tree a little distance away and he said he heard somebody walking and to bring the light down there. We did not see anybody so we left and came on up the hill to a little road. We all got scared and started running. I did not turn around until someone hollered that one of them had been shot. I went with them to get his father. Q. How far from Mr. Hawkins were you? A. I was with the four ahead of him. Q. Were you closer to the one that got shot or to the one who did the shooting? A. I do not know. Q. Did you know that they had a pistol? A. Friday night was the first time I knew about the pistol. Q. This happened in Newberry County? A. Yes sir. CARROLL HAM being duly sworn testified as follows: Q. Where do you live? A. Right here in Prosperity. Q. Were you with this group of boys Friday night? A. Yes sir. Q. Do you know anything about the shooting? A. Yes sir. Q. Tell the jury what you know about it. A. We were down in the woods in the swamp and had treed a little possum. Harold was back out there by himself and he said he heard somebody walking. We carried the light back down there but we did not see anything. We came on up the road and came out up there in a little road. Somebody hollered and we all started running. After it happened we sent two of the boys to the house to get his father. Q. What time of night was this? A. Somewhere about 2:30. Q. Did you hear the boys have any words? A. No sir. Q. Did you know that Mr. Bedenbaugh had a pistol? A. I did not know it until we got in the woods and they shot at a possum in the tree. Q. Were you close to Mr. Bedenbaugh who did the shooting? A. I think I was nearer the one that was shot. Q. What distance were you from him? A. I was down the road a little ways from both of them. MR. WILSON: Mr. Bedenbaugh, you can make a statement to the jury if you want to. We are not asking you to do this and you can make a statement if you care to. MR. LINDSAY BEDENBAUGH: I would like to make a statement: It was just about like what these other boys said. Harold thought he heard someone while we were down there at the tree. After we came up on the hill someone hollered that they heard somebody. All of us ran and I shot in the air three times. I thought I was shooting in the air. He said that Harold was shot - when he said Harold was shot I went to him and sat down by him until they went after Mr. Wilbur. MR. WILSON: Tell the jury anything that you want to. MR. BEDENBAUGH: That is all. MR. H. J. QUATTLEBAUM being duly sworn testified as follows: Q. Mr. Quattlebaum, you are Deputy Sheriff of Newberry County? A. Yes sir. Q. Were you called out Friday night or Saturday morning early to this shooting? A. Yes sir. Q. It was near Mr. Wilbur Hawkins house? A. Yes sir. Q. Tell the jury what you found. A. I got the call around three. I think a little after three. I went to Mr. Hawkins' home - Mr. Wilbur Hawkins - and found they had gotten Mr. Hawkins on the bed. He was dead at the time. I examined his head and found that a bullet had [hit] him on the right side of his temple and lodged in the back of his head. I talked with those boys who testified here and they told me that [the] time [it] happened [was] just about the same as they told it here on the stand. We went to the place where it happened and of course there was very little I could tell about it. There was some blood on the ground. It was a weedy bushy place near a little road. One of the boys in the crowd turned the pistol over to us. I think it was Mr. W. P. Bedenbaugh. That is about all that I know except that the place where it happened was almost on the level. Q. You took Mr. Bedenbaugh into custody and brought him to jail? A. Yes sir. I brought him to Newberry and he put up bond. DOCTOR'S CERTIFICATE I, V. A. Long MD examined Harold Hawkins
and found that he came to his death from a bullet wound entering his head 2 inches in front of the right ear and
lodging under the scalp in a position 4 inches from
the left ear. Same was sufficient to cause death. V. A. Long
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