Random Fact - Arrest of Elijah Pitts 1871

"Random Fact" is the theme that Amy has gave us to write about.  So, here is a Random Fact that I found that may or may not be connected to my family.

A Mr. Elijah Pitts was arrested in Newberry County, South Carolina in 1871 for
"accessory after the fact".  Here is a link to the earliest Newspaper article from The Daily Phoenix, August 04, 1871, Page 2, out of Columbia, South Carolina, that I can find about the incident.  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027008/1871-08-04/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1871&index=0&date2=1871&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Elijah+Pitts&proxdistance=5&state=South+Carolina&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=elijah+pitts&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

In this above first article, this "Mr. Elijah Pitts, living near the line of Laurens County" was forced to divulge the location of a Mr. Noah Metts, "the suspected party" in the murder of Mr. Foster White.

In searching for "Mr. Foster White", I just found a detailed article in the August 1, 1871 issue of The Daily Phoenix, about the murder, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027008/1871-08-01/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1871&index=0&date2=1871&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Foster+Mr+white&proxdistance=5&state=South+Carolina&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=Mr.+Foster+White&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1.  I had not found this article before, because it was written several days before Mr. Elijah Pitts was involved.

On August 2nd, The Charleston Daily News picked up the identical story, adding the subtitle, "Assassination of a Worthy Citizen":  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026994/1871-08-02/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1871&index=2&date2=1871&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Foster+Mr+white&proxdistance=5&state=South+Carolina&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=Mr+FOster+White&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1.

Closer to home, in the Newberry Herald on August 9, 1871, this article gives more information about the arrest of Noah Metts and Elijah Pitts:
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026909/1871-08-09/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1871&index=0&rows=20&words=D+Metts+Noah&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=South+Carolina&date2=1871&proxtext=noah+d+metts&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1.  Here we read,

Arrested - Mr. Noah D. Metts. charged with the murder of George Foster White, was last week arrested and lodged in jail.  He confessed to the deed , and stated that the act was committed because Mr. White, prevented his (Mett's) marriage with a young lady who resided with the family of deceased.  The unfortunate man was killed on Saturday night as he took a seat in the porch after supper.  We learn the Mr. E. Pitts has been arrested, and is now in jail, as being accessory to the murder after the fact. 

August 10th, the Yorkville Enquirer picked up the story: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026925/1871-08-10/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1871&index=1&date2=1871&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Foster+Mr+White&proxdistance=5&state=South+Carolina&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=Mr+FOster+White&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1.

On the front page of the Charleston Daily News, on August 11, 1871,

"We learn that Mr. Elijah Pitts is charged with complicity in the case after the committal of the act.  We learn that Mr. Pitts has been arrested, and is now in jail, as being an accessory to the murder after the act." 

This article is found here:  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026994/1871-08-11/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1871&index=2&date2=1875&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Elijah+Pitts&proxdistance=5&state=South+Carolina&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=elijah+pitts&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1.

The article is again repeated in The Daily Phoenix on August 12, 1871, this time entitled, "The Newberry Homicide".

The article is also picked up by The Anderson Intelligencer, August 17, 1871: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026965/1871-08-17/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1871&index=1&rows=20&words=D+Mette+Noah&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=South+Carolina&date2=1871&proxtext=noah+d+metts&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

The last article I can find on this subject is in The Newberry Herald, August 23, 1871, where it states:

"Mr. E. Pitts, arrested - accessory to the murder of Mr. Foster White, after the deed, has been released on bail." 

On July 14, 2018, I did some additional research on the Arrest of Elijah Pitts – 1871 – Newberry County, SC. Here are my notes:

South Carolina Department of Archives and History

“Court of General Sessions of Newberry County, SC”, 1840-1952, 16 Volumes  L36090
Session Journal – Clerk of Court 1858-1873, Part III

General Session
Docket 364, Page 213
                Saturday, September 1871      September Term
                The State                           Indict Accessory after the fact in Murder
                Elijah Pitts                                           True Bill  [He was indicted]

Docket 379, Page 222
January Term 1872
The State versus                               Indict  Murder
Noah D. Metts                                   Escaped from jail

Docket 380, Page 223
January Term 1872
The State vs                               Indict  Accessory after the fact in Murder
Elijah Pitt     Continued
                                  Principal (Noah D. Metts) broke jail – not arrested

Docket 418, Page 245
September Term 1872
State vs                                                Indict  Murder
Noah D. Metts                                   Not re-arrested

Docket 418, Page 245
September Term 1872
The State vs                       Indict  Accessory after the fact in Murder

          Elijah Pitts                        Continued   [Last mention of Elijah I could find]

After searching a little more, I find this:

Docket 55, Page 2                    

          November Term 1873                     November 17, 1873
State vs                                                Indict  Murder
Noah D. Metts                                   Not re-arrested  Continued

Docket 74, Page 15                                      January Term 1874
State vs                                                Indict  Murder
Noah D. Metts                                   Nol Pros – January 20, 1874 

Nolle prosequi  [No longer intend to prosecute]

I believe that this means that since the State no longer plans to prosecute Mr Metts, that the charges against Mr. Elijah Pitts will be dropped.  But I could find no "Proof" of that.

Now, that we have all that information, the BIG ISSUE is "Is this OUR Elijah Pitts"?   Nothing in the Newspapers or Court records stated exactly who this Elijah Pitts was.  

In the 1870 Federal Census, OUR Elijah Pitts was listed as living in Cross Hills Township, Laurens County, SC.

Year: 1870; Census Place: Cross Hill, Laurens, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1501;
Page: 12A; Image: 212658; Family History Library Film: 553000

On this 1895 map of Laurens County, you can see that Cross Hill (southern tip of Laurens County) is just northwest of the Newberry County line. Also, Chappells, the place where the murder apparently happened is right there in the same area, too!

I am still trying to find the source for this map - I'll add it when I find it.

Since the murder and arrest incident happened in 1871, OUR Elijah is not that far away.  And OUR Elijah Pitts seems to have moved to Mississippi by 1873, when his daughter, Maggie Pitts was born (there's no proof she was born in Mississippi, but the census and school records point in that direction).  But there is no PROOF that the arrest and move to Mississippi are related!  So...

"Til Next Time!

#52Ancestors