08/28/2026
Officer Arthur T. Hughes
Honea Path Police Department
End of Watch: August 28, 1920
Arthur Tillman Hughes was born in Donalds, in March of 1891, to Enoch A. and Cora Martin Hughes. Before he was “of age” he married Miss Maude Boyce of Honea Path. Together they had four children, Gordon, Ansel, Leona, and Roger.
Arthur Hughes served as a Policeman with the Honea Path Police Department. Hughes was a conscientious and honest law enforcement officer. Officer Hughes had been recommended by the Greenwood County delegation for the position of Rural Policeman, however since he was a resident of Anderson County, he was ruled ineligible by state law.
In early August of 1920, Officer Hughes arrested “Jap” Ashley for transporting illegal whiskey. After he was convicted and fined, “Jap” Ashley told Chief of Police George Page that, “Hughes would be put out of the way soon.” On the following Saturday night, Officer Hughes drove a buggy to Joe Ashley’s farm and broke up a “Skin Game”. Raiding a house on the farm, he arrested two residents for illegal whiskey. As an automobile approached, one of the men said, “Somebody better stop that car.” Suspecting the car was hauling liquor, Officer Hughes told them to let the car come on down. The car stopped short and Officer Hughes drove his buggy up the road to meet it. Five gunshots were fired at the officer from the car, as it sped away. Unable to catch the automobile with his buggy, Officer Hughes went to the home of Baxter Gambrill to try to borrow a car, but Gambrill didn’t have one. Gambrill’s son got into the buggy with Officer Hughes and they drove down the road until they came to a house where the car was parked. As Officer Hughes investigated, one of the neighbors told Gambrill’s son that he better not hang around Officer Hughes because, “They were going to get him.” Officer Hughes was later informed that there was a man stationed in Honea Path for three consecutive nights, waiting on the opportunity to kill him.
Officer Hughes had previously been approached by the former sheriff, Joe Ashley, and offered $200 a month and a Buick automobile to protect his illegal whiskey operation. Officer Hughes declined the offer and Ashley countered with threats. Ashley repeated the offer on several occasions, according to Officer Hughes. Ashley also stated that the offer is open only, “if the right kind of fellow is elected sheriff”. Later, Joe Ashley would claim that it was all a joke between him and Officer Hughes. Needless to say, there was bad blood between the Ashley’s and Officer Hughes.
On Tuesday, August 24, 1920, Officer Hughes was in front of Donald’s Drug Store in Honea Path where a large crowd had gathered for a political stump meeting. After the political meeting broke up, Officer Hughes saw two men scuffling in the crowd. Winston Smith and Willie Moore were playing around, wrestling. As Officer Hughes broke it up, Moore grabbed Officer Hughes, picked him up, and asked him if he wanted to wrestle. When the Officer said he did not want to wrestle, Ernest Ashley prodded Officer Hughes. Harsh words were passed and Officer Hughes was inclined to accept the challenge from Ashley. Officer Hughes took his pistol from his holster and handed it to Chief Page. As Officer Hughes turned back towards his antagonist, Ashley pulled a pistol and fired three shots. Two bullets struck Officer Hughes, one in the abdomen and one in the head. Fearing Chief Page would shoot Ernest Ashley, Willie Moore grabbed and held Chief Page while Plummer Ashley disarmed him.
Officer Hughes was taken to the Anderson County Hospital where he was treated by Dr. Donald. Officer Hughes told Dr. Donald that Ernest Ashley had shot him for nothing. Prior to losing consciousness, Officer Hughes told his brother-in-law, “They said they’d get me and they have got me at last.”
Honea Path Policeman Arthur T. Hughes died as a result of his injuries on August 28, 1920.
Ernest Ashley had been held at the Anderson County Jail on assault and battery with intent to kill charges, but after Officer Hughes’ death, the charges were upgraded to murder.
On Tuesday, September 7th, Ernest Ashley was indicted by the Grand Jury for the murder of Officer Hughes. The case was continued due to the presiding judge taking ill. Ashley was released on $5,000 bond on the murder charge, on September 14.
On May 24, 1921, the murder trial began for Ernest Ashley. Seventeen witnesses testified to conflicting versions of what happened. Witnesses for the prosecution testified that Officer Hughes had disarmed himself and was taking off his badge when he was murdered by the Ashley faction. Witnesses for the defense testified that Officer Hughes was drawing his pistol when Ernest Ashley shot him in self-defense. On May 25th, the jury convicted Ashley of manslaughter and he was sentenced to eleven years by Judge George E. Prince. The defense counsel protested because by state law anyone sentenced to more than ten years must appear before the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for bail. Judge Prince recalled his sentence and resentenced Ashley to ten years. He then set bail at $10,000 for the pending appeal. The case was appealed to the State Supreme Court which granted a new trial based on grounds that Judge Prince had discussed the case over the telephone with the foreman of the jury.
On September 16, 1922, Ernest Ashley was again convicted of manslaughter for the killing of Officer Hughes. On Monday, September 18th, Judge Mendel L. Smith sentenced him to twelve years at hard labor, in the state penitentiary. The sentence pronounced by Judge Smith included some of the following:
“Ashley, you are extremely fortunate in the verdict of that jury. They could have easily found you guilty of murder… The jury has seen fit to take a very lenient view in your case” … “Now I am going to address your inner self. That great big something inside a man that tells him right from wrong and I want you to silently answer the questions that I am going to ask you, not out loud, but let your conscience answer them” … “I have the utmost confidence in the testimony of the little boy who was playing on the baseball ground and overheard that conversation out near the sign-board. I tell you, Ashley, if Hughes’ friends had tried to manufacture evidence, they wouldn’t have gone to a little boy, who might break down under the apprehension of cross-examination and given the whole plan away. I attach considerable importance to the statement that little boy made, and I believe the jury in your case put full credence in it. Men rarely seek out little boys and have them take part in a hatched-up story, for the risk is too great. Boys the age of that little fellow, when they come to court, come to tell the truth, and I believe this little fellow did tell it.”… “I am telling you these things because I don’t want you to have any grievance against the law. I want you to feel that there is justice in what I am going to do, and if you will ask your conscience and answer the questions I am going to ask you, you will feel there is, whether you say so or not. Of course, you have excuses for this killing, and it appears natural that you would. It seems to me I would let my mind revert to the scene of the lifeless body being carried to a bullet-made widow, whose screams would beat against my ears. No power this side of heaven or hell could keep me from making some excuse.”… “Much has been said in this case in an effort to solve why Hughes took out his gun. There is no doubt in my mind that Hughes did remove his pistol from his side. The chief of police was standing there, and he says he took it from his left side with his left hand and handed it first to Chief Page. He drew that gun with his left hand. You know a man does not draw a gun that way when he is going to shoot, and there was some movement on the part of Hughes as though he was about to take off his badge. That is just as plain as the noon-day sun. Hughes was a brave man. There is no doubt of that. Not a cell in his body responded to the call of fear. When Moore had walked over to him and lifted him from the sidewalk two or three times, he jolted him up and down, and he had asked to be let loose, and you said, ‘Don’t get husky about it,’ he knew he was in an air of hostility, and he removed his gun and was reaching to take off his badge to completely remove his official capacity so he could fight you like a man. He intended to play fair; he intended fighting you fair. There is one thing you have been taught since you were a child at your mother’s knee and you romped over the playgrounds at school, and that was to fight fair, to never hit a man when he is down. You learned to fight like that when you went to school.”… “But you were taught never to strike a man after he has fallen.”… “If the first bullet you fired into Hughes’ body went straight back and tore down the spinal cord, he was probably paralyzed. There was no testimony that he was, but it is a practical theory that he was. When he fell to the sidewalk, wounded in the abdomen, he very probably was paralyzed from the shoulder down. Now, if you had shot three times in succession, and with your gun about the same position as you say you did, one of the bullets would have passed into the crowd that was around the front of the store and probably killed someone else. Ashley, you shot that man after he had fallen to the sidewalk. You shot him as he lay there, helpless and paralyzed as I say, from the head down, and the bullet ranged down, indicating that it could not have come from the position in which you claim you held your gun.” “What should be done to a man after he has shot another one time, then fire upon him after he has fallen, helpless, to the ground? I could leave that question to you if you’d speak your convictions which your conscience dictates, or the opinion of any red-blooded man would speak.” … “The jury has seen fit not to give you a recommendation, and I take it that they did not feel it their duty to ask the leniency of the court. God knows I have tried to give you a fair trial, Ashley. You have been ably represented by counsel; the lawyers who defended you have done all within their power; they have presented every line of testimony in your favor to the jury, and if they have failed to do their best in any detail, the court cannot recall it. Regardless of what others say, I am going to do what I think right after a long, careful, and I am not ashamed to say, prayerful deliberation. God knows I hate to do it, but my conscience is clear that I am doing my duty as the circumstances and facts surrounding the case show. The sentence of the court is that you be confined at hard labor upon the public works of Anderson County or in the State Penitentiary for a period of twelve years.” Ashley was then transported to the State Penitentiary.
Following Ashley’s conviction, Honea Path Chief of Police, George Page swore out additional warrants in connection with the death of Officer Hughes. Willie Moore, Jesse Shirley, and Plummer Ashley were charged with aiding and abetting, in the plot to kill Officer Hughes. Bail was set at $2000 each.
On May 12, 1923, the aiding and abetting trial of Willie Moore, Jesse Shirley, and Plummer Ashley began. Judge Ramage presided. Jesse Shirley was acquitted and the jury deadlocked on Moore and Plummer Ashley. Their case ended in a mistrial.
On September 10, 1923, Willie Moore and Plummer Ashley were again tried for aiding and abetting in the killing of Officer Arthur Hughes. The jury deliberated for more than twenty-eight hours and was unable to reach a verdict. Judge Hayne F. Rice ordered a mistrial.
During the February 1924 term of General Sessions Court, the Solicitor requested that the case against Plummer Ashley and Willie Moore be nolle prossed, based on the two previous trials ending in mistrials.
Honea Path Policeman Arthur T. Hughes was inducted into the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame in 1986, never to be forgotten.
