Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

54. 927 Gervais Street. This two-story brick building was constructed ca. 1911 as a dry goods wholesale store. The first story has four brick pilasters with granite bases and capitals framing a central entrance and its flanking display areas. The second story has three paired one-over-one sash windows with granite sills and alternating granite and brickwork surrounds. A projecting metal cornice with brackets is located above the second-story windows. A stepped parapet with granite coping and a central brick balustrade is at the roofline. An original second story balcony, a first-floor cornice, and the original first-floor doors and windows have been removed and new doors and windows installed between the brick pilasters. The interior of the building has also been remodeled.

About 8 am, on July 23, 1921, John R. Martin departed his home at 1420 Calhoun Street. He was driving an Essex roadster owned by the Flanigan-Clement Candy Company, a local wholesale firm, whose emblem was painted on the right door. As the company’s primary traveling salesman, he made some deliveries to various local customers. Around 3:30 pm, having completed his itinerary, Martin was returning to Columbia along a rural roadway in Lexington County. He was heading back to the main store at 927 Gervais Street. The salesman did not realize that he was about to have a thrilling experience to tell upon reaching his destination.

He was approximately two miles from Broad River Road when he noticed a Ford touring car straddling the road. Martin recalled encountering this vehicle ten minutes earlier at a crossroads. Apparently, there were no dwellings along this isolated stretch of roadway. Two white soldiers, in full uniform, were standing in front of the automobile. With their hands they were beckoning him to stop. A third trooper suddenly emerged from some nearby foliage brandishing a Winchester rifle. His two companions also had drawn .45 caliber Colt revolvers.