For trail robbery victim, love disarms a drawn gun

A Lady’s Island man robbed of his wallet along the Spanish Moss Trail last year is hoping to repay a good deed.

Laurance Davis was kneeling in the mulch in August under a tree planted in memory of his grandson, Brian Davis Bundy, when a man pushed him on the shoulder from behind. Davis turned to see a pistol pointed at his head. The gunman demanded his wallet before riding away on a bicycle.

About a week later, Davis’ wife, Sarah, was digging around in the same mulch and found another wallet.

“Sir, crime took your wallet. I give you mine,” a note inside said. “Love, Citizens.”

A single dollar bill had been tucked in the billfold with another message: “Spend the dollar as a symbol of love and compassion.” Also included were drawings of a puppy with hearts and the words “peace” and “love.” Another drawing showed a baby and a hand giving a thumbs-up with the words “Love goodness.”

Laurance Davis hasn’t spent the dollar, which was stained from rain. The 87-year-old filed the wallet, money and notes in a brown binder and left the items out in his living room while he thought of a way to spread the love.

Whenever the couple has friends over, the binder is hidden away.

But Davis always brings it back out.

“He has to keep it in mind,” said his wife of more than 67 years.

To repay the stranger’s gesture, Davis decided recently to ask people to donate to the Spanish Moss Trail. The path now stretches from Port Royal to near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and will need continued maintenance, he said.

Donations could go to funding the next segment of the trail out to Clarendon Road, Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail director Dean Moss said. Gifts would also be welcome for signs or other amenities, he said.

“Anything the public can do in response to help me say thank you,” Davis said.

Various organizations have adopted portions of the trail. Bundy Appraisal and Management, the family business Davis sold his stake in years ago, adopted the trail from Brotherhood Road to Broome Lane in his grandson’s memory.

The robbery hasn’t kept Davis from checking on the Broome Lane trailhead about once a week, though his wife always joins him now.

“It’s really gotten too much for him, but he won’t give it up,” she said from a trail-side bench in March.

Davis is considering riding the trail on his three-wheeled bike, though he may give it to his wife and choose another model. He still sees friends regularly on the trail and enjoys checking on the plants, many of which originated in his Lady’s Island yard.

His parents once lived at the end of Broome Lane on Battery Creek. He plans to continue his regular visits.

An arrest has not been made in the robbery, but that hasn’t kept Davis from returning. The incident could have happened anywhere, he said.

“I have no fear of the trail,” he said.