Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-05-03

TWO cOlOreu walters dL Tie dDOfc LUIGI,
named Frank Roe and John Kittrell,
which resulted in the death of Roe at the
/ hands of Kittrell.
THE AFFAIR
occurred at o. O'Clock and the news
| spread about that a man had been killed.
A large number Of persons soon gathered
| in front of the hotel, all eager for admis-
! sion and view of the body. But very
| few of these, however, Were admitted by
the police or the proprietor of the house.
With some others we passed through the
hotel to the yard in the rear, fronting the
kitchen and which was covered with
board pavement. There we beheld the
body of the deceased, covered with a
sheet, and lying on the spot on which he
had breathed his last, and in
POOL OF HIS OWN BLOOD.
His face, hands, throat and clothes were
| besmeared with blood, all of which had
escaped from an apparently slight wound
in the left shoulder front, but which was
the outlet through which his life escaped.
THE SLAYER
was at once taken into custody and carried
off to jail to await the verdict of the jury
of inquest.
Coroner Hewlett was at once notified of
the fact and the following jury Of inquest
was en1panelled by him, viz:
VIM. NJ. Harris, Foreman w. b. Bow
den, J. II. Brown, George A, Peck, w. L.
Guitar (colored) j. F. Stolte1, Uriah Sulli-
van, John Bell (colored) j. w. Zimmer-
man, j. T. Brockett, B. d. Morrill,, Chas.
SoutheIland (colored) ; whites and 3 col
ored.
THE EVIDENCE BEFoRE THE JURY.
The following is the evidence elected by
the above jury Of inquest
ThOS. A. Merrick, waiter at the National
Hotel, testified as follows Frank and my
self were, between and 10 o'clock, at the
| table eating breakfast got through first,
then Frank and James Mitchell commenced
teasing John kittrell (prisoner) afterwards
rough words were spoken; John Kittrell said
! if Frank kept on he would cut him; he,
| John kittrell, then called Frank fool, and
Frank slapped him; he, John Kittrell, then
! snatched a knife and stabbed him (Frank)
ON the left side over the heart; Frank then
took chair and struck hin twice, and fell
! QueStiOn-WOuld you know the knife ?
AnS,Uer-Certainly.
A knife was here shown the witness.
| QueStiOR-Is that the knife Z?
4AnSUe3-lt is.
w. N. Collins, steward of the National
Hotel Was in the yard at the time; it
occurred about or 81 o'clock; his atten-
ton was called TO the affair by one of the
| boys; two boys were fighting; saw JOhu
with knife and deceased with a chair,
which he threw at the prisoner; told them
to stop, and went for the boy with the
! knife; then saw another chair thrown; took
hold of deceased and led him OF, not know
ing that he was stabbed; went to the pris-
oner and commenced talking to him; went
back out of the room and saw deceased ON
the floor Of the yard bleeding.
James Mitchell, waiter at the National
Hotel Was sitting at one table and three
boys at another table, about or 10 o'clock
this morning; John kItren was opposite me
at another table, cleaning silver and knives;
heard John call Frank fool. Frank told
him not to call him fool as he had done
so on yesterday, and not to do so again;
went out i'll the dining room, and on re-
! turning, saw John with knife, and Frank
with shoe brush, with which Frank
struck at him; saw John strike Frank with
the knife; l then went and took hold Of
Johns arm, the one with the knife. Mr..
Collins then came in and took the knife and
let the prisoner SO.
Gray Washington, waiter at National
Hotel
Cannot tell much about the affair; was
| in the kitchen at the time the boys were
in the pantry eating their breakfast; went
in and saw John at the table cleaning sill
yer; told the boys to make less noise, as
gentlemen were in the dining room eating
breakfast; went back in the kitchen and
soon heard something fall; went in and
saw John kittrell with a knife, and Frank
Rowe with a chair, both i'll a striking atti-
tude; heard John tell Frank that if he
struck him with chair, that he would cut
him called Mr.. Collins and asked him to
make the boys keep less noise, as gentle
men were at breakfast; then went out in
front to call Mr.. Jones, the proprietor !;
when l came back saw Frank coming out
of the pantry door with his right hand on
his breast, and exclaimed ooh Lordy! !"
and fell on his face did not live long, only
about five minutes; have heard John
kittrell threaten 10 cut the boys for teasing
him before.
DR.. S. S. Satchwell, who was summoned
to testify before the Jury and to make a
post mortem examination Of deceased, tes-
tilted as follows
! Saw deceased, by request, few minutes
after report to him of the injury. Found
him dead upon the floor of the National
Hotel, in the midst of puddle of blood
! Post mortem examination revealed slight
injury upon two fingers of the right hand !;
the whole body presenting no injuries, save
a wound inflicted by some cutting instrIl-
ment, directly under the left collar bone
(the clavicle) extending several inches into
the chest, and severing tie subsclarian, an
artery of said side heart untouched, but
wound sufficient to cause death by loss Of
blood, aside from in jury to other parts.-
The subsclarian artery is large artery,
near the heart, which, if severed, and not
relieved will, in a few minutes, end in
death.
The above evidence having been submit
ted the jury then rendered
THE VERDICT
that Frank Rowe came to his death by a
wound inflicted by a knife in the hands of
;,John Kittrell.
THE DECEASED,
Frank Roe, was bright mulatto, ap-
parently about 20 or 21 years of age, and
was well known about here, he having
, been employed for some time by DIR. A. E.
| Wright. He bose'a general good character.
: John Kittrel was from Henderson county,
: and had been here but a few weeks. He
, is probably about the same age as was
Roe. He has been fully committed and
will be brought before the June term OF
Al. r. A..