Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-03-06

shot sn the Neck.

ou "SUuCcuhf ulS LII lcuI "A1tC SalA
ors named Frederick Nissen, Emer,
| Fox, visited q house of i'll repute il
this city, near Union Depot, kept by ,
| woman by the name of Eliza Stafford
make the crowd disorderly. The re
| came alarmed and one of them, Franz
Hargraves, went to the house of n col
| Ored man by the name of Charles
| Geier, near at hand. and besought hin
to go with her and ard eject the meI
from the house. Geier, who is big
| double-iointed fellow, who had severa
cut of just such scrapes. finally con
sented to go with her. He entered
the room where the men were anG
they at once made for him, one O.
them, it is said, having pistol in hi'
hand and the others drawing theil
knives. They got Geier in corner
probably in self defence. He fireG
three shots, one of which passed
through Frederick Nissen's cap, an
other wounded him in the fore finger
of the right hand, and the third
took effect in his neck. Geier ther
succeeded in making Iis excape from
tue house.
The wounded sailor tEen applied tc
Justice Cassidey and yesterday after.
noon the parties We're arrested and
taken before him. The testimony was
very conflicting, but, such as it was, we
made up the above report from it.
Geier was held to bail in the sum oi
$500, and the witnesses were all recog-
nized for their appearance at the next
term of the Superior Court.
The wound in Nissen's neck is a
very ugly one. The ball entered just
to the rear of the carotid artery, pass
ing through the neck and lodging at
the back of the head. We saw DIR. King
yesterday probing for the ball, which lie
could not find. The man stood up to
the operation and scarcely f1inched
while the cold steel was feeling its way
along the muscles, two inches below
the surface, in the endeavor to find
the ball.
It was a narrow escape. An eighth
of an inch more to the front and the
carotid artery would have been pierced
and almost certain death would have
resulted.
Attempted Rape.
Saturday, about ~ O'Clock, the
colored boy named Eliza Martin, who
figured so prominently in the trial and
conviction of his brother, David Mar
tin, fox the murder of little Willie
Carter, met young colored girl, only
l3 years of age, on Anderson street,
between Green and Tanning, in the
suburbs Of the city, and attempted to
outrage her person. She resisted to
cessfully that Martin failed of accom-
phi hing his purposes. Nevertheless
the girl is quite seriously Injured, the
boy having choked her severely in tie
effort to force her to comply with his
other parts Of her person. As soon as
the girl reached her home she inform
ell her parents of the affair, and the
matter wss at once made known at the
Marshals office. Twelve men were
sent out on the search for Martin, who
was reported to have left the city and
gone over into Brunswick county. This
Was arrested at his hwe5sr oan fome nhe h}aX }ssX
night, by officers Strobe and Shaw.
and is now safe in the guard house. It
seems that he really did leave the city,
for few miles only, during the after
noon, returning here at night.
The father of the eir! ia a we'll
known cOlored man, among the most
respectable and well esteemed of his
class in the city. The colored people
were naturally very indignant about
the affair. and threats of lynching were
freely indulged in. Had tie father of
the girl met up with Martin Yesterday
afternoon, that individual would
hardly have been languishingin in prison
pow, and it would have been we'll
Homicide in Richmond County
Death of Thomas Seals at the
hands or James Purcell.
On Thursday night last, the 26th
ult.. Mr.. Ghos. Seals went to the house
of Mr.. Arch'd Purcell, in Richmond
county, near Gilchrist's Bridge, as the
family was about to go to supper.
Being invited to partake, he sat down
and ate with them. and soon after
called for his horse to be brought
round. Mr.. Purcell's son James. about
1G years old. and a negro man in the
employ of Mr.. Purcell went to the lot.
bitched up the horse and drove round
to the gate. AS they reached the gate
Seals seized gun hanging in the rack
near the door and rushed out and struck
the negro AS he sat in the buggy, break
ing his collar bone. The negro wrenched
the gun out of his hand. when he
turned Immediately on Young Purcell,
drew his knife and attempted to cut
him. Purcell lodged the blow and re-
treated; as he spraDg back he discov-
cred n stick on the ground which he
picked up and defended himself With,
striking Seals on the hands and head,
and. finally. succeeded in knocking the
knife out of his hand. Seals then re-
treated to hi buggy. got in. and drove
off. On arriving at home he told his
his wife I'm a dead man," laid down
and soon after died. On examination,
it WAS found that his skull was frac-
tured, which caused his death. The
whole affair is a strange one. No good
reason is known why Seals should at
tack these parties in that wa. He had
been drinking, but was not so drunk
as to be insane. Some two months
ago, the gin house of Mr.. Alex Purcell
was burnt with a number of bales of
cotton, throwing a great loss on Mr..
Purcell. Among those who were try
ing to detect the incendiary, was this
youth, James Purcell, and in following
the track, James remarked that "thn
track resembled that of Thos Seals"
though he did not pretend to charge
Seals with the act. nor was it ever
charged against him. This careless
Of boy, may have been car
ried to Seals by ofsicious persons and
have been the melting cause to the
desperate attack he made.
Death sf Capt. II. 6. Rock we'll.
We regret. very much. to learn of
the death at his residence. in White
vile, on last Tuesday morning. Of
Capt III. C. Rockwell, OF the firm of
Rockwell & Powell, merchants of that
place. We have known Capt Rock.
well for many years past. and can
truly syrnpathize with his relatives and
friends in their bereavement.
About the 1st of May next, the As
tor House, New York. as hotel, will
cease to exist, and the square, frown-
ing, hospitable old building will be
given into the hands Of the artisan for
int, q l,1ooE oe of3ooS