Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-03-05
EDITORIAL sEsESPONDESCE.

!
a trip to Smithville even ct this
| season of the year, and under compul-
| sion, is not a disagreeable episode III
| ones life. There is something attrac-
! tive at the seashore at all season
| even to those who live within hearing
of the roar of it's angry waters. So l
must say that I found my recent trip
to Court at Snithv;ile very pleasant
! indeed
Taking passage On the steamer
EastO11, Captain Harper, little after
noon on Wednesday, by the kind i'll
| vitation of Captain @. B. Phillips, Of
the United States Engineer Corps, Ill
! charge Of one government works at the
mouth Of the river, we reached Smith
v. lo, Just before night, having stpn-
ped at the Dredging Boat at ''The
Logs, and at Big Island and Federal
Point
I found great progress had been
made II clearing out the channel 4
what is known a5 THE Logs, about
five mil below the city. This
mas been always one Of the most Diff
cult and dangerous points on our river.
Now a broad and deep cbaunoI has
been cleared ont. The dredge boat.
which cleans ont u space about t>rby
five feet wide is making ber sixth and
last trip through these distractions -
On the fifth trip upwards Of fifty cy
press stunps were pulled up, beside
innumerable knees, logs and other OBJ
structions. While was alongside
two large stumps, were pa led up, uus,
measuring eight feet IN diameter.
jus. above the roots. [ was informed
hat stumrs as large as twelve feet =
diameter had been drawn up. Aad
what is more wonderful, a express
stump, twelve feet under water, was
taken up, roots and all, and the TOP
WAS charred as If a fire had been made
on top of it, and had burned into the
stump. This would go to sustain tn
theory that the present bed Of the
river at that point was once cypress
swamp
[ am glad to know that the operations
here have proved SO successful, YES
sells now pass along at this point with
ease, that find difficulty III getting
over shoals IN the river below.
All the other works are progressing
finely. Captain Phillips is busy cus-
ting a channel across the "Hors"
Shoe, just below New Inlet. and evi-
IDENTIFY hopes soon to stra1ghten and
deepen the channel II this is accom-
piished the work of closing New Inlet,
if it should be necessary, will be les
sened.
On Thursday I visited the Court
House. Judge Kerr was presiding
| found that already h. had wo1. the
hearts of the people by MS urbane
manners, his promptness and firmness
in the discharge of duties, and hi
ability as Judge.
Thursday was enti rely taken up
with the trial of William Fl. Swain for
the murder of Eli Cobb. The facts a.
developed on the trial, being fuller
than the account heretofore published
in the Journal, were substantially as
follows:
On the morning of tue 2ist January
last Eli Cobb (coiored), was seen on
the Carolina Central Railway track,
about two or three miles above tie
Navassa Guano Works, walking il.
that direction; SWAIN, boy abont
fifteen years ola, was also seen with !
shot gun gong III the same direction,
about fifteen or twenty minutes after
men, going towards Wilmington, ,fonno
Cobb about one mile from the Nuvassa
Gnano Works, lying on his face, shot
through the neck. thlea balls passing
entirely through, and several others
lodging in his neck. They talked with
him, and he told them he did net
know who shot him, as he was shot
from behind These men placed MIN
on the side of the road, putting his
carpet bag under his mead, and gave
him some water. Meeting two negroes,
they told them OF the condition o.
Cobb. These negroes went to the
place and found Cobb inst as the men
had left him. They gave him water
and talked with him. He told them
lie knew he would soon die, and had
prayed to live long enough to tell who
shot him, and sad that Swain did it;
that they were walking along the road
together, and swain said he had TO
stop, and he had gone but short dis
tance when Swain fired upon him and
fled.
The next day, Mr. Murrill visited
5he negro at his father's house, about
two three hours before his death =
Nothing was said by the negro ahou,
his condition and his declarations were
not ad United Mr.. Murriil said the
boy talked with great difficulty aud
could hardly be understood. oubse-
! quent to this and half an hour before
his death, Lamb Bell, an old negro
who was in attendance at his death
| testified to long conversation with
| Cobb, and repeated prayers and
hymns and messages Of Cobb, and
also his statement that Swain had shot
! him.
Swain was arrested at Fair Bluff
about ten days afterwards. The de-
fence showed that d band Oh armed
the country for Swain, to rebut tile
presumption that he had left the
| neighborhood to prevent arrest.
The dafaDca of the lad had been