The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-12-05
! HOMICGDE Nv LAWRENCE.
a Desperate Lover Meets a Tragic
Death.


Death.
From the Comet.l
On Thursday night of last week, tn.
18th inst, Andrew j. Neal, of Lawrence
county, was killed by Rankin Roster, un.
der circumstances about as follows
Roster, who resides with his widowed
sister, Mrs. Armstrong, was with one oil
his neighbors, MIR. Dixon, sitting UP
late at night, watching by the bedside OF
his sick child. About II o'clock, Mrs.
Armstrong opened window by the fire.
side, for some purpose, and Immediately
shut the window, unnoticed by her
brother, but in answer to a question of
Dixon, about her apparent alarm, told him
she thought she saw some one in the Var
by the chimney. In a short time those
who had been sitting up, were about to
retire, and Mrs. Armstrong expressed
some uneasiness about sleeping in the
room she usually occupied, which was
separated from her brothers apartments
by narrow passage, or hall; and their
visitor, Mr.. Dixon, was shown to bed in
that room, and Mrs. Armstrong retired
with her brothers family in the other
end OF the house. Soon after lying down,
Dixon heard noise at window in that
part of the room most remote from Res
ter's apartments, and the window was
opened and the body of man was rails
ed to the win low-siIl in an effort to get
in. Dixon jumped out of bed, and the
intruder disappeared. He then fasten-
ed the window and then lay down again.
In few minutes he was attracted by a
noise at the door near the head of his
bed, and, by the dim light in the room,
could see the blade of dagger as it was
thrust through a crack in the door, as if
the would be burglar was making an eff
fort to lift the latch with the knife. He
then called to Roster, when they both
armed themselves with double-barrel
guns, went out and examined the premi-
ses, but could see nothing. Before going
In, however, Dixon thought he heard
footsteps at the edge of the yard, and
went in that direction, Roster going
around the house in the opposite direc-
ton. In few seconds from their separ-
alton Dixon heard Roster call out,
''Halt there; halt, or I'll Shoot" and in
an instant gun fired. He then heard
another voice cry out, "Shoot, you Cd
d-n coward, shoot!"- followed instant
ly by another shot. He ran into the
house, and Roster followed him; having
his suspicious aroused by some threats
which he heard had been made against
his life, and fearing that the party slain
might have accomplices lurking on the
premises, he closed the door and remain
ed indoors until morning. At day
light he went out and found the lifeless
body of Andrew J. Neal in his right
he held an open "dirk blade" knife of
large size, and on his person he had
a loaded pistol. His horse was tied near
the gate with his saddIebags, on him, in
which was a suit of clothes he had bought
the day before in Beauregard.
Roster at once surrendered himself to
Il magistrate, and demanded an investi
CATION; and we learn the above facts from
a reliable citizen of Lawrence county
who heard the testimony on the hearing
of the case.
Neal had been for some years past a
Justice of the Peace, we believe, and
member of the Board of Supervisors,
which office he held at the time of his
death. He was about forty-five years of
aye, anu WIuOWcE. OIES. ATmSlIOHG,
is the widow of w. J. Armstrong,
who was assassinated in that neighbor-
hood last year by negro who was hung
day or two afterwards. She is, perhaps,
about twenty six or twenty eight years of
age, is woman of more than ordinary,
if not superior, personal attractions; is of
an excellent family, and lady In every
sense.
There is more than one theory about
the mysterious conduct of Neal, the
most plausible of which seems to be this
Neal has made repeated attempts to court
Mrs. A, and his advances were repealed by
her in the most explicit and summary
way. He was, for long time before his
death, in the habit of drinking to excess,
and in one of his drunken frolics, went
so far as to procure license and get a
minister to go with him to her house to
perform the marriage ceremony. The
stern rebuke he received for unwarrant-
ed liberty exasperated him, but did not
cure his infatuation; and when drinking
has often been heard to swear that he
would take her life if he could not AIRY
her. On Thursday last he was in Beau
regard ana leIC late III the evening, Tar
gone in liquor. On his way home, some
fifteen miles from town, he had to pass
her house, and being in liquor, and hav-
ing lost all hope of success in his matri-
monial aspirations, he sought this oppor-
tunity to put his oft repeated threat into
execution.
The Hanging of N Negro Ravish-
err by the Infari6Ged Citizens