The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-07
The Festive SeaSon.-Ho~ Som e
People Celebrated Christ's
Birthday.


Tom SkiIton, colored, while ce;e brat
ing Christmas E,e at Ringwcod. fell
asleep at the fire, and buried himself %
that death resulted next day. as we learn
from DIR. Geo. r.. Mathews.-A Legress
at Newbern, while stupeied by drink,
fell into the fire, and burned TO death
Asheville Adrance tells Of a murder 10
Madison, Christmas day. Abe Hensley
killed a man named Riddle. In Mitchell
county, a man named Winters killed
another, and while drunk lay down upon
the Cranberry K. X. track ard had his
head chopped off BY an unexpected tram.
A ball was fired into the window Of
Maj. e.. w. Harper residence at Lenoir.
Geo. Dula, colored, was mortally wound
ed during a Christmas fIolic 10 Caldwell
county.
-. NeUs and Observer: In Surry
county It is said that a negr thiei met
MS death in a singular way. He had
stolen a bag OF corn and swung it up in
a tree. He returned next day to get it.
and just as he stepped under the bag it
fell, breaking his neck.-On the eve
ming of christmas day Lemuel Massey.
white, and sidney Thompson, colored;
got in a quarrel at Rogers store, a few
miles north OF this city. while under the
influence of liquor. Massey was hit
with a rock by Thompson, and is per
haps fatally injured.
....In Pitt a negro, Needham Whit
ley, killed a white man, Williams Elks,
about fifteen cents which the negro owed
the white man. He then fled to the
swGmps-A young negro, John Jones,
attempted to commit a crime upon the
person OF a little tO~ur-year-old daughter
of Mr.. Chas. ID. Curtin, of Granville
county. He was fortunately prevented
and was lodgedir the Oxford jail.-Or-
ford TorcbHqht.
....Nillard Banks and Nathan Wo-
mack, both colored, and half brothers,
in Middle Greek township. Christmas
night, were at the house Of Monroe Wo
mack attending a cake-walk. Willard
used some profane language, was re-
proved for it by Nathan. and a fight en-
sued iu which Miilard cut Nathan with
a large knife, so badly that he died in a
few hours. Willard fed in the direc-
ton of Apex-Lenoir Topic tells how
old man Lewis Wilson was found in the
road, frozen stiff. He had fallen from his
horse shortly after taking a drink from
half gallon Jug of whisky.
Smithfeld Herald says We learn that
a serious cutting scrape took place in
Clayton on Christmas evening between
two white men.
1.-THE wife of Mark McCleas, an
industrious and inoffensive colored man,
was brutally murdered at her home on
the Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad,
about two miles above Dover, on Monday
night while her husband was at kinston,
by a negro man named Alex Black.
...Statesville Landmarks On
Christmas day Burt Rector, who lived
alone with a son in Miller's township,
Alexander county, sem of and got a
jug of whiskey, and that night his neigh
bors discovered his dwelling i'll flames.
The first on the scene got there just as
it vas falling in, and for some timeit
was supposed that Rector had persisted
in the fire, but presently he was found
behind the chimney, having crawled out
of the fire, and lived long enough to tell
where his whiskey was hid. Death en-
sured III about two hours. The unhap-
Ply man had lain down it front of the
fireplace.