Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-12-25
A BRUTAL:MURDER.

A Lawrence County Negro MUIR
dersd at orsenviile BY Two Com
panionsf for seventy-Five Dollars.
Capt. ". E. Gildart, city marshal of
Greenville, Miss. accompanied by a
negro man by the name Of Wilton
Melton, arrived here by the early train
Yesterday morning and made a search
ing PATROL Of the city in quest Of two
negroes blythe name Of Louis Thomp-
son, formerly Of Jackson, and Louis
White, Of Washington county, put
who vas en- route for Canton, MISS,
where he was going to visit a girl oy
the name Of Hattie Gatewood, both OF
whom are charged, upon strong cir
cumstantial evidence of the murder at
GreenyilIe about eleven o'clock Mon
day night of a comrade by the name Of
Charles Grenson, who went to that
county from Lawrence county during
the past fall to pick cotton. Melton
states that he and his wife, together
with Grenson, Thompson and White,
had been picking cotton on MIR. W. H.
Harris plantation, about fourteen
miles above Greenville. They were all
paid of last Monday morning, when
Grenson received about $75. That af-
ternoon Grenson, Thompson and White
left to walk to Greenville, each ofthem
carrying a walking stick, and that is
the last he saw Of them. Tuesday
morning early, an old colored man who
lives near the corporation line below
the city on the bank of the river, was
walking up the levee, when ne saw
signs Of where a heavy object had been
hauled over the levee and down to the
waters edge. with numerous stains OF
blood on the ground and under
brush. He followed the back
trail, and in the underbrush found
evidences of a desperate struggle with
large pools of blood on the ground,
aud near by lay a cap and pocket-knife,
a handkerchief, and pieces of a broken
walking-stick. The old man went up
town as soon as possible and notified
Capt. Gildart, who in company with
others repaired to the scene and track
ed two men to the river bank where it
was evident they had thrown their
victim into the stream. Several fisher
men in the vicinity dragged the river
with big hooks and finally succeeded
in fishing out the body of a negro man
who had his throat cut from ear 10
ear, and whose head was mashed into
a Jelly and looked as though
1t had been done with wooden
clubs. In his pockets was found
an old po%cket-book which contained
about four dollars in silver, Amoung
those attracted ITO the scene of the
murder was Wilton Melton, who had
come to town that morning. AS soon
as he arrived he announced
that the murdered nan was
Charles Grenson. He also rec
ognized the cap and the broken stick
as belonging to Louis White, and the
knife as belonging to Thompson,
Persons in the city had seen the three
men come into Greenville at a late
hour Monday night, and had after
wards, about IL o'clock, seen them
start towards the lower part of the
city. This settled the question as
who the victim and his murderers
were. A further investigation devel-
oped the fact that a skitf had been
stolen from the saw.mill near by, and
it was evident to Capt. Gildart that
they had escaped by the river. So he
came here to arrange for their inter
ception. The State pays $500 for their
arrest.
Louis Thomas is low Of stature.
heavy set, light gingerbread color
keen light yellowjsh e. es, has a mole
on his Jaw, talks fine, with a SHARP
quick voice, and is about % years Of
age, wore a full suit of dark figured
satinet, yellow striped cotton shirt, ant
black low crown hat, with rim an(
crown partially torn apart.
Louis White, is tall and spare made
black; has scar on right cheek low I'm
der eye which looks like lick from
brass knuck, speaks with a whining
voice, is slightly knocked-kneed, an
is about "a years of age. He wa
dressed in a striped suit all alike, eS
cept that the coat is well worn an,
faded, while the pants and vest ar
better preserved and brighter in color