The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-14
A MANCHESTER TRAGEDY
JOHN JONES KILLS ALEXANDER
COTTON.
THE WEAPON USED 4 HEAVY
STICK OK CLUE.
rttI ,.rSE IiiI FERMENTATION OF
= BILL ny 4 CJHvKID
CONsTABLE.
John Jingle Struck several Times over
The EEead-Ihe aching toronefs
Jury-single's Atateinenf-he-
scslption of the wound
The JurY's Serdtcf.

Wednesday night a difficulty occur
red in Mr Charles T. Jones store. just
outside the corporate limits Of Man
chester. which resulted m the serious
wounding of john 1lDgle and the death
Yesterday OF Alexander Co tom. both
drivers for the Richmond lee Company.
II seems as If Cotton owed Charles
I. Jones a grocery bill, amounting to
about four dollars. which bill was put
in the hands of the cO.ored constable
Of Manchester district. Ned Davis. for
collection. Cotton took offence at the
bill being placed la the hands If the
negro. aud went To Mr.. Jones store. In
company with his son-in-law, John
Tingle, TO see Jones la regard TO the
matter.
When they reached the store diff
Guilty ensued. and Cotton made several
attempts to bit Charles +. Jones with a
beer glass As he did this. john Jones.
who l. brother of Charles j. Jones.
picked up a heavy stick lsaid to be
baseball bait and dealt Cotton ter
rife blow ON the head. fracturlng ms
skull. and then turned upon Iugle.
striking him several severe blows on
the head. Cotton. with the assistance
of Tingle. walked To las home. and DR..
Wilkinson was summoned aud dressed
his wound.
Cotton fingered through the nigh;
nconscicus. and wa, attended ye,ter-
day by Doctors Wilkinson. White. Dor
set. =. l.. Ingram. and Lawrence ln-
gram until about o clock IN the after
noon. when death put an end TO his
suifeIiugs.
TINGLE's STATEMENT.
Squire Wilson Hewlett. the colorcd
magistrate of Manchester district. sum
moned jury and held an inquest over
the body Of Cotton. Yesterday after
noon at 6.3O. when Tiugle made the
following statement
Ell. Davis met him lCOu0ml last
night and presented bin for four dol /
lars. which he knew nothing about. /
lie wen, 10 TO Jones with the inien- /
tion'of paying il. He vent i'm there and F.
asked Jones about the blu. saying, /
" why didn't you say something about I
il to me instead OF giving IL ID negro
constable - lie lJOuesl says, "Nes,
gave Il To a negro constable. and the
old man lCOttOml says. Il think F.
you treated me ike sc0uudrel,
and. when he said that Jones ran out
from behind his bar. | saw them about .
tocllDch, aud ran in between the two .
parties in order 10 separate them. and .
when | got UP 10 them john Jones .
struck me with bat. Cnalle5 Jones .
had Ratchet and John Jones had a .
base ball bat, and he struck me. 10 .
was stick. big at one end and small al .
the other. ami put me 10
mind OF a baseball bat. There
was no beer glass thrown. and .
did not see any one attempt 10 throw
any. The first lick he struck me did /
not knock me down, but the next one
got me On my knees. | do not know
whether he hit me first or Mr.. Cotton.
Charles JOnes ran from behind his bar
counter and John Jones came around
the grocery counter and ran into the
lattice. | cannot say positively what
hit him. john Jones was the only one
that had the bat. Charles Jones had
Ratchet, but do not think there was
any blow passed with the Ratchet.
All | saw in the store was John Jones.
Charles Jones. Addison Jones. ard
yellow negrO-I do not know his name.
but know his face-and myself and the
cid man lCottoml and BuGdie Got
toms SOM. lie John jones' came
from behind the grocery counter. was
facing the bar. add he came up behind
me. | saw him step out TO the door
when we first went in. and never saw
him again until he struck the blow.
TIE WOUND.
DR.. Wilkinson. who was the first
physician summoned TO attend the un-
fortunate man. described the wound as
follows: The wound was little above.
and to the rear Of the ear, about one
in CHI in length. The flesh wound was
net bad looking wound. by any
means. | could not determine posi-
lively whether the skull was fractured
or not without dis-ecting. which DR..
White did. and found the skull extern
sively fractured, and by removing the
portions of bone broken of. large
collection of coagulated blood was
between the brain and skull.
The fracture Of the skull was evident
ly sufficient TO cause death. | could
not tell from the appearance Of the
wound what kind OF instrument WAS
used. but such a wound IN GIT bs readi-
~ inflicted with a s,ick. saw no con
elusive sigh that Ratchet was used.
The wound. just as It wa. might have
readily been inflicted with a stick. The
wound is not more than an l1ch long.
md not smooth cut-Tagber a lacera-
led cut.
CHARLES JONES STATEMENT.
The following was obtained from a |
reliable source as Charles Jones YER
ion of the affair:
Charlie was coming out from his safe.
The two men came ia, and Cotton |
ays: Mr.. Jones, want to speak to ,
'ou; step back here and Charlie
vent back behind his counter.
,ottom came right along up
trough the store around the