The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-03

dcrcr ~ Fugitive From Justice.
The West End furnace camc noar be-
ing the scene of Il double tragedy last
night As it was, one man was killed
and his murderer is now Q fugitive from
justice.
George Robinson and Webb Burger
were brothcrs-in-law and lived in adj
joining shanties near tho furnace. Rob-
inson has the reputa ton of being wild,
surly darkic, while Burger was one OF
the most peaceablo negroes around the
place.
Last night few minutes after eight
o'clock, Robinson shot and Instantly
killed Burger in the formers shanty.
A TIMES reporter, in company with
Officer j. II. Vest, visited the scene of
tho tragedy about an hour after tho
shooting. Everything was quiet and
the men were working as usual. The
shanty in which the murder occurred is
the reporter and Officer Vest approached
it was entirely deserted, with the excep-
ton of the dead man.
The shanty is composed of three
rooms, and the murder occurred in the
middle one. Tho murdered man Law
with his feet in the door between the
first and second rooms, with his head
against the post OF bed. a gaping
wound right between the eyes showed
whore the deadly bullet had entered. Ills
head lay in Il pool of blood, while his
brains were scattered about. The room
was in good order and gave no ind C l.
tiOnS OF IL struggle.
After the shooting. Robinson ran out
the first door and as he passed ono of
the hands exclaimed. Good bye. Two
got TO leave. I've killed man" lie
then started up in the direction of the
river.
The trouble occurred over Robinson S
wife, Mary Robinson, n good looking
young mulatto woman about twcnty-one
years of aga. She told the reporter the
following story of the troubles;
Il have been married to Robinson
about three years. lie treated me bad,
and last Wednesday left him and went
to Mrs. Simms' house on Ninth avenue
IL. u hlo lJClllOOH, hDOuU i've u ClOCk.
my husband came after me, and said if
| would 20 back and live with him he
would treat me as man ought to treat
a wife. | came back, and after we had
been in the house Il little while he went
out and came back with piece OF plank.
He told me to take off my clothes for
he was going to kill me.
Uncle Burger, was in the room a t
the time, said he would not stand Ivy and
So" him Kill me. Robinson cursed Uncle
Burger and WI out of the house
Umclc Burger went into the back room
where Miss Jones lives, and in Il few
minutes Robinson came in and com
mensed to curse and said to Uncle Bur
ger that he wanted to sec him and talk
10 him as n man. lie kept his hand III
his hip pocket all the time.
II got in between the two men and
tried to separate them. My husband
pushed me away and then commenced
shooting. lie shot three times. When
the first shot was fired Unclo Burg, r
had his hands down by his side. After
he got through shooting Robinson ran
out at tho front door ana don't where
he went"
The other parties in the shanty at the
time Of the murder were burgers wife
| and Robinson's sister and they told sub
stantially the same story.
Robinson is a tall negro ) feet : or s
inches tall, slightly stoop-shouldcrcd,
very dark, with high cheek bones. He
has smooth face; wears a cap with Il
big rim sticking out in front. and a
plaid blouse under coat. Ills pants
are tucked into heavy boots.
lie has been firing on the furnace
shifter until week ago, when he was
discharged. Burger was laborcr
around the furnace. Both men were
married, and both have children Rob.
inson carried q 3S-callibrc building PTS
tol, while every one at hte furnace de-
clared that Burger did not carry one.
One of the negroes said that he saw
Burger with pistol, and upon examna-
ton, officer Vest found ono in his hip
pocket. 1t was cheap 33.caliberc
single action pistol and the chambers
were entirely empty. not even blank
or discharged cartridge being found in
them.
The officers are on Robnson's track
and expect to capture him i'll IL short
timo.
For the clearinghouse.