Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-03-27
IN A SUNDAY CARD GAME
JAs. SIHa-L.S, COI-ORED, LOSES
HIS LIFE.

NHilIa was ShOa To Death while |
Drinking and Plavsn& Cards
Near The C1tv Y~saeraav After
nOOn-The xuquest TODAY.
row in the woods east of Beaumont
near Bracket Town yesterday afternoon
between crowd of negroes who were
laying cards. resulted in the death off
James Mills.
Coroner L B. McBrayer was notified
of the occurrence and summoning a jury
went to the scene of the shooting be
tween and 4 O'Clock. The body of
Mills was found living in the woods near
the spot where the shooting occurred,
the victim having walked but a short
dis, ance before ne fell. and soon died
from excessive internal hemorrhage.
The wounds were probed for the ball,
but the fatal missile was not found and a
post morten exa amination was decided
upon.
The autopsy was made by Coroner
McBrayer this morning at the under
taking establishment of Mcconnell &
Brewton. The ball was found in the
right side, having entered the body be
low and in front of the anterior-supe-
T1Or SplnOuS process OF the leIC 1lunQ, ana
ranged across and upward, cutting
eleven holes in the small intestines.
The inquest was held in Recorder Mil
ler's office at 1 O'Clock, he Jury being ].
Hamp Mcdowell, E. E. Mcdowell,
lanes Frank, w. L. Shope, W. S. Brad
The first witness called was Bud Mills.
a cousin of the dead man. Between 8
and o'clock. witness went down in the
woods near Bracket Town, and Tobe
Tobe, and Tuckora and DOME Brackett,
two women w no lived near by, had some
words. and soon Will Richardson or
Richie came up and he and Tobe got to
Fl hting. Heard shot Tut didn't see it.
Old man Enoch Ragsdale said Jim shot
at him. The crowd was scuffing and
fl hting. but witness kept the peace.
Pretty soon three or four blows fell on
his head and he ran, when "GeneraP
Whiteside called him back to get his hat,
and ne caught up with Jim Mills VINO
said, bud, that black ello " shot me in
t he bowels" Witness asked him who it
was, but Jim couldn't speak any more.
although he tried to. I'm tell down aud
lived about three-quarters of an hour.
Other shots were fired. Didn't see any
pistol. J,m had bottle in his pocket,
but never owned a pistol.
Gaorge Avery testified: The first l saw
of the row, Will Richardson hit Tobe
lie is in the bre ast with rock. Then
Jim M1lIS run CH n nttle D1eCc anu Suct
off a pistol over the crowd. A couple OF
men seized his hand and as they scuff1ed
| over it the pistol went off with the muz-
| zle turned towards the srowd. The boys
tried to get Mills to give the weapon up.
but he refused, saying it was Tobe Lew
is s pistol. Mills handed the pistol to
| Lewis, but it fell in the leaves and Will
Richardson snatched it up, wheeled
| around and fired it in the direction of
| Jim Mills, who was off about ten or
1 e II Il.
| he got there. Richie started off. Tobe
| Lewis and the dead man were both
| drunk. Lewis called at Witness house
for Dona McLain and Tuckora Bracket
| and went in the woods after them.
| Enoch RaSSdale was sitting in the
| Bracket woman's cabin when the fight
bsgan. Started down to stop the fight.
Richie and Lewis were fighting. The
| dead man shot two shots toward the
two men who were fighting.
George Bryant: Heard cursing and
fighting down in the woods: some people
came running out and said a man had
been killed; when he got to the spot the
man was just drawing his last breath.
| Frank Lytle: Saw big crowd going
around fighting each other in the woods.
/ Heard shots fired and Bill Richie came
bv TIE witness with pistol in his hand.
Lewis and Jim Mills went down in the
woods and in FIVE or six minutes the fuss
| commenced.
| iona NCLaln SWOTC CnaC Snc anu
| Tuckora Bracket were on the way to
| the branch after a bucket of water. She
said: AS 1 came back Will Richie struck
| Tobe Lewis in the breast and Lewis
| kicked Richie. Three licks were hit w her
Enoch Ragsdale caught hold of Richie
| and pulled him off; while he held him
Lewis hit him again the back; ther
| ran off There was a whole crowo
sitting down in the woods rambling
There's a crowd there every Sunday
lgampling Didn't see the shooting
| Tobe Lewis cursed Tuckora Bracket
and he cursed me
Will Hammond testified that he wa:
behind a tree and saw Mills shoot to
wards Enoch Ragsdale; he raised th
pistol again when Ed. johnson caugh
his wrist and the pistol went off. vii
Richardson then shot toward the boz
WIN was killed Will Richardson cam
up and threw a pistol down by witness
by -, got him." Witness has tn
pistol at homo. Later in the afternoon
| Richardson went as far as Biltmore witt
witness. Don't know where he is. Rich
ardson went in a house after the shoot
ing and changed his cap for a blacl
broad-brimmrd hat. He came from
| Union, SO4th Carolina.
The hearing at this point was sd
ljourned till 3 O'Clock.
| James Mills came to Asheville frou
| Henderson some time last fall and foun
employment on the Vanderbilt estate.
| Richie or Richardson, the negro VIII
| did the shooting, has not been arrested
When last seen by one OF the witnesse
he was making his way toward Hcnde1
sonyille.