Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1895-11-28
JESSE BUM DEAD.
HE ATTEMPTS TO KILL HERIF SCOTT
SUNDAY ON THE PUBLIC ROAD,
RESISTING ARREST, AND
Is SHOT DEAD BY
THE SHERIFF..
The Sherif's Courage AppIauded and
His Fulfllment of Duty Univer-
sally Admired.

The sheriT.s Courage App1auded and
His FuIfllment of Duty Univer-
sally Admired.
At the September term OF
Wayne county Superior Court
Jesse W. Bum, a notorious
white man, widely known and
feared as such throughout the
county, was convicted Of a crimi-
nal OffenSe, of an incestuous na>
ture, and sentenced to - months
Imprisonment in the county jail.
He was, accordingly, duly i'm
prisoned in the Jail. Soon after
wards his son, Joe Bum, visited
him in the Jail aud surreplitiously
conveyed to him a file, and within
a few days thereafter, and when
only about tel days CT his sen
tence had been served, Bum filed
his way out and made good his
escape at night, carrying another
prisoner with him, as was re-
corded in The ARGUS at the
time.
When daylight revealed Bunn's
escape Sheriff B. F.. Scott al
once eXerted himself to overtake
and capture him. but in vain.
He could find no trace OF him
anywhere. It was not long,
however. before the Sheriff be
gan to hear rumors of Bunn's
movements, and the goodscItlzens
of the vicinity of Bunn's home
were in constant dread Of their
lives, knowing him to be a dams
gerous and desperate man, and
fearing lest in the sheriff efforts
TO capture him he might suspect
some Of them as abetting the
sheriff and kill them ia their
quiet homes at night or in their
fields, from ambush, by day. In
the meantime Sheriff. Scott was
endeavOrlng to come up with
Bum, and every day Bum was
threatening his life and the life
of any one who should attempt to
capture him, and going armedwith
a breach loading Shot gun and
pistol to the. terror Of the com
munity. Sheriff Scott made sew
eral attempts to surround Bum
with a posse, but without effect,
and as the days rolled on Bum
grew bolder and finally the sher-
if saw that any attempt to u
round Bum with a posse would
result in the death of some Of
his men, and rather than ieopar~
dive their lives he determined TO
cope with him alone; and wheu
this conviction was formed in his
mind. brave man that he is, be
went forth Saturday night alone,
10 his buggy, to the Bum neigh~
bOrhood. and with the daWning Of
Sunday morning he began
accommodating the approaches
to Bunn's house. He spent
Il the morning driving
the roads in the vicinity,
and about twelve o'clock he
learned that Bum had recently
passed a certain locality, and
giving rein to his horse he came
into the public road and discov
cred Bum some distance ahead
of him, and followed by his son
Joe and wife in a cart. The sher-
if droye rapidly forward and
passed Joe Bum, thus saud>
wiching himself between father
and son, and bore down upon
Jesse, but tn latter turning
looked back and saw the sheriff
and Immediately dropped his rein
and grabbed his gun.
Sheriff Scott called to him to
surrender, but his only reply
was a persistent effort to get his
gun leveled on the latter, who
from his buggy calmly watched
the gun Of Bum as it came or
and on round to a dealy aim, and
then the sheriff fired-but not
an instant too soon. Bum re-
turned the fire and then dropping
his gun grabbed his pistol, but
fell back dead before he could
use it, tie pistol falling from his
hand in the road some 80 or &C
feet from where the gun fell.
Bunn's feet, in falling, got caught
in the springs of the road cart
and his body hung dangling head
downward. The sheriff got out OF
his buggy and running forward
caught Bunn's mule and imme-
diately said. Mrs. Bum, have ]
hit your to which she replied,
No, I am not hit" Thank
God for that" said the brave
sheriff. and handing her the
reins he eXtricated Bunn's body,
and rolled it over to the road,
side. By this time Joe Bum and
his wife had come up: andSheriff
Scott walking up to him and
shaking his finger gravely in his
face said to him: Joe Bum,
there lies your father dead:
killed him: l had it to do, and
you r responsible for his
death: If you had not carried
him that file and aided him iu
breaking Jail, he would not
now be lying dead here
before you" 1t was a trag>
ic scene: terrible in its fear.
full reality and appalling truth
and Joe Burn sank down under
it and wept bitterly. The news
spread rapidly throughout the
neighborhood, and the quiet
rural Sunday was changed intc q