Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1896-08-21
ATTEMPT At MURDER.
DECKHAND PUSHES HIS
CAPTAIN OVERHEARD.
ROBBERY THE OBJECT.
The Captain clings to the
Rudder and Secures
Help.


The Norfolk Daily Pilot give.
, the following account of a bruta
attempt at murder at Ocracoke
About ten days ago a sensa,
t1onal attempt at murder, with {
view OF robbery, was made or
5 the life of Captain Davidson. o.
the barge Sarah, at Ocracokc
NC.
For a week the Daily Pilot has
been in possession of the facts re-
gardlng the matter, but refrained
from giving publicity to them
until the capture of the would
be assassin, who was daily ex>
pected to show up in Norfolk.
The expectation was we'll
founded, as the man was arrest
ed here Monday afternoon after
hot chase by Officers Oliver
and Swinson. The facts are as
follows:
About ten days ago the little
barge Sarah" in command of
Captain Davidson, lay at Ocra-:
coke inlet, near Ocracoke, N. c.,
On the Atlantic coast.
Captain Davidson and the one
other man on board, James Will
l1alns, colored, were washing off
the deck. Captain Davidson
leaned over the side to gst up a
bucket OF water, when Williams
threw him overheard. The Cap
tain, who is slightly built, boy
ish-looking young man, attempt
ed to swim to the rudder chains
and cling to them.
Then Williams got a quantity
of coal and threw great chunks
of coal at the struggling man,
who was kept off until his
strength began to fail and drown>
ing stared him in the face. Then
with desperate effort Captain
Davidson gained the rudder
chains and held a parley with
Williams. Williams demanded
the captains money and the lat
ter agreed to give him all the
money that he had Oh board. He
then gained the deck, and, real>
lzing that he would probably be
killed as soon as he handed over
his money, he resorted to a sub
terfuge to gain time and secure
ass stance.
He told Williams, who was
not much used to boating, that
the barge was sinking and they
must signal for assistance or both
would go down with the barge.
He hoisted signal of distress,
which was promptly responded
to by "'The Belle Of Virginia"
The captain and part of the
crew of the latter came OH deck
and to them Captain Davidson
quickly narrated the attempted
murder. The men at once seiz-
ed Williams, tied him up and
debated what course to pursue
with him. Some were for lynch
ing him, then and there, while
others did not want to kill him.
One offered to tie rope around
Williams neck and tow him out
to sea and drown him, but it
was finally decided to beat him
within an inch of his life.
He was tied up and beated un-
til, perhaps, death would have
been welcomed. He was kept
tied up all night and guarded,
but twice undid his fastenings,
and but for extreme vigilance he
would have escaped. When
came his captors put
him on the small, uninhabited
island of Portsmouth.
From here he escaped to the
mail boat, and later, by slow de-
grees, found his was to Norfolk,
where warrant was awaiting
him. charging attempted muir
den. The police have been on
the lookout for him for several
days and now have him safe be-
hind the bars. He will be held
for the North Carolina authori-
ties and will probably receive a
sentence of a long term of years.
The object of the would-be
murderer was to secure what
money Captain Davidson had On
board, which was only a small
sum. But for his presence of
mind in emergency, the genial
captain, who has several hundred
warm friends in Norfolk, would
no doubt have been murdered
in cold blood and his body cast
into the sea