Richmond planet., 1896-05-30
A BRUTAL MURDER.
BARNEY PERRY NEETS
HIS DEATH.
Two White rIen the Gull
ty Parties.
AlURY'S PECULIAR VERDICT.
lURY's PECULIAR VERDICT.
Much Excitement.

Much Excitement.
The brutal murder of Barney Perry
Friday night, Ma 22nd on Mayo's
Bridge by what seems now to be two
white men has attracted wide spread
attention.
1t appears that an attempt is being
made to hush the matter up and
to place the killing among the list of
accidents How a coroner's jury with
County Coroner Leftwich presiding
could come to the conclusion that Bar
ney Perry (colored) died from unknown
causes when witnesses testified that he
was thrown over the bridge by two
white men and blood stains were found
on the bridge is a mystery to most
people.
Mr.. LIPsCoMB TESTIFIED.
James Lipscomb testified as follows: /:
but what know is ] saw the color
ed boy and this fellow Barker He
was sitting in the window and some
officer tapped him on the shoulder and
told him To get mp l invited him to
get a drink. L could not say whether
it was ten or half past ten. / never
saw Mr.. Barker any more. After
6Oe VI eAO b~A0r9Ns o0O0t q " CfOCRs H
heard some one say, oh, don't Then
] advanced and got scared ssw two
men. 1 could not tell whether they
were white or black.
TOLD THE AUTHORITIES.
! then ran back to Richmond and re-
ported to the authorities and came
back to the bridge and found the
stains and hat on the spot where the
man was supposed to be thrown over.
i then reported to the Manchester au-
thorities. / then came back with Mr.
Jones and saw Mr. Barker on the
bridge on the Manchester side / then
told Mr.. Wright that i saw Mr.. Barker
and the boy together Mr. Wright
said Barker was always drunk, to let
him go along. Then, after seeing the
spot where the blood was, l left them.
was not afraid to go back then.
CERTAIN THRY WE'RE WHITE MEN.
/ am certain they were two white
men who threw the body over. / was
close enough TO see that two white
men threw the body over the bridge.
DIR. Leftwich here called the atten-
tion of the witness to the fact that he
had contradicted himself by first say ing
that he did not know wether the two
men he had seen on the bridge were
white or colored. and then declaring
that he saw two white men throw a
body over the ratings.
THE WITNESS EXPLANATION.
The witness explained this by saying
that he had meant to say he did not
know whether the man thrown over
board was white or black. One OF the
members of the jury interposed and
said he did not thinx the evidence Civ
en- in by the witness should be AL just
ed to suit what he said on second
thought.
Edward Parhnm a colored employee
of the Southern Railway, was next
examined, and in reply to questions he
testified as follows:
MR. PARHAM's STATEMENT
Between and 2:3O o'clock I sal
down by an electric light and went tC
reading. ] saw one gentleman go M
Mayo's bridge from the Richmond side
About five minutes after that / saw
two men go up there, one man taller
than the other. After that / saw two
men come back. They loitered in be-
tween. After that one of the men KEEP
on. l think the other went down the
York River track.
MET POLICE oFFIoERs.
I went as far as Fourteenth street
after the lights were out, and when
got there saw two police officers. One
of them asked me where l was going
told him l work ed over here, and h'
said, All right / went over anC
stopped at the company's office. / sa
there for sometime and was approach
ed by some other gentlemen. We re
manned there and talked for sometime
then went To the opposite side o
and this hnr q
man came along and asked me wha
did they ask me. l said to- him the,
asked me where i was going. / meai
the policeman asked me. l then ask q
the man what did the policeman as
him.
SAW BARKER
did not know the man. but woult
know him if | saw him. Yes,I recOR
nize Mr. Barker as the man. That wa
about 2: 80, as near as can come to it
1t was after the officers went of tn
bridge that / saw Mr.. Barker. b
asked me If / we're going over tn
bridge, and ! told him no He was
stranger to me. The last l saw of hiT
he was going towards Manchester.
knew the boy who was killed.
THE COLOR OF THE MEN.
could not recognize one as a color
ed man because the lowest man was o
the outside. You can recognize
white man by the electric light.
was close enough to identify the firi
man as a white man. / said there Wa
a small man and tall man tOgethe
The one this side was dressed in dar
clothes and had on derby hat.
said ] could not see the small maj
This man Barker had on a light suit
clothes as he has now. could not 81
he was one of the two that went Il
wards the bridge"
SERGEANT oTEY SPEAKS.
The next witness was Sergeant Ote,
of the First District. He told how
had accompanied Mr.. LipscOmb to ii
bridge and found a straw hat and son
few clots of blood. He further testifit
to having met Barker near the Allegh
ny railroad trestle and to have spoken
him. Bari er had been drinking, bl
said nothing to excite suspicion, al
was let go on. He told the officers tn
he had Just left Mr.. Bakers saloo
and investigation showed this to
true, and that he had been there c
and on from IL O'Clock.
THE MURDERED MANS COMPANION.
After Sergeant Otey's examinatiC
was completed. j. III. Baker, the viii
man who was in company with PER-
on the night OF his death, was exami
ed. He told how he, in company wi