The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-17
NEGRO MAN DECAPlTATED
HEAD CUT OFF BY A SOUTHERN
SHIFTING ENGINE.
Was Drunk and Probably Lay Down on
the Track---Or Was There
Foul Play?

Foul Play?
Mean whiskey and a bad woman
| that tells the story of tragic death on
the Southern Railway near here about
} O'clock yesterday morning.
All yesterday forenoon there was a
crowd Of people around the Southern
Railway to see the decapitated body Of
William Manly, the Inflated man. 1T
! lay On stretcher, covered with piece
Of cotton bagging, in one of the freight
warehouses. The head, cut smoothly
off at it's base. lay by the side of the
body, and with it's dead upturned face,
presented a horrible spectacle. On the
right side of the forehead was a great
| hole, while the jaw was crushed and torn.
There were other holes and other bruises
about the head. The left foot was also
crushed and the white bones stuck out
from the bloody mangled flesh. Beyond
this the body was not bruised or hurt.
1t was about 3 o'clock yesterday morn
| ing when a shifting engine ON the South
ern Railway ran over the body just be-
yond the Overhead Bridge" near the
A. and M. College. Engineer r. Y.
Mebane was in the cab of the shifter.
He had passed the same spot half an
hour before, helping freight train No. 40,
for Greensboro, up the grade. Now as he
came dashing back he felt the jar and
crunch of something beneath his wheels.
He stopped at once. There, upon the
track lay the headless body of negro
man. The head had rolled down the EN-
l. |, Low fhnro in rho 6a npSS
with the cap still upon it. crushed
foot hung helpless across the track on
the opposite side.
There was no one near. The body was
taken up and brought back to the depot,
and placed in the warehouse, where it
lay all yesterday morning. 1t was Wis
lifted by great crowds of negroes nearly all
Of whom recognized the face of VIII
licm Manly. Among them were his
mother, brother, aunt and brOther-in-law.
Early in the afternoon the body was
turned over to the cOlored fire depart
ment, of which he was u member, and 1t
was buried by them.
No coroner's inquest was held, because
/ it, was deemed unnecessary, there being
little doubt that the deceased came to
his death by being run over by an engine.
There were those who shook their heads
and refused to believe this, but no one
would make an affidavit charging foul
play, and SO the body was taken by an
undertaken and prepared for. burial.
/ Manly was mulatto, 26 years old,
and paper hanger by trade. All day
long Thursday, and several days previous
to that, he and his brother James worked
in three houses on Mcdowell street, pa
pering them for Mr.. NJ. W.. Woodward.
They were, however, in the employ Of
Mr.. Fred Watson, who had the contract.
They completed the job that evening.
But just before doing so, a negro boy
brought Will Manly a note. 1t was writ
ten on a dirty half-sheet Of not paper,
and addressed on the back to "Mr. Will
Mantle, Raleigh" 1t was this note that
no doubt caused the mans death. 1t
was found in his pocket yesterday morn
ing, and is as follows:
mr.. Will Mantle il you please send
me one II Of oranges and II aples and
one IL Banners and pound Of candle
and something strong Either some Bear
or ard.
MRS. FANNIE RODGERS.
"West Raleigh, N. G."
Now Fannie Rodgers Is q married wo-
man, living out near the Fair ground.
She and her husband have, until recently,
been living apart. and VIII Manly has
been keeping company with her. Manly
was also q married man, but did not live
1 with his, wife.
That the man tried 70 carry ont her
request Is evidenced by 9 number OF
facts. AZ soon as he quit work he went,
to Mr.. Watson and 90, q . dollaS g :. he l;.
of Mr.. Afs=aN.7- Wocasrd a;;=-nsar.s the Sou4i=:
ssn fseight depot an AL bopght pint bottle
NIL scff vshiskey: He also took some
drinks beside this. From there he went
gts. Mr.. Dughis OF. Fayetteville street,
about 10 O'Clock; aid bought sthis Aaaebl
/, and >apple + was easy to see that he
had been drinking. ''s'''5 - . 8
( IL When found Manly had all the articles
asked Tor in the :abpvef nstess Including a
pint Of whiskey. The note was in his
!, vest pocket.
The last seen Of the dead man, so far
as 10 now known, was about IL o'clock,
when Thomas Banks, q negro, talked
with him near the Fair grounds. He
was then very drunk, so drunk that
Banks tried to persuade him not to walk
on the railroad track but to go to the
Rodgers woman's house by the county
road. He promised to do this, and Banks
left him. This is the last time he was
seen alive, so far as can be ascertained.
Four hours later he was found dead upon
the track, with his candy, his oranges,
bananas and wh;skey by his side.
Where had he been all this time!
When Burns left him he was not far from
the Rodgers woman's house. She says
he did not go there. Did he go and meet
an infuriated husband? Or did he get
into quarrel with some passer-by who
knocked him on the head and then placed
him ON the track? Perhaps not even
Time will ever answer these queries,
and maybe it will.
/ All these dark questions were whisper
ed around by the little knots OF negroes
about the depot yesterday.
The general belief is that the man
was killed by the train. He was still
warm when found, but there is some
-