The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-01
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her husband, George Burwell, last year
killed man, Rodney Grandy, on her
account. / went to Mary's house about
o'clock and stayed there until shutdown.
didn't work that day.
"Was there anybody else at Mary
Hunts houseY
Eyes, her sister Laura, who is sick. "
after you left Mary's about shutdown
who was the next person that saw
you"
Her brother. Ira Hunt. | met him
about dark on a back street"
when were you arrested? l asked.
''The next morning about 10 o'clock.
Then that evening they tried me ana
about an hour before sunset they started
with me to Henderson. We reached
there after dark. l heard that there
was talk of lynching, but / didn't get
scared. | knew if they killed me that
all they could do; I've got to die some
time. anyway.
Truly this negro's nerve is something
wonderful He is either one of the most
nervy and desperate characters in the
world or he is one of the most innocent
persons. That it is the first and not the
second of these | have not the slightest
doubt Guilt is written all over HMM
the stains upon his clothes, in his brazen
black face and desperate eye, in his
vivid description of that poor young
girls life tragedy.
He is a young negro, seventeen years
old, rather small for his age, but well
proportional and athletic looking. He
spoke as fippantly of his crime as if
it had been some slight accident of a
very trivial character. And after he had
finished telling about it he sat down i'll
the most don't-care sort of way and ate
a hearty dinner.
Only once did he seem to realize the
gravity of his offense. Being asked if
he knew what the penalty was for rape,
he replied slowly: Death"
And it ought to be- he added, ''if
I'd seen the man who committed that
crime I'd have killed him myself"
Brodie says he was born and raised
in Warren county, near June'S Springs;
that his parents now live there. He
denies that he has ever been in trouble
before, but says he went to Kittrell last
| fall to get work. He has been at work for
Mr. Neal Woodley, he says, since last
| February. but stopped about week ago
because MI w Uouley Hdu HO reg ttidI
work for him to do. He says up to the
| day of the trial he never saw Miss
| Catiett but once, though Mr.. Woodley
and Mr. Clafton, at whose home she was
/ visiting. are close neighbors.
| The trousers that Brode is now wear
/ ing are the same that he had on when
he committed the assault. but his shirt
he pulled off the night before his arrest.
10 ha frin 70 haf
Judge George II. Brown, August 10Th.
At three o'clock this morning carriages
!, were heard passing to and fro on the
street and a representative of the News
and Observer went to the Jail to see if
the unusual activity of travel had any
i connection with the imprisonment of
Brodie. A crowd of negroes, probably
one hundred and fifty were sitting and
standing about the postoffce and court
house buildings, evidently there for the
purpose of preventing any effort to lynch
the rapist. 1t was reported that the ne
gro had been taken from the Jail to the
penitentiary for safekeeping. By tele-
phoning to that institution it was learned
however, that he had not been taken
there.
At 1890 o'clock last there were more
than hundred white men in the c pi-
tai square talking of 'ynching An hour
later the Governors Guard was order
ed out. At o'clock false alarm of fire
was turned in, but the negroes about
the court house. for once in their lives
failed to 60 the fire.
At four o'clock all was quiet and there
IS practically no danger that any violence
will be attempted at this time.