The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-27

Revenue Officers to Be Tried
for Killing Moonshiner.
MURDER or BARNUM JONES
SOME ROMANTIC STORIES VI
THIS NOTED DESPERADO.
SHOT IN BLADEN LAST YEAR

Was ried Yesterday ana cent
to the United States Peni-
Tertiary at Co umbus.
A murder case comes up in the Federal
Court here tomorrow. 1t is the State
of North Carolina against J. G. Parish,
deputy marshal; Jack Lesarge. 4. T..
Hobbs. Henry Preratt and Joe Billiard,
charging them with the murder of Bar
mum Jones, Baden courty's notorious
desperate and moonshiner.
As readers Of this paper will remember,
Barnun Jones was killed on the morn
ing of October 2, 1896. He gave up his
life while the revenue officers We're at
ness in Baden county. A regular battle
was fought with Winchesters between
him and the officers. According to the
story, Barnum fired the first shot, and
during the fusillade the chief of police
of Florence, s. c., was badly wounded in
the left shoulder. Deputy Marshal j. G.
Parish, who led the officers was also
slightly wounded Others among the
posse, and those who did the shooting,
were Jack Lesarge, II. Il. Hobbs, Henry
Prevatt and Joe Billiard. All of these
are included in the bill of indictment.
The case was first instituted in the SUI
perior Court Of Baden county, but was
removed here to the Federal Court in
accordance with section CAB of the Re
vised Statutes of the United States. So
licitor e. w. Pou represents the State in
the case and District Attorney Aycock
appears for the defendant revenue Off
GERS. Jones was well-known among both
mOonshiners and revenue officers, and
the hearing of the case is awaited with
much interest.
There are some romantic stories told
of the personality of this reckless man
and notorious desperate. He was a hand
some fellow, they say, strong, athletic
standing six feet in his stockings. He
was always ready to do desperate deeds
at the .beheSts of a desperate will. He
was wary and sdlefant with6nt brtay.dQ.
He hadt aiwavss said he would NOT be-
taken aHtes and his face was pf that
mould that gave ameaning to, his words,
He wentnabeut with three bun dogs at
his heels and his Winchester handy-the
prince of the forest and swamps of
0' Twice he ri. ssstsess,sa, Shss thrown IL
the county Jail to be rescued by his
friends; the second time he jumped from
= train, taking him to Wilmington, going
at the rate of thirty miles an hour. 1t
was then that he swore he would never
again be taken alive.
Then, some say he once killed a man
in North Carolina and fed to Texas where
he killed another. Then to Alabalh
where he added third to his list of vie
tins; and thence back to North Carolina,
where he settled doND- to his hfe of moon
shining at his old home in 1Bhden, All
this was ten years ago. Time and again
the revenue officers located his lair, and
broke up his corn uiceries to see two
grow up where but one had been before
And so time came and went and the Of
ficers came and went, Barnum always
keeping his trigger eye cooked on them.
Then the fatal Friday came. 1t was
about noon when posse of ten men, and
two blood-hounds, surrounded his house.
He did not discover them till they were
almost upon him The moment he saw
them he seized his breech- loading gun
and fired at two of the men before he
spoke. Then the battle began, Jones re-
treating across a field. He had gone a
hundred yards when he was killed, hav-
ing fired six shots at the officers Besides
several bucksshot Barnum was hit with
three large rife balls. One near his eye
that went through his head, one through
his heart and one through his bowels.
His wife and children had run out and
were within few feet of him when he
was killed. He left an estate valued az
$4,000.
1t is said that Jones was betrayed by
two of his accomplces and supposed
friends. One of these men, it is alleged,
was sent to, Jones' house TO engage him
in conversation while the Ulcers slipped
UP around the house The YER acted as
guide to the posse in econnoitre
through the woods. MemI of Jones
family say that these two men came tina,
morning and bought whiskey from Bar
mum; one of them remained and the
other went away. Both were arrested by
the officers after the killing. but were
LATER released on bond
Another noted moonshiner, and one
hardly less desperate, and certainly more
picturesque than Barnum Jones, is John
h. Davis, Moore county's porcupine. He
was tried yesterday for illicit distilling
found guilty and sentenced to the United
States penitentiary.
Davis is a typical moonshiner A bet
ter specimen could not be found in a
months travel. Rough, unkempt, wild
looking, he fills, in every particular, the
descriptions usually given in dime novels
and blood -and-thunder stories with vel
low backs. He is a man of forty-odd
years, his face almost covered with @
wild growth Of hoard and his
hair standing out in wild tufts like dead
sedge in an old field. His eyes are small
penetrating black beads that snap at you
in a vicious fashion. 1t doesn't take much
stretch OF imagination to see them peer
ing along cold steel barrel at you. But
it isn't pleasant, for they say they have
done SO many time, and more than one
revenue officer is today wearing me-
,,,crial Of tho accaciau