The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-02
MURDERED AZ MIDNIGHT
4 SAILOR KILLED BIZ GILES AN
DERSON

He Was Shot Through the Heart, In
Dross Neck NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. A,
rested ut the Scene Of His CrimseHe Ac
knowledgss That II Did the Killing, bu,
Fleads Self Defense-Whas Almost Al
Eye Witness Says.
A sailor. whose name could not be
learned, was shot through the heart
and instantly killed his morning a,
1:3o O'Clock, on Mutt street. between
Hanover and Brunswick streets, just
opposite the Carolina Cooperage and
Veneer Works. The man who shot
him was Giles Anderson, a white man
who has been employed as a Waterman
at the cooperage works. He was ar
rested and confined in the guard house.
A reporter Of The Messenger reached
the scene Of the murder a few minutes
after the deed was committed and
found the murdered man lying on his
back. with his feet on the curbstone,
n mis- head out in the street. He had
apparently a 3S-calibre bullet hole
name, but it was stated that he was
a sailor on a British steamship lying at
the Wilmington compress. He appear
ed to be a German or Swede.
Mr.. w. T. Spooner, Waterman for
the George l.. Morton Company, on the
west side of the street, opposite the
scene of the murder. was almost an
eye witness of the crime. He was seen
by The Messenger representative, and
gave the following account of the kill
ing:
Il was sitting in the office Ga few feet
from the place where the shooting oc-
curred), and heard one shot fired out
on the street. l jumped up, look my
pistol from the drawer and ran out to
the gate, opening on Mutt street.
About the time 1 got to the gate, I
theard.a second shot fired. 1 opened the
gate hurriedly and ran out into the
I~street, and saw Giles Anderson run
lining on the pavement towards the
ICarolina Central depot, following at a
Irnan who was running ahead of him
lAs near as l can recollect, he was say
ling stop, stop, d-n you, I'll shoot
|You, too" AT that time 1 did not see
Fhe man who was killed, and was sur
PrlSed to see a man who seemed to be
leaning against the telegraph pole, reel
hnd fall where he lies. / ran to him and
found that he was dead. The man
thead OF Anderson had got away from
PIN, Inc Anderson turned around
bout the Carolina Central depot and
VAS coming back to the dead man. 1
fhe other had done the shoot
fg, but I did not know who
was when l saw him after the man.
left the body to go after the MUIR
derer and met him coming back. 1
Recognized him as Giles Anderson, and
#w that he was drunk. 1 said AN
drson you have killed tina man yon-
DR." He replied, Il don't care a
On, he struck me in the face and 1
SHOT him Those two sailors were
fighting me and I hallowed for you
OR. Spooner) to come out and help
me-" 1 never heard anybody call, and
know that if any one called I could
hive heard it. Neither did 1 hear any
ftss in the street till I heard the first
SHOT n heard somebody run.
t'When 1 met Anderson he came on
back with me where the dead man
was. He called to the watchman (Mr.
Fred Neff) at the cooperage works to
bring him a lantern. Mr.. Neff had been
watching for him while he had gone
to Clinton. Mr.. Neff brought his Ian
tern and Anderson took it and hunted
his hat On the pavement and Ound it,"
AS soon as 1 could, I went over to
the offlc &c and telephoned to the city
hall ard informed the police Of the
murder. In a few minute Sergeant
Hewlett and Sergeant Gore came down..
When Anderson saw them coming he
ran up Mutt street to Brunswick
street. The officers took after him
and O~verhauled him"
GT 1>.or Al~.o- z-o11 r. =. 49,
Waterman at the Carolina Cooperage
and Veneer Works, but is not on duty
at present. He got leave of absence a
few days ago and went to Clinton. He |
came back from there today. He came
over here this evening about Z O'Clock |
and was drinking"
Sergeant Gore stated that they over
hauled Anderson al Front street, a
block up from Mutt street. He had
started Town Front street and was
trying to mic behind the steep en- |
bankment just around the corner of
Brunswick street. He told us he shot |
the mar twice, but when we seached
him we did not find a pistol. He said
the other men took his pistol away
from him and ran with it." He evident
ly threw his pistol away, but the Of
ficers could not find it in the dark. The |
officers state that Anderson was drunk
when they arrested him, and they
took a bottle of whiskey from him. He |
held up his hands and offered no re-
s%istance.
Mr.. Neff says while MIR. Spooner was |
.telephoning to the city hall, Anderson
went in the Cooperage office and also
tried to telephone the city hail., but was
so drunk he could not do so. Mr.. Neff |
says Anderson told him that the sailor
knocked him down and he shot him.
The prisoner, who gave his name as