The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-07-30
MARCHED IN BY A NEGRO
WHITE MEN CAUGHT IN A WATERMELON
PATCH.

A White Mechanic and Republican Politician
Caught Stealing Corn at the A,
and N. College.
The mayor yesterday had a very busy
day of it-sort of an eclipse day-the long
summer dullness being broken by dock
et containing something like a dozen
eases. 1t was the largest number of cases
for one day in long time. Most of them,
however, were of trivial nature, but
two of them were of unusual interest.
First of these was a charge of larceny
against Dave III. Williams, white man,
about so years old and of respectable APP
pearance, who lives on Morgan street
near the water tower He had stolen corn
and vegetables, principally cabbage, said
the bill of indictment, from the Agricu-
tural and Mechanical College farm, near
Pullen Park
1t seems that this has been going on
for long time and the police had been
unable to get the guilty party But they
watched and waited. Then they began to
notice that morning after morning Will
liams would come in the city along the
railroad, from the direction of the col
lege. with bag of corn or cabbages or
both. They suspected that he was the
thief, and the rest was easy
They set trap and early yesterday
morning Williams fell into 1t. About 2
O'Clock he went out to the park, then into
the corn field, began to gather the ears
and fill his sack. He did not know that
Officers Howell and Emery were in hid
ing nearby. AS he gathered they pulled
off their shoes and slipped toward him.
With his sack half full of corn and his
hands raised to pull another ear they
nabbed him.
There was nothing to do but surrender,
so he surrendered, being caught red
handed in his misdong. He told them
that if they would release him he would
leave the county at once This they of
course refused to do and marched him
to the station house.
After hearing the facts in the case the
mayor bound Williams over in $50
bond for his appearance at the next term
of court. He gave his bond later and was
released
Williams lis not the ordinary type of
criminal. With his long gray beard, soft
brown eye and quiet demeanor he looks
the patriarch rather than the thief. He
was the Republican candidate for chief
of police in 1895. He was also once
guard at the penitentiary. He is a me-
chanic and has a large family.
The other case was even more sensa-
tional and interesting than this. 1t was a
case in which negro, a watermelon and
three young white men figured quite
prominently. But the usual order was re-
yersed. The white men were charged
with stealing the melon from the negro.
Life for the average darkey is a delu-
sion and a snare without the juicy wa
termelOn, which is both meat and drink
for him. The loss of a ''millyun" is, under
any circumstances,a sorrow ineffable; but
when one comes by night and carries
away the largest and best, then it be-
comes matter of greatest Importance.
Now the negro man-Austin-who
keeps a store at the corner of South and
Mcdowell streets, in the Fourth ward,
has a watermelon patch near his place of
for passers-by and so, for many nights,
he has found his melons growing beauti-
fully less in number. He stood it as long
as he could, then he took his gun and
went out and hid near his melon patch.
He did not have long to wait. Soon three
young men-Seth Beasley, William Beas-
ley and Dorsey Deems-came along.
When they reached the patch, according
to Austin, they stopped, threw rocks at
everything in the neighborhood resem-
bling a man, then being satisfied that
they were not watched went in and be-
gan to thump and hunt the best of the
melons. Austin's righteous wrath would
not allow him to remain still after he
had seen one of his beloved melons
pulled. He sailed forth with his gun,
called on the rogues to halt, made the
man with the melon-Seth Beasley-drop
it, called for help and marched the whole
''lay OUT to the station house.
AS they marched along Salisbury and
Fayetteville streets the unusual sight of
a negro man wit musket guarding
three young white boys on their way to
prison attracted a great crowd. But
Austin was indignant at the theft of his
melons and he kept his eye on his prison
ers and his finger On the trigger. They
wanted to stop and parley, pay for the
melon and compromise. But he would
not hear to such an arrangement.
After hearing the evidence the mayor
dismissed William Beasley and Dorsey
Deems, who did not pull a melon, but
bound Seth Beasley over in a $50 bond
for his appearance at the next term of
court Late yesterday afternoon he gave
the bond and was released.