The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-02
THE DROSS NECK MURDER.

Additional Witnesses Testify Before the
Jury OF Inquest at Their Adjourned Meet
ing Y-sterday-They Returned a Verdict
That Walter Pemberton Came to His
Death at the Hands of Simon Prince OF
Henry shepard.
Pursuant to adjournment. on Monday
morning, the jury of inquest investi-
eating the murder of Walter Pember
ton, colored, whose brains were blown
out in the difficulty at Jim whitley's
house in Dross Neck, Saturday night.
met yesterday at 10 o'clock a. m. in the
grand jury room at the court house.
Josephine Pigford. colored. was the
first witness sworn. n her testimony
, was as follows: Il live on Chadbourn's
hill, in this city. At IL o'clock on the
night of the murder 1 was at my home,
when Will Lord colored, came to the
door and called out Ed. Moseley, col
ored, who was in the house with me.
Lord told Moseley he wanted to Dor
row a hat. and said the negroes are
raising the devil in Mary Houston's
house, but he told Moseley he did not
lake time to find out whether anybody
was hurt or not. Lee Blocker after
wards came to my house and said a
man got shot in Mary HOustOn's house.
He said the man who got shot was
Walter Pemberton. a section hand
on the Carolina Central. Blocker said
he was shot in the forehead, over the
left eye. but he did not know who shot
him. Witness asked Blocker who was
in the house when the shooting Oc-
Cured. He said Will Townsend, Jim
Townsend and Floyd Cole. Sunday
night Will Townsend came to my
house and said he was in Mary Hous-
toms house Saturday night, and when
the shooting started he could not get
out. He was holding a lamp during
the trouble, but when he saw Pember-
ton fall he threw the lamp into the
fireplace and jumped out Of the win
dow. Witness said she knew the house
was kept by Jim Townsend (Whitley)
for gambling purposes, because she,
Waiter Pemberton and Mary Houston
had played a 2-cent skin game a week
before the shooting, in the presence OF
George Acker and Frank Hamer, both
colOred."
Frank Hamer, colored, was called
and sworn: He testified as follows:
Il was in Mary HOustOn's house on
Saturday, a week before the trouble.
/ was standing around watching sew
eral men play cards. At that time
I saw Josephine Pigford, Mary Hous-
ton and Jim Whitley playing. I have
e sums ~ III IN AONSS
and have gambled there myself before
that"
William Lord, colored, was sworn
and testified as follows: Il was owe
in Whitley's house about Z o'clock on
the night Of the shooting. Among those
there 1 saw Henry Shepard, Simon
Prince, Walter Pemberton and Jim
Whitley. When I went in they were
all sitting around talking, but 1 saw
no cards or gambling. I saw gambling
in the house some time ago. I heard
Simon Prince say to Henry Shepard,
Why in HI don't you pay me?' Shep-
ard said, I'll never do it, Prince said,
If you don't pay me I'll shoot HI out
Of you Shepard said, Can't I shoot as
we'll as you? and drew his pistol.
Prince said, Why don't you pay me,
Henry? I lent you money when you
needed It, Shepard replied. I'll never
a you till I get ready and then
Prince repeated that he would shoot
Shepard. Both walked towards each
other as if they would shoot. 7 said
to another man. I believe them d-n
niggers is going to shoot and made
haste to reach the door,. followed by
several others. I made good time 1eav-
ing the house, and lost my hat in the
hurry. While I was running I heard
the firing of pistols in the house. When
I ran out I saw Prince and Shepard
standing on opposite sides OF the
fireplace. I never noticed where Penn
berton was. Pemberton had no words
with Prime and Shepard while 1 was
in the house."
The witness answered several Ques-
tions put by the jurymen, but no ad-
ditiOnal facts were elected.
The following eport by DR.. j.. G.
Shepard, county superintendent of
health, was presented to the jury:
Gentlemen of the Jury of Inquest:
ION yesterday, the 18th day Of March,
I examined the dead body of a colored
man in the city Of Wilmington whose
name I understood to be Walter Penn
berton. I found the cause of death to
be a gunshot wound Of the head. To-
Gated on the forehead above the left
eye. The ball was located six inches
from the orifice of the wound, having
passed directly through the brain and
lodged in the back part Of the same.
u. C. SHEPARD. NJ. d..
"Sup't Health"
Coroner Jacobs then stated that the
testimony was closed and asked all
but the jury to retire. After going over
the testimony, the jury in fifteen min
utes returned the following verdict:
THAT the deceased, Walter Pember-
ton, came to his death from a gunshot
wound in the head, by the hands of
Simon Prince or Henry Shepard"