The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-20
MURDERED BY 4 TRAMP.

hftleu SUNDAY ShOIulhS - AAAuAo
Mr.. NJ. T. Blackwell. a fiagman on the
Atlantic Coast Line southbound train.
was shot and killed by a tramp at
Mingo. a station between Dunn and
Benson, Sunday morning about 1
O'Clock.
1t seems that the train crew had been
having trouble with ramps who were
beating their way, five having been put
off the train at Kenly. On the arrival
of the train at Mingo. where q stop
was made for water, the engineer dis
covered two tramps on top of a car
and reported it to the conductor. The
conductor and porter ordered them off,
w~hereupon one came down. The other
walked to the rear of the train
got down. Blackwell was standing on
the opposite side of the train from
which the tramp was and went under
the car TO get to the side where the
tramp was. He had gotten to tha side,
when a pistol was heard and he ex-
claimed, Il am shot" The
asked, Did he hit you?" n he re-
piled, Yes"
The conductor and trainmen hurried
to his assistance and found him down
and s~peechless, MORALLY wounded. The
body was Immediately placed on the
train anu cdTTIcU - Al III " IA
clan was summoned. The doctor said,
however, Blackwell must have died in
stantly.
The body was carried to Fayetteville
and his family, at Manning, S. c., was
notified and the remains were shipped
to them Sunday evening.
The murderer fed. The railroad au-
thorities here were Immediately noti-
fled of the deed, and every effort is
= zl1 A. %1I tl,a =, Tho
~bloodhounds were sent up on a special
rain. A reward of $3.50 has been offer
ed for the capture and evidence to con-
Wet the guilty party.
MI. Blackwell was about q years Of
age, was unmarried and a young man
Of excellent character, extremely popu-
lar with his associates. The news OF
his untimely death was a shock to
his many friends.
This is one of the most terrible af-
fairs tina we have recorded in some
time, and we think that the next leg
islature should enact some law, with
the penalty so great, for the protection
of trainmen from tramps. Next to the
conductor and engineer, the 1agman is
the most important man on a train,
and it is his duty to flag all trains. A,
great responsibility attaches to this
place, so much so that the railroads
III hoNC iCllooiS oANN Sc'~A
fill them.
Ed. Purvis, the mulatto tramp who
was arrested after being taken to Fay
e%tteville, on suspicion that he murder
ed Flagman Blackwell at Mingo water
tank, on the Short Cut" last Sunday
morning, was taken to Dunn and he
will have a preliminary hearing there
this morning. Purvis denies that he
is the murderer and says he was at
Greensboro at the time of the murder.
1t can be proven, however, that Pur-
Wis was seen at Wilson on Saturday.
that he was one of the trampS put Off
at Kenly, and other strong ~circumstan-
tial evidence will be brought out
| against him. His pistol has also been
| recovered, and it is believed he is the
| man wanted.
! The Fayetteville Observer of Tuesday
| says:
THE authorities, both police and rail-
| road, are almost certain that they have
| the murderer of Flagman Blackwell in
| Cumberland county Jail. In the same
Jail is a white man named Nero, who
is held as a witness against the sus-
| pected murderer, whose name is Ed.
Purvis. -
Yesterday morning when the Cape
Fear and Yadkin Valley freight train
| reached Manchester, the conductor,
| Captain Gregerson, was informed that
there was a negro at that station badly
hurt, who claimed to have been struck
by a passing train on his road. The
conductor sent for the negro n
brought him to Fayetteville where he
| could get medical treatment. About
moor yesterday Chief of Police Flow
ers and Policeman Benton, noticed
while standing in front of McDufie's
drug store a bright mulatto (the
same man Captain Gregerson had
brought DOWN coming down the street.
apparently in distress. They stopped
him and asked what was the matter.
He replied that he had been truck by
a train and was looking for the county
physician. Mr.. Benton asked him his
name and he said it was Ed. Purvis.
Up to this both officers thought he an
swered the description of the murderer
of Blackwell, but when he told his
name Mr.. Benton was almost convinced
that he was the man, for he had been
told that a mulatto named Ed Purvjs
had a few days previous to the murder
drawn a pistol on another f1agman on
the Atlantic Coast Line. They direct
ed the man to a physician and notified
the railroad officials, meantime shad-
owing the man.
after the man had had his wound
attended to, he went to Austin's board
ing house n secured lodging. Here
he was Swallowed by Officers Flowers,
Benton and Maultsby until 1920 when
Captain j. G. Higgins, general train
dispatcher on the Atlantic Coast Line,
and Detective Turbeville arrived from
Florence with a man named Nero, who
claims to have been on the train with
h man who shot Blackwell. He was
was taken to Austin's and Immediately
identified Purvis as the man who, a
short while previous to the shooting,
while they both were on top of one OF
the cars, drew a pistol and threatened
to shoot him because he had told him
to be quiet. Nero says that Purvis was
trunk at the time, n was making SO
much noise that he told him to hush up
or they would be discovered. He says
that he soon afterward left the train,