The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-24


we were at work and asked Mr. Brown
| ing If he was prepared to uie. ,,,5''l,
Rrowning told him he was not. Wen
you'd as well to be my dathet rei"'c''
fo, I'm going 10 kill Won aud 1t VIII nol
shorton my days much II l 90 ~
stenn,ed 1V, in the door anu culsen ~"
| ohneaa Mn Browning. My father was
ma1 ahoatt the land | know of no
nther troiIble between them. Again
several weeks later he got frtted wl't'
mo ahout the hand and said before we
| should haye IL he would kill my huspai'o
| 4 hn rwrr, hung Two minutes aiFet.
wards We were living sat my faeh'r
,,h,,n these threats were daade.
..'nhe morning Of The killing, when N.Y.
| Rrowning cane to the house, my httle
daughter asked him what was the mat.
tpr He replied that her graidtnlher had
tried IA kill him. ! did not attehd Vle
| funerai | did not see the body unt''
| II o'clock, the nnrniug of the killing,
She didn't think her husband told her
Tho particulars Of the homicide~Shc
didn't remember.
The witness denied that she had ever
said tas a negro had testified that SHE
and her husband would have to Kill hel
father before they'd get the land. she
denied that she was accustomed To lASS-
ing her father without speaking.
At this point the court took a recess
for dinner mtil 80 o'clock.
William Brantley was the first witness
NUT ON the stand after the recess. lie
described the position Of the body OF
Strickland MS it lay in the road; the
tracks of Strickland's horse near the
body. and the open knife in his hand.
Rrantley made measurements of the
premises. These he gave to the court
The defendant. w. s. Browning now
took the stand in his own behalf. lie
sa;d he was 80 years old, a native OF
Franklin county. He had lived in
Johnston and Franklin counties all his
life. most of the time with or near his
father-in-law. Then i'm 1896 they fell
out about Il division of the land belong
ing to Browningis wife. After that
Strickland made repeated threats
against him.
The witness told of the time Strick-
land came TO the pack-house and asked
if he was prepared to die. Some time
later Strickland ran into him with 4
basket and cursed and Threatened HIM
Again in the corn-feld Strickland drew
4 Sythe-blade on him and wound have
attacked him had his SON Charlie MOI
interferred. Coming to the morning OF
the killing. Browning said:
II was on my way to my turkey
blind. / saw Strickland coming lead
ing his horse. | saw him take out ms
handkerchief, then take out his knife
and open it. | turned to the right in
order to avoid any trouIble. | was put
ting on my glove. My gun was on my
left shoulder and just as | passed hin
he caught my gun, pulled it down across
my arm and began cutting at me.
tried to dodge him and one time | was
about to turn the gun al0ose and run
then the thought occurred to me that
he'd shoot me. Then L pulled back tht
hammer Of the gun and fired. j die
not take any sight; the gun was lysns
| across my arm. Strickland staggered
and fell. | just did look at him enough
| 10 see that he was lying there. | die
not want to nill une old man. / neyei
| intended to do it, | had made up my
mind to take all his abuse.
II went to the house and sent my
| little girl for Mr.. Parrish. / tod hin
about it and asked him to go tell Charlie
| Strickland, then | came to Raleigh ant
gave myself up
| On cross-examnatiOn Browning den
| led that he saw Strickland coming III
the road before he tBrowning) left home
When he first saw Strickland he though
he was some 30 or 80 yards away. HI
said Strickland had twice before drawn
a knife on him. He denied that IN
had ever said if Strickland didn't keel
off his dand he'd kill him. He acknowl
edged, though, that he said if Strickland
attacked him with a knife and h
| couldn't get away, he'd hur
him, and only under those conditions
would he do so. The morning of thu
homicide the defendant said he gave
| Strickland the entire road in order t.
prevent q difficulty. Browning sait
Strickland. though 73 years old, was ;
better and stronger man than HI
| Drowning was.
| Br0wIlfng'S testimony completed TIN
evidence an his behalf and the Stat,
proceeded to put on several witnesses t.
show threats made by the defendan
| against the life of the deceased.
/ j. r. Glover was the first witness 70
| the State He said he heard Brown
ing say the land had been divided;
belonged to him, and before Strickland
should tend it he would kill him. Thi
conversation, he said took place a
Dorsey Bunn's house ON January Sth
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