The news & observer., 1898-09-10

| Craven county and having duly taken the
oath prescribed by law as such justice
of the peace and being then and there
a duly qualified justice of the peace, did
willingly. wilfully, corruptly and unlaw-
fully issue a warrant for the arrest of
this affiant under a criminal charge of an
affray and disorderly conduct without
| having examined any person on oath as
! to said offence having been committed,
and well knowing that affiant had prior
| thereto been convicted of said Offense
/ before court of competent jurisdiction;
did wilfuly, corruptly and unlawfully re-
/ fuse to swear affiant to an affidavit for
/ the removal of said action from the
defendant to some other justice of the
peace of Craven county; did Wllfuily,
| corruptly and unlawfully refuse to in
| form affiant and her counsel upon re-
quest, as to who gave him the informa-
tion on which the warrant was issued,
and as to who was the prosecutor to
! the case: did willingly. wilfully, cor
ruptly and unlawfully refuse to remove
| the said cause for trial to some other
| Justice of the peace of the township for
! trial after affiant had filed that affidavit
| required by law for removal and made
| the application for removal did willingly,
miss the, said action after the affidavit
| required by law for removal of the
cause had been filed by this affiant, and
The application for removal nad been filed
and the defendant had no jurisdiction to
dismiss said action, all or which was
| done under color of said office of JUS
tice of the peace held by the defendant
! contrary to the statutes in such cases
made and provided and against the peace
and dignity of the State.
LUCILLE WESTBROOKS.
Sworn to and subscribed before me,
this 18th day of August, 1898.
JAMES NJ. HARRISON, J. p.
Chapman has had the trial continued
several times. Yesterday the trial was
begun, but after the States evidence
was in he had the trial continued and
gave his bond for appearance at the
next term of the Criminal court to be
held here. He admits his guilt.
This is but one of many such cases.
The negro magistrates have people up
for anything. There is no telling when
the best citizen of the town may be ar
rested.
Here is a case that ought to kindle
the anger in any mans heart. For n
year or more Mrs. Geo. S. Gaskill, of
this town, has had a 12-year-old col
ored orphan girl for a nurse. The girl
was fond of Mrs. Gaskills baby, and
the baby was fond of her. An uncle and
IN aunt of the girl, without consulting
her, went to the clerk of the court and
had her bound to them. They at once
went to Mr.. Gaskill's to see about the
child. Mrs. Gaskill was at home, but
Mr.. Gaskill was up street at his drug
store. The colored girl heard her uncle
talking to Mrs. Gaskill. became alarm
ed and fled to the drug store where Mr..
Gaskill was. When Mrs. Gaskill called
TO her, she was not to be found. The
party of negroes, consisting of the uncle.
the aunt and three others, demanded the
girl. Mrs. Gaskill stated that the girl
had run away and was not to be found
in the house. But the negroes did not
believe her statement. They were inn
pudent to her in their demands and even
started in the house to make search.
In the meantime Mr.. Gaskil had
been to see the clerk of the court. He
found that he could do nothing for the
girl. Hence he paid her off and told her
that she might go. The negroes again
went to see Mrs. Gaskill and charged
her with abduction. j. Il. O'I1ara. a
negro lawyer of this place went to see
Mr.. Gaskill. They had some hot words,
after which O'Hara advised the par
ties to swear out a warrant for Mrs.
Gaskill for abduction. The warrant
was issued by w. b. Queen, Il negro bar
ber who does business in a settlement
known as Five Points, the most disre
putable. the dirtiest, fithiest part of
the town. He tries his cases in his
negro barber shop a room about 2Ox7
feet. This is where Mrs Gaskill was to
be tried. The warrant was put i'll the
hands of the negro constable, Stanley.
He went to Mrs. Gaskill and read the
warrant. 1t frightened her out of her
wits and she ran away and hid. The
constable could not find her. Mr.. Gas
kill went to the trial instead of his
wife, Mr.. l.. ]. Moore. an attorney of
this place, represented Mrs. Gaskill.
He waived examination for his client.
But the justice of the peace demanded
that Constable Stanley go and bring
Mrs. Gaskil into his court, whereupon
Mr.. Moore got up and made threat
ening speech, saying, among other
things, that the white people of the
town would not bear such treatment.
He said there would be blood shed.
MS ana nothing else saved MIS-. Gas-
kill, an innocent white woman. from
being dragged into that dirty dive for
trial. She was bound over to court.
The case was dismissed by the solicitor
without his ever drawing up a bill.
Some time during the spring a Ger
man, by the name of Habischt, and his
wife, came here to live. They came di-
rect from New York Mr.. Habischt be-
gan to work for Mr.. William Calligan,
a bar-keeper and n Republican lie be
came angry with Habischt and his wife
and tried to drive them from his sa-
loon They live in the saloon building.
Some time in May he went to Fred
Douglas, negro magistrate of the
town, and swore out a peace warrant
against Mrs, Habischt. Stanley, the
negro constable was sent to arrest her.
He brought her before Douglas and in
short and disgraceful order she was
| bound over to keep the peace under a
| bond that she could not give. Before
she was hardly aware of it, she was on
| the way to jail. There she was, a poor
| innocent woman, being escorted to jail
| for no cause in the world that she could
see, by a negro constable. Some white