The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-01-27
YOUTHFUL MURDERER.
THE HORRIBLE CRIME OF A FIFTEEN
YEAR OLDBOY
A Counterpart of Jesse Pomroy APP
pears in PhiIadeIphia-Samuel Hen
derson, Fifteen Years of Age, Lured
Little Percy Lockyar to the Woods
Where He Was BrutaIIy Killed and
Thrown Into the Creek.

Thrown Into the Creek.
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. I7.-'rhe body
of 5-year-old Percy Lockyar, who is
believed to have been murdered on
Friday night by I5-year old Samuel
Henderson was yesterday found in the
bottom of "Reddies" creek, Sixtieth
and Catherine streets, West Philadel
phia, and there seems little doubt in
the minds of the police that young
Henderson is guilty of the crime. He
is now locked up in cell at police
headquarters. The body of the hid,
when found, was weighted by two
heavy stones, one about his neck and
the other around his ankles. His
skull was crushed in and there was a
knife thrust just above the heart and
similar wounds on his breast, side
and forehead, while on one side Of the
face is long cut, extending from be
low the eye to the chin.
From what the police have been
able to learn the crime seems to have
,.een one of the most horrible Charac-
ter, and if its details are true it stamps
young Henderson as degenerate OF
the worst type. He does not seem to
realize the enormty Of the crime. On
Saturday, after his arrest, he told this
story of the killing:
II nj
with several companions in front Of the
West end schoolhouse; and induced
hun to walk across the fields TO the
woods in search of "piggies" TO play
hocky with. After coaxing him for
some time he agreed to go, and we
went together.
81 was standing at the foot of hill
on the side of which, half way up,
Percy was at play. was whiting a
stick. The creek was just behind me.
All of sudden l got tired of whiting
and stopped, holding my knife against
my hip, blade outward. Just then l
saw Percy running down the hill at
full speed. l had been bending over
and just as l straightened up Percy
struck me and ran squarely upon the
knife. 1t pierced his heart. He fell
over backward, and didn't speak
again. l was scared because thought
l had killed him, and picked the body
up and carried it to the creek, where
| tumbled it into the water and went
home"
Yesterday, however, when shown The
mutilated body of the child he admit
ted that he was responsible for those
cuts as we'll, but he still persisted thai
it was an accident.
The police, however, believe that il
was planned murder in which the
guilty one also purposed ending ths
life of another small boy, Willie Add
son, aged years. Henderson, it il
claimed, has been reading trash,
novels of the wild western stamp, and
has shown a desire To emulate ths
"hero" of those tales. The police as
sert that Henderson accompanied
l. ,ckyar and Addison to the woods, as
he told on Saturday, but instead Of any
accident happening TO either Hender
son tied both children 10 tree. Ad
olson broke away aud ran home. |
was then, 1t is said, that young l. Dck-
yar's death was accomplished. Dr.
Morton, the coroner's physician, who
examined the thrust above the hear
said that it caused the death of ,hs
little fellow. The police searched fo
the body during all of Saturday night
and it was no, until after daylight
yesterday morning that i, WIS eve
found.
A fact thst has come out in cohnec
ton with Henderson's alleged crime
is that his father, John D. Henderson
was on trial before Judge Reed, il
October, 1892, charged with killing {
man named Christopher Nelson. Th'
killing was the outcome of quarrel
Henderson, when arraigned, pleaded
guilty TO manslaughter. He was re
manded for sentence, but some tim
later it was shown that the death wa
largely accidental, and there was NJ
murderous intent. He was admitted
to bail, and is now free man.
The murder of young Lockyar re
calls the crime, early in the 7o's, o
Jesse POmeroy, now serving life sen
tence in the Massachusetts state prison
Pomeroy, then IS years old, lured
4year-old boy to the meadows back c
South Boston, and there stabbed th
little one to death with jack knife
The child's body was Covered WI,
wounds, and his little hands were cru
ELY hacked, showing that he had he'll
them before him in an effort to war
Off the cruel s,abs. Poneroy, sine
his imprisonment, has made severa
clever attempts to escape.
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: High words are often used 10 e.
press low language