The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-31
WOULD-bE LYNCHERS
LEFT IN THE LURCH
Three Prisoners Here for
Safe Keeping.
THE ASSASSIN OF BARNES
AND THE TWO NEGRO RAPISTS
FROM DURHAM JAIL.
JOHN JEFFERSON STILL UNC0NCERNED
-
He Talks Freely Of His Crime and Alleges
Reasons. Andy McAdams and Melvin
Parker Deny Their
Guilt.
THE ASSASSIN OF BARNES
AND THE TWO NEGRO RAPISTS
FROM DURHAM JAIL.
JOHN JEFFERSON STILL uNC0NCERNED

Wake county Jail is become place of
refuge for criminals whose crimes make
jails in their own counties unsafe for
them.
Early yesterday morning three such
prisoners were brought here-lohn j..
jefferson, charged with the murder of
Captain Barnes at Wilson; Melvin Par
ker, the convict charged with assault or
attempted assault of little eight year old
Bette HurdleSton near Durham: Andy
McAdams, charged with assault of the
four year old Faucette girl near Haw
River. In each case the lives of the
prisoners We're only saved by the clever
work of the sheriffs.
John jefferson, charged with the de-
murder of Capt. Barnes at VIII
son. was brought in ON the two O'clock
train yesterday morning by the officers.
They escaped the gathering mob at Will
son by quietly taking jefferson from the
Jail and driving him across country
eight miles to Iucana, on the Atlantic
Coast Line, where he was put ON the
train and brought TO Raleigh.l He was
kept in the station house here until five
o'clock yesterday afternoon when he was
transferred TO the jail.
jefferson is typical cracker" an APP
pearance Lanky and angular of figure,
with the stoop of labor i'm his shoulders,
he walks with the awkward slouchins =
shuttle of his kind His face is covered
with a struggling red beard and his eyes
turn outward, giving him am umcanny
leer. He is apparently of very weak in
telligence and does not seem to fully
realize either the gravity of the offence
with winch he is charged or the dama--
ing nature of the things he acknowledges
To gentleman from Wilson who called
TO see him yesterday he denied that be
had committed the crime or had ac-
lsnowledged his guilt He does not hest
tate, however, to talk for publication or
to any stranger.
why We're you suspected of the shoot
ing. | asked him.
''Oh. they always know who they've
done enough to to deserve killing" was
the reply.
What had Capt Barnes done to your
'tfie give me trouble all the year. I
had a law suit and Judge Battle. of
Rocky Mount was tendini to it for me.
lie wrote for some money i'm it and |
mortgaged my mule for SO. Capt.
Barnes wouldn't let me have amy. Capt.
Barnes come out and told me that 1t had
been fixed before / sent the money. So
give him the money and told him to
take up the mortgage ON my mule He
never done it. I'm not afraid if | git a
good lawyer that they'll do much to me. !"
The prisoner then talked at length
about the grievances he had agains.
Capt. Barnes.
did Capt. Barnes say anything when
he was shot?''
''I1e groaned." was the reply.
What kind of bullet did you use
in the gun?'
II reckon / better not talk too much y
Apart from this bit of reticence
the prisoner talked of the whole oc-
currence in the most matter of fact
way and with mo apparent excitement.
1t was only when confronted with the
gentlemen from Wilson whom he knew
that he showed amy nneasimess. Then he
denied all knowledge of the crime and de-
clared he had never borrowed the gun
from Mercer. He was not present at the
coroner's inquest and so is entirely ig-
norant Of the DANA ging evidence given
against him there. He had gone to Mer-
GERS house to borrow the gun he said
but fornd there was nothing to go in
it" and so had refused to take it away
with him. He declared that he had
yer before been i'm amy trouble. II
appears, however, that Barnes had once
pulled an aged man out of buggy and
had beaten him nearly to death and had
also severely assaulted preacher.
1t was largely ON evidence given by
Captain Barnes after he reached home
that Jefferson was arrested lie said that
he was sure that either Jefferson or n
negro whom he had discharged some
time before had dome the shooting. When
the officers went to Jefferson's house
and knocked he got up deliberately and
without asking who they We're lighted the
lamp and threw the door wide open for
them. This was regarded as queer cir
cllmstance.
Tt seems that Jefferson and Captain
Barnes had had some words i'm the morn
ing about corn which Jefferson was sus-
pected of carrying off and trading for
whiskey. Capt. Barnes had arranged
to have him watched ON the very night
the crime was committed though he did
not know it. They had parted on ap-
parently good terms.
The killing was all the more horrible
in that the little eight-year-old grandson
of Capt. Barnes had a narrow escaDe
and was splashed with the blood of the
murdered man. He had his arms around
the neck of his grandfather when the
fatal shot was fired. Capt Barnes was
driving a spirited horse and but for the
fact that a negro who was near and
heard the shot ran to his assistance and
caught the horse more lives might have
been lost. The assassin was hidden in !
chrmp of trees just ON the crest of tht
hin and waited for his victim to pass
before firing. The IL ounce bah passed
entirely through the body and lodged
just beneath the skin on the breast.
Capt. Barnes was Laid to rest yester-
day afternoon at three o'clock, the flmer-
al occurring from the Christian church