The age-herald., 1899-08-04
MYSTERIOUS DEATH
 OF TOM EDMUNDS Three White Men, Including Justice Oi
 Peace Ray, in Jlil ALL CHARGED WITH MURDER
Alleged Statement of Dying Man Impli-
 CateS Them.
HE SAID IT WAS uNPROvOKED
His Version Is Said to Have Been Given His Brother That Night After Shooting Occurred Near
 Blossburg.


 beat 3s in his county, Charley Clark and Bill Mann, three white men living in the vicinity of Blossburg are all three con- fined in the county jail on the charge of murdering a negro named Tom Edmunds In connection with this same difficulty James Howard, also of Blossburg, has been arrested on the charge of assault with weapon on P. M Edmunds, brother of the deceased.
 Tom Edmunds was shot Tuesday after noon between and o'clock, and died from the effects of his wound Wednesday night Before he died his brother claims that he made a. dying statement, in which he de- clared that he had been shot by the three men who are under arrest and that he had not provoked the difficulty.
 P M Edmunds, the brother made sworn statement yesterday afternoon be- fore Coroner Dallas in which he told the following story:
 If seems that Tuesday afternoon Tom Ed munds tried to get on a moving train, ana fell off He was not at all injured by ms fall and a number of negroes. among whom are said to be Mack Moore, George Hail' Wink Love, Will Parker Robert Parker, Will Jackson, Albert Haynes and sam Moore, gathered around and began to guy him on his fall.
 Dying Mans Statement
 The brother who was testifying, said that the dying man claimed on his death bed that while the party were thus talking, party of white men came up, and asked with an oath what the negroes were laugh- ing about, and told them that they didn't want to see any of the negroes getting to- gether in crowds any more. The dying man said that he jokingly grunted at thls' The white men asked him what he said, and he grunted again. Whereupon several shots were fired at him. the first Of whicn struck him and knocked him down. Ills companions all ran away. and he lay there as if dead, while the white men approach ed and after walking around him several times, they went away.
 The witness said that his brother stated positively the names of the men in the party, and said that he was almost posi- tive Charley Clark had fired the fatal shot. Jim Brazwel and Susie Brazwell he said, were in the room when his brother made this statement, but the witness could not say whether they heard it or not.
 The witness claimed that later on in the night Justice Ray one of the men charged with the crime, came to the house to take the dying mans statement, and that he was drinking heavily at the time. The dying man would choke with blood every time he tried to talk, and could not make himself understood to the justice. The lat ter then went away.
 Assault on the Brother
 Still later on in the night, the witness said, James Howard came to the house and ordered him-P. M Edmonds-to &C., company him out of the house. The wit ness said he refused to go, and also re- fused to give up a pistol he had, although threatened by MT. Howard. He said the white man then went away and joined his companions. He said he crawled up near to the place where they were standing and heard some one ask Howard why ke hadn't shot the - - niSSer, to which Howard replied, 'The - - nigger had a gun"
 The remains of the deceased were brought to the city yesterday and prepared for burial. Assistant County Physician Hawk ins performed an autopsy, and recovered the fatal bullet. It had entered inc back, and, passing through lung, had lodged in the left breast.
 Coroner Dallas impaneled a jury to in- veslgate, but as warrants had already been sworn out and executed, supposing to fix the responsibility of the crime, the jury can do nothing until after the defendants have their preliminary examination, which takes place tomorrow morning before Jus tice Benners. If Ray, Clark and Mann prove their innocence, the coroner's jury will then have to continue their inquest.
 All four of the white men under arrest, including MT. Howard, stoutly protest their innocence. Judge Ray says that a warrant had been sworn out before him for the ar- rest of one Joe Ward, alleged by his moth- er-in-law to be wife-beater. He, assisted by Clark and Mann as constabes, went to arrest Ward, being well armed, as they thought he would very probably resist. This occurred Tuesday, and they failed to catch their man. While they were out they say they saw nothing at all of Tom Edmunds. and they know nothing at all of his death.