The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-02
NGTON MESSENGER, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2. 1900

est attempt to do so would have
brought a dozen bullets into his body
He submitted quickly TO a search,
winch was quickly made, the proceeds
being three revolvers.an d one big knife
IA quick examination Of the revolver
moved that none Of the cartridges had
been used, and there was no powder
smut upon any part OF his weapons.
proving conclusively that he could uo-
have used any OF his three reyolyers-
In addition to this. all those who heard
the shots join in the statement that
they were from a rife and from q
smaller weapon.
Whitaker was quickly led away and
placed in the jail, while a guard was
placed at the outer entrance TO keep
on all people who had no direct con-
nection with the institution.
WHTTTAKERrS STATEMENT
The prisoner is a man slightly over
the Medium size with sandy hair all
moustache. He was disposed to II .Ie
things calmly, although he repeat d
again and again hat he knew moth
ing whatever about the shooting. 4
was on the first DOR of the BUILDING"
said he, when / heard Governor Tay-
lor tell that man Davis, the capitol
policeman, to go owe at once to see
General Collier. 1 said / would go with
him and that was where 1 was going.
/ wanted to know, too, what the shoot
ing was about. When / stepped ont
side, that man gabbed me, and that.
a fact"
Few people believe that Whitaker
is guilty OF the crime, but the fact tina
he was hastily leaving the building
from which the shooting was lone was
enough to max the trouble for him.
That man Davis" TO whom Whitta-
ker referred. is Colonel John Davis. the
custodian of the capitol grounds. His
story agrees with that of Whitaker.
Il was just outside of Governor Tay-
lOr's office" said Colonel Davis. when
/ heard the shots, and heard Governor
Taylor say: My God what have they
done?' He called to me at once to go
over to he office Of Adjutant General
Collier, and Whitaker went along. l
am positive that he could not have done
the shooting. We were at the door of
the building in too short a time for
that"
COVERING RETREAT OF THE AS
SASSIN.
AS soon as it was known that the
bullet which struck Mr.. Goebel had
come from the building to the east, a
group of men gathered in front of the
door on the east side. Others ran
arOund to the door on the west side to
prevent the escape of anybody from
there. Several men attempted to enter
the doors from the outside, but were
prevented by groups of mOuntaineers,
who stood in the doorways. Some of
these men held Winchesters in their
hands and presented an aspect so gen
orally uninviting that no attempt was
made to search the building and no.
body gained entrance for several min
uteS after the shooting had been cone,
and the assassin had annie onnOrtunj-
ty to escape.
A WE'LL LAID PLAN.
That the shooting of Mr.. Goebel was
the result of a carefully laid plan is
without question. The man who did
the work had evidently taken his stand
at the window, which had previously
been raised in order to allow the free
passage of the bullet, and waited I'M
til his victim was in full sight before
firing.
Ever since the influx of mountaineers
last week., a large number of them have
been sleeping in the upper part of the
state house. 1t is not known, how
ever, that any of these men did the
work OF that they had any knowledge
of the ~premeditated crime. There has
not, so far, been discovered the slight
est direct evidence pointing to any
man, and it is not likely now that any
will ever be found
PRECAUTIONS OF THE MUIR
DERER.
The man who fired the shots took the
precaution to conceal his location by
using smokeless powder cartridges. A
score of people had a full view of the
side of the building from which the
firing was done, and all of them de-
clare that not a sign of powder smoke
was visible.
Both Chinn and Lillard are men of
experience in affairs in which powder
smoke is a more or less prominent fea-
ture, n they both declare that while
they could tell the general direction
from which the bullets came, they
could not guess at the spot from which
they were fired.
81 tried hard to get a sight of the
fellow" said Lillard. HE kept pour
ing the lead down at us, and 1 will
swear there was not a sign Of any
thing to indicate from where he was
shooting. AS many shots as he fired
would make considerable powder smoke
if ordinary cartridges were used, but
never a sign of smoke could 1 see"
81 looked around a mighty brief
SPELL" Said Colonel Chinn, but there
was nothing for me to look at, so l paid
attention to Goebel. The fellow used
smokeless powder all right enough, and
I guess he was pretty wise to do 1t.
Somebody might v got him If they