The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-16

A murder was committed some time
yesterday afternoon just east of the
city limits, nearly opposite the en-
trance to the national cemetery. This
victim was Ed Wallace, a negro man
about 40 years of age. The name Of the
perpetrator of the foul deed is still un-
known.
The finding of the murdered man
was reported 10 Sheriff. MacRae and
other county and city officials about s
o'clock. The news was received about
the same time at The Messenger office
and a member of the staff FASTENED to
the scene, which is just west of the en-
trance to the national cemetery, on the
opposite side of the county road in an
open space no more than 200 feet from
the rOad and directly opposite to the
dwelling and cow stables of Mrs. New
bury's dairy.
THE NEGRO BADLY MUTILATED.
The murdered nan was found
stretched upon the ground surrounded
by quite a large and rapidly increasing
crowd Of people, principally negroes,
attracted there by the news Of the dis
covery OF the body. DR.. r. j. Price,
the coroner, had reached the scene n
was making the investigation prelim-
mary TO the inquest, which will be held
today.
The negroes mead was found to be
terribly gashed by severe blows with
some rather blunt instrument. There
were three ugly gashes across the fore
head, and another across the right
cheek The wounds on the forehead
laid the skull bare in a most CHASTITY
manner, but no fracture Of the bone
was d~iscernible. Close by the body a
small short handled Ratchet was dis
covered, but it is not thought by COM
petent judges hat the wounds were
inflicted with il, as they are not Sucn
as it is reasonable to suppose would
have been made by its use. The muir
der could not have been committed
more than two or three hours before
the body was found
THE STORY OF THE FIND.
So far as can as yet be ascertained
by the authorities, there was no eye
witness to the murder, dispite the fact
thu il could not haye been committed
in a more open public place anywhere
in that section.
Martha James and Ella Murphy live
in the house directly opposite and in
plain view of the murder. They dis
covered n first reported the body.
To a m of The Messenger staff
they said last night that they both
spent the entire afternoon in and
about the house and neither saw or
heard anything that could have in any
way pertained to the murder. Accord
ing to their story they went across the
road about $50 o'clock to gather some
sticks for cooking purposes and it was
then that they found the body OF the
murdered man. A low growth of wire
grass served to slightly conceal the
body, but other h this there was
nothing to obstruct the view, either
from the road or any other point there
abOutS. hey say that they ran at
once to the house and reported their
discovery to Jim Evans, a negro man
who is employed in the dairy n lives
in the same house. He went across
to he scene and recognized the man as
Ed Wallace. AS he crossed the road
Jim Fuller. colored, came up, driving
Mr.. Dick Steljes' delivery wagon, and
accompanied by Tom Wallace, a negro
boy about Is years old. They went
with him and the murdered man prov
ed to be the father Of Tom Wallace.
Jim Evans drove into town and tele-
phoned the news of the murder to the
authorities. He and Tom Wallace, so
the latter says, had been to deliver
goods in East Wilmington hen they
reached the scene of the murder Tom
said that he believed the Ratchet
found near his fathers body was one
which staid at their home, 1906 Dock
street, but he could not imagine why
he could have had it out there with
him. The boy said that the last time
his father was seen before the murder
was about IL o'clock yesterday morn
ing, when he walked off alone from
the house. He insisted that he knew
of no one with whom his father could
have quarreled as a result of which
the murder was committed.
Dave Wallace, an older son of the
murdered man, reached the scene about
Gas o'clock. II said he worked on
and had just left Westbrook's truck
farm and knew nothing Of n could
in no way account for the murder. He
is about 20 years old
Tom Wallace said he had two broth
ers and three sisters; that their moth
er, the wife of the murdered nan
cooks for Mr.. Harriss Northrop on
the sound and that he had just tele-
phoned her about the murder. He re-
marked about the same time that his
ather life was insured.
HAD BEEN SICK A LONG TIME.
In reply to questions, Tom Wallace
said that his father had not done any
work in a long time; in fact, he said,
he could not recall when or for whom
he had last worked; that he had SUI
fered with rheumatism for quite a
while and was unable TO support him
self. He lived with the children at No.
1906 Dock street.
THE BODY CARRIED TO THE
MORGUE.
The body of the murdered negro was
lust as soon as possible after its dis
covery, by order of DR.. Price, the cor
oner, conveyed to the morgue at the
civ hospital to await further lnVeStl-
CATION and final disposition today.
DIR. Price said last night that he
will hold the c%oroner's inquest at Io
O'Clock this morning. Meanwhile, the
officers are making every possible Ell
fort to ferret out the mystery OF the
murder.
The coroner's inquest yesterday oe-
yelop no evidence by which the muir
der of Ed Wallace, colored, the negro
found near the National cemetery
Tuesday evening can be discovered
or apprehended. The Jury
has not vet arrived at q verdict, the