The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-11-30

Negro Killed by Another-The
Testimony Before the
Jury

Correspondence OF The Messenger.)
Goldsboro. November IS.
Sunday morning between the hours OF
midnight and 2 O'Clock there was a
horrible murder committed in the
south end Of John street A coroner's
jury was empaneled yesterday about
noon an dthe evidence taken, which evil
dence and tn jury's verdict / give be-
low:
John Cobb. a sick negro. was the vic
tim and Jere Blacknan, alias Jere
Black. Is the murderer. The wounds
inflicted were two or more In number,
one q which was on the left side OF the
a near the corner OF the mouth
downward about 2iz inches in length.
seveTfng a facial artery; another behind
the left ear. about 2% inches long, to
the bone. cutting in two the main ar
terry. The poor darkey bled to death.
Jere Black. the murderer, was arrested
by Officer Stafford on the Southern nall
| way, 10 the southwest OF the city as
he was making his escape. The hear.
ing over, the coroner, DIR. Thos. Hill.
committed the murderer to h county
Jail. Annie Cobb. the wife OF the de-
ceased, John Cobb. was also commit
ed to Jail in default OF bail. held as q
witness. 1t is thought additional vi
dence possibly duplicating the wife will
yet come TO light.
TESTIMONY OF COBB'S WIFE.
Annie Cobb, being sworn. says: She
il the wife of John Cobb. Last night.
Saturday night about S o'clock | was
in my house sitting down. My husband
was there. Jere Black came TO the
boz and bust it right open and came
in; Cthe door was not locked,) and call
ed to me and asked me did l have tina
fifty cents. l told him | did not have
1t. l owed him fifty cents which l had
borrowed from him. He went on ours
ing and swearing scandalously and
said / had it, and if l didn't, l had to
get it. l told him please not start any
fuss. because would pay it as soon as
l got it. He got to noiSing and John
told him please not to go having any
fuss with his wife. He s aid he did't
care about any fuss, he wanted tina
fifty cents and he meant to have ii.
John told him if he didn't stop his fuss,
he wished he would go out the door.
He said he was not going out because
he had given me the fifty cents to pay
rent that week and he didn't intend to
go out until the week was out and he
would like to see any body put him out.
John said if he was we'll he would put
'AAA-A 49, AA1 NO41 oAil lol "
with him., or he would put him where
he would not wake up any more. John
sat on the mattress and Jere struck
him with a bottle and the bottle broke
all to pieces. He reached on the mantle
piece and got a razor blade and cut
him L don't know how many times. L
tried to stop him, and he cut at me-
once. o said the policeman would
protect him. He said he didn't care for
all the damned policemen there was.
John and Jere We're scuffling. Jere had
him around the waist and fell out the
door. John called out and said: "Jere
a cut me to death. Tell somebody
to come here" He was bleeding free
ly. Jere went off. Fannie Jones got
some water and towels and washed
him. He was bleeding freely. l left
him and Fannie Jones some more
women and came up to the mayor
fcer Hicks went after a doctor. John
was living when l got back. He lived
about fifteen or twenty minutes after
L got back. He died after the police
man got there. Jess. Holland and Of
hcer Hicks wnt after a doctor. John
was dead when the doctor got there.
John has been living here off and on
three or four years. He has been
here now three or -four weeks. Game
here from Kinston. where he was taken
sick, and came here, where | could
nurse him. He was my husband. We
were married in Clayton four years
ago. | cook out for a living. Jere
Black had been coming to my house
pretty regularly since he lent me the
fifty cents. He never came there when
John was away. The razor belonged
to John. 1t was on the mantle-piece
to John. 1t was on the matel-piece.
will elbow his leaning on the mantel-
piece L saw 1.-THE z in Jere's hand
and tried to take it away from him, but
II o,,1I- A. -; II An -
had it but John asked me where it was
after he was cut and / looked for ii
and couldn't find it. John sal the bot
tie ouldn have done all that cutting
and then asked where the razor was. /
knew Jere before John came back.
=, Simon Ransom's testimony was that
he found the razor in the yard lear
the gate. in the grass, and it was
bloody.
FANNIE Jones, who lived fn the
house, in the adjoining room, testi-
fled that h had beer asleep; she heard
a noise; heard John tell some one to
get out. Heard Annie Cobb hollow
saying John was cut to death This
was about IL O'Clock. She went IN and
tried TO stop the blood, but could not
TESTIMONY OF JERE BLACKMAN
[ 1 am generally called Jere Black.
! " lived in Clinton several years un.
= til about two months ago 1 came tc
Goldsboro and have been living at tbs
| fair grounds. On the End day OF Au-
l gust Annie Cobb came to Clinton-hel
2 uncle lived about 2k miles from there
( hen she got off the train, she hadn'
anything to eat and no money. She go
me to carry her things ito her uncle fol
iIer and after we got there she asket
me to buy something to eat. / ha(
never known her before. / have beer
D staying with her we since, paying he
= rent, cohabiting with her, sleepin,
with her. 1 paid Mr.. Lane last Monda,
= morning forty-five cents for her hous-
e rent. Last night about dark 1 went Il
the house where she was cooking-Mrs
Hood'sCshe said: "Jere. step back III
= street and get me some w~hiskey."
= went and got it; she drank it all, q
: pint, and got trunk. She had a grea
long knife. She was running afte
Fannie Jones. Fannie come up towl
after a policeman / begged Annie Z,
go back / took her back 10 Mani,