The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-21

Fuller Told Him He Intendedto Fol-
low the Old Man to the swamp and
XIII Him-FuIIer was Sent to Jail.
The coroners jury which met at the
county home on Saturday to lnvesti-
gate into the killing of Robert Postell,
alias A. D. Postell, the old coloied ma
who was killed at Smiths Greek bridge
Friday afternoon, met YESTERDAY at $3.50
a. m. in the grand jury room in the
court house. The investigation was
continued by the examination pr wit
nesses as follows:
DR.. w. d. Mcmillan, county slperin-
Itendent of health, was called asa wit
mess. He stated his duties fire.
Iquently called him TO the coun-
ty home. He said Balaau had
been at the home two or three
years, having being sem to the home
for alcoholic paralysis as an inclrable
patient. While at the home, Ealaam
was for some time employed " Mr..
M. @. Chadwick, the superintendent of
the home, as an errand boy ami that
IBalaam kept the colored ward in Or
der. DR.. Mcmillan then went on to
state that owing to misconduct, the
superintendent had to lock him up at
tIIlSHl. lillS was OOHS on l"nIOTIldllOD
furnished by old man PoStell, The man
who was murdered, and it wag fur
lther shown by DR.. McMillan'sl testi-
lmony that Posteli succeeded to tie job
to look after the colored ward. There
facts were brought out by the jury in
lseach of a probable motive for the muir
der.
Balaam Fuller, who had been bought
in from the home in handouts, k Mr..
lThos. A. Watson, the former upper
lintendent of the home, was put upon
his guard by Coroner Price, that HI
need not testify and that if he did he
need not say anything hat would in
terminate himself, unless he did so of
his own free will and accord. Bslaam
testified as follows:
Il had anything against tina
old man and 1 never hit him. or Fri
day afternoon (the day the murder
was committed), l left the yard 1t the
nome and wen t to the lot 70 get apiece
of wire to clean out my pipe. got
the wire. 1 then went down inp the
field as far as the potato patch. l
stayed in the potato patch about ten
minutes and then went back to the
home. 1 vas looking in the potato
patch for water melons. Mr.. Chad
wick allowed us to go after water mel
IonS."
BALKAN Fuller was then sent out
IOI IhC IOOlH WIlilOuL IldNlnS ISlSH-
ed his statement as above nade.
In the meantime, he had sent
for B.. G. Empie, Esp, to ask him to
appear as his counsel. When arOther
WITNESS had been examined, Baaam
Fuller was brought in and some ques-
Ition arose as to whether the jury
should have him to sign his testimony.
Mr.. Empie said as BALKAN was pres-
Ient in a different light from a witness
he did not think the jury had a right
to ask him to take oath or sign the
Testimony. 1t was shown by the jury,
however, that he was put or his guard.
according to law, and it was the sense
of the jury that it was their right to
swear and examine the witness and
have him to sign the testimony, if he
was willing.
The testimony was hen read to
BALKAN and he said the statement was
las he had made it. When told by the
jury that he could sign it or refuse to
sign il, he said he a stated what
had been recorded but he would not
Sign it. He was then sent out of the
room.
c.. C. COkeley, colored, was sworn as
the mex witness. He said he was fire
imam at Parsley's mill and that On the
10Th or 30th of August Balaam Fuller
came to his house in Belcher'S Row,
to bring him a note from Malinda
King. 1t was about IL o'clock and the
witness was in bed at the time. Ba-
Ilaam Knocked at the window and wit
ness got up and opened it and received
the note. After reading ii, asked Ba-
llaam If he was a patient or a prisoner
at the home. Balaam replied that he
was a patient, n when the witness
asked him how he was getting aolng,
he replied that he was getting along
VERY we'll n expected soon to be dis
charged. He a he had n trou-
bic, however, and that old man Pos
tell was the cause of it. He said the
Iold man was a pimp for Superintend-
lent Chadwick, and had caused Mr..
Chadwick to lock him (Balaam) up at
might. He told h witness what the
trouble was and it was the same as
STATED by DR.. Mcmillan. The witness
then went on to say that BALKAN, af-
ter telling his grievance, said: He
l(PostelDhaS a habit of going down
into the swamp to fish and that's 60
ing to be my chance to get even with
him. 1 am going to follow him down
into the swamp some day and kill
him. The witness said why he is an
lold man 1O1 years old and you ought
to be ashamed of yourself to talk that
WAY. You ought not to AVE ANYTHING
against him that would make you want
to kill him. Balaam replied: Yes,
but he is an old ---- and 1 am
going to fix him."
Mr.. T. B. Casteen was the next wit
mess. His testimony in part was as
follows: 81 now c.. G. Cokeley. He
is a fireman at Parsley's mill and I
am Waterman. / don't know Postell.
the man who was killed. I don't know
IBalaam Fuller. This morning be-
lteween l and 2 o'clock / met Cokeley
on the mill yard INT asked him il
he had seen the account in the papers
where an old man a been killed at
lSmith's rec bridge. He said he had
and I said who you reckon would kill
AN old man like that. What o any
body have against a man as Id as he
Iis?" The witness then went ON to say
that Cokeley replied to him and said
lhe believed that Balaam Fuller had
killed h old man for he (Balaam)
had come to his ~(Cokeley's) house two
weeks ago and told him his trouble
with the old man, saying that he in
TENDED to kill him. Mr.. Casteen re-
euRI Ar v0mp name v~,~u