The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-02


Robert Postell. a very old colored
man, an inmate of the county home,
was done to death at the foot of the
embankment at the east side of the
north abutment OF the Wilmington and
Weldon railroad bridge over Smiths
creek, just outside the city limits The
body vas found on the next morning
Saturday., with several terribleI
wounds on the head. The old man
had been digging bait where he was
murdered, intending to go fishing. Hel
had a nice hoe with him, and it was
found in the weeds at the edge of the
creek 1t was evidently thrown into
the water at high tide with the pur-
pose of concealing it, but when the tide
went out it was left where it could be
seen.
A coroner's jury assembled at the
county home on Saturday afternoon,
the day the body was found, and after
examining Mr.. G.. H. Hutaff and two
or three colored witnesses who had
heard cries of murder about the time
the crime was committed, but who
could give no information as to the
perpetrator of the deed, they were
about to adjourn when Sheriff Walter
@. MacRae, who accompanied them to
the home with a view to ferreting out
the murderer, brought forward one or
more witnesses whose testimony was
calculated to throw suspicion on Ba-
laam Fuller, colored, IN inmate of the
insane department of the county home
AT a further investigation on Monday,
September 18th, the testimony of c. c..
Cokeley, colored led the jury to order
the arrest of Balaam Fuller on sus-
picion. He was committed to Jail that
day to answer for the crime at the next
term of the criminal court.
The murderer was destined never to
be put on trial for his life, however,
for he died in his cell yesterday morn
ing some time between 8 and 4 o'clock.
He suffered from nervous prostration
from the day he was committed TO Jail
and ate very little. During Thursday
night, Jailer G.. w. Mills was up with
him most all night. He visited his cell
two or three times during the night,
and an hour before his death the jailer
laid down to take a nap. When he re-
turned he found Fuller dead in his cell.
He died d hard death, writhing and
kicking all night
DIR. W.. d. Mcmillan, the county SUI
perintendent of health, a waited on
the sick man and all hat could be done
was done for his relief since his con-
finement, but all to no purpose. The
dead murderer was taken from Jail yes
terday morning and was buried in Oak
Grove cemetery-pauper's field.
THE MURDERER'S CONFESSION.
On the night of September 18th, act
ing under riders from the sheriff, Jailer
G.. w. Mills removed Fuller from the
main Jail and placed him alone in a cell
in the female ward, and on the same
night, about s o'clock, visited him
without a light, and had with him the
following conversation:
Mr.. Mills said: BALKAN, tina was
a terrible affair about old man Pos
tell; and, if 1 were in your place-with
the strong suspicion against me, pro-
duced by the testimony of Cokeley, I
would tell anything n everything l
knew o the murderer course you
are not bound to convict yourself; but,
if you know anything that would impli-
cate any other person, you ought by
all means to tell it at once"
Balaam raised his hand above his
head and said: LAS God is my judge.
Mr.. Mills, l know no more about the
death of that DC man than you do;
and l don't see how anybody could
have the heart to hurt a hair of his
head. Any how 1 know of nobody who
could be suspected. But, you know,
old man PoStell was very fuSsy, and
there is a gang of bad fellows who fire.
4 AoOAL AC SlCCh "ICIS Ic was 1Oullu
dead. 1t is likely ne got into a quarrel
with some of them and they killed him.
The old man was a 'conjurer.'"
n Balaam got here in the inter-
view, he began to weaken. Mr.. Mills
talked a little longer about the dam
aging testimony of James Brown and
c. c. Cokeley. He claimed that Brown
was mistaken about his leaving the
premises-that he only went to the cat
tie guard on the railroad, and Their
turned off and returned through the
potato patch to the yard and positive
ly did not again leave the place. Mr..
Mills then made as though he was
about to leav-and cautioned BALKAN
to stick to the truth. But as soon as
he started down the steps, Balaam call
ed him back and said:
MI. Mills, ! want to make a con-
~fession. I did kill Robt. Postell. We
quarrelled that morning = Postell
cursed me- He called me a---
-. / watched and saw him start for
the creek to dig bait. 1 at once fol-
lowed him down to the trestle and told
TO fix him. He had his hoe with him
and l took it from him and struck him
over the head. But 1 didn't think ]
had hurt him much. He began to vel
murder and I then took a bolt-with
a solid nut on the end-used for rail
rodu and struck him a good
many blows on head-and left him
for dead. The dents in the telegraph
pole We're made by Postell after / ha6
hit him with the hoe-he striking bacl
with the bolt. 1 went right back and
turned off at the cattle guard"
1t will be remembered that Thomas
Hughes, an old white man, who by It'll,
way, was also an inmate of the coun
ty home, was found Sunday, 21st o.
May, 1899, in a box car, near the sit,
of the old union depot, terribly beater
about h head and faceand that h,
died on the 18th of May at the cit,
hospital. The murder was done in th,
day The ~coroner's jury could fins
no clue to b matter.
About h 18th of March. 1900. Ed
Wallace, a harmless and almost help
less old colored man, was found dea.
within a stones throw Of the publ
road, near the national cemetery. al
most within the city limits, with man,
foul wounds upon the head and face
After an investigation lasting two day
the jury failed to find any facts to i'm
plicate n one.
On Tuesday night, the 18th of Septem