Richmond planet., 1900-02-03
DEPLORABLE
MISTAKE.
Virginius Crawley, Supposed
at the Time to be One of
the Gingerly Ne
groes.
SHOT AND INSTANTLY KILLED BY
OFFICERS.

Last Thursday evening a telegram
was received here from Warren, q sta
tion about five miles west OF Somsr-
vile on the N. G. & st. Z. Railway,
stating that a couple of Negroes, sup
posed TO be the Gingerly Negroes who
killed officers Durham and Turner near
Ripley, Tenn, a few days ago, had
just left there, were heavily armed
and coming in this dixie ,tion. 0tfiesr
Fiudley was notified of the fact and
deputiz ID <. II. Crook ;snd Eigar Grit
fin 60 assist min in their capture, Att
er arming with double-bsrrel shot
guns, they stationed themselves on the
railroad about . mile from town, near
where the Ooyington road crosses.
They had been there only q few min
utes when two Negroes came walking
up the railroad.
THE MURDER fR's SxCUsKs
They called to than 10 hat, whAn
one of them fired aud eNrue ueAr hit
ting Edgar Critic. rDon Findiey and
Griffin both fred aHd one OF tAe Nc
groes fell and died IN few seconds
The officers say his only words were:
Il am not one oi the Gingeriy Ne
groes The oth-r Negc" ran and
made his escape 10 Jh4 dzrknesS A
wagon was sent for and the dead M n
was brought to town. where he was
recognized as Virginius Orawiey.
brother OF Tom Crawley. coiored, of
this place. The desd msn mad former
Iy made this his home, but lately h I'd
been living in Memphis. A Coroner's
jury empannelled by EsQ. Il. j. Foster,
developed the facts as above stated.
The Negro who escaped went to the
house or Sam Dickinson, coiored,
where he spent the night. Next morn
ing he caught q freight train sc War
rem and went Co Memphis. He said
that he and his partner, who was kill
ed, we're looking for work.
THE coLoRED MANS STORY.
Since the above was written and in
type, we have seen q copy of the Com
mercial Appeal containing q state
meHt from the Negro who escaped, in
regard to this affair. This man, Louis
Addison, was arrested on notice re-
ceive from the authorities here that q
Negro, who might be one of the Cling.
erly Negroes, was making his wSy to-
ward Memphis from this vicinity.
Addison was taken to the station house
and critically examined by Sergeant
Perry. He gave the name of his part
ner, the man who was killed, as Will
Jams. Addison's story as published in
the Appeal is as follows:
He said that he and his partner,
John Williams, had been fired on near
Somersille, and he supposed his part
ner was killed. Addison said that he
and Williams had lett Memphis late
Wednesday evening and set ont TO
Somerville. Williams knew some peo.
pie there. They had walked half the
night and slept the remainder. At
daylight they set out again. They
were on the railroad track. They
walked all day Thursday, and late
Thursday evening got within six miles
of Somerville ut store on the rail
road.
TOLD TO HALT.
After passing this store he thinks
| they walked about four miles, or five,
| when suddenly some one called out to
| them to halt. He was startled, and
went to turn suddenly, and fell. He
| got up, and knew no more shan that he
heard two shots fired. Addison thinks
| he ran three miles before he stopped
and after begging every man in the
neIghborhood ne was finally permitted
to sleep in a cotton house.
Next morning he started back tc
Memphis, weary Though he was, and
footsore from previous days travel
and having been without food for near
ly twenty -four hours. He passed the
place where the shooting occurred
found q pool OF dry blood and knew
that Williams must have been killed
He made all possible haste to get on
of the neighbornood, and came upoI
two men on horseback. he had seer
in the Commercial Appeal that the of
ficers were ous after the Gingery boy
about vaccination, and he though
they were killing "niggeFa" out ther
for not being vAccinated, so he pulleI
out his vaccination certificate ant
showed it to them, begging them no
to shoot him. They passed him on
and he had no more adventures unit
the detectives captured him an
brought him, half starved and hal
dead with fatigue, to the police sta
tion.
HIS DRPLoRABLE CONDITION.
He had covered about ninety-od,
miles in his wanderings botween
O'Clock Wednesday evening and
o'clock Saturday evening. Daring a.
this while he had scarcely tasted food