The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-12-20

Another Man Held mp and Robbed
Saturday Night by Three eEroe
Two of Them Recognized and Ar
r~ested-one a Criminal From Soath
Carolina.

news in The Messenger Saturday norm
ing that three highwaymen on Friday
night at Hilton park held up and rob-
the Angola Lumber company. They
got from Mr.. Sears between $50 and $50,
and though the robbery was committed
In a very dark, secluded and unfre-
auented place, ne was satisfied that two
or the robbers were negroes and The
other a bright mulatto or a white man.
Other robberies were confidently ex-
pected after the bold beginning with
MIR. Sears. and sure enough. the robbers
were on the rounds again Saturday
night. They he'd up two negroes on
Walnut street but as the darkeys had
only a little meat n vegetables for
their Sunday rations the highwaymen
q few blocks away, they held up Walter
Gregg, colored and robbed him of $40.
While Gregg was on his way home the
hlghwaymen held him up on Red Cross
street, right in front of the residence of
City detective Robert Green, between
Front and Second streets. The robbery
800 NoAS 81 Az lb1d lO
one I'M the ~neignborhood was aroused.
There were three robbers IN the party
and when they met Gregg one of them
thrust a revolver into his face and Or
dered him to throw up his hands. The
other two seized him, and not caring to
give up his hard earned wealth, Gregg
begged the men to let him alone and
resisted them. They, however, threw
him down and took $40 out Of his pock-
1 cts Thav Thorn Crnf nm on1 ran in ana
direction while Gregg ran in the other.
Gregg had recognized two of the men
and he gay such a true description Of
them that two of them were captured.
Gregg says one was a mulatto n
two were black negroes hat he had
seen before but he did not know them.
He did not know the mulatto. By his
| description of the robbers, Policeman c.
E. Wood on Sunday morning at 10
o'clock arrested one Clarence Saunders
at Sixth and Harnett street, and at 8
o'clock Sunday night he captured Will
liam Williams at Seventh n Harnett
streets. They were both black negroes
about 80 years old and yesterday Gregg
called at the city hall and identified
them. They denied that they were
guilty but told conflicting stories and
their actions were very suspicious. All
the indications, however, point to the
fact that they were the same parties
who robbed Mr.. Sears.
Gregg identified Saunders as the man
who stuck the pistol in his face. When
| Gregg resisted ne handed his pistol to
Williams who is short Of statue, and
then Saunders and the mulatto threw
Gregg down and robbed him.
When taken to the city hall Saunders
had $3.50 in money but Williams had
nothing. They will probably have a
hearing before Mayor Waddell TODAY at
noon.
After Saunders arrest Gregg inform
ed Chief Of Police Furlong hat he was
a fugitive from justice at Florence. S.
c. Chief Furlong t~elegraphed t. the
chief of police Of Florence and found
that Gregg knew what he was talking
about. Deputy Sheriff E. c. Harrell. of
Florence, arrived here last night, and
says Saunders is the man the officers
at Florence want The negroes home is
at Florence but he is wanted for near
ly killing a man with a knife in Ches-
terfield county. 1t is also sal that
Saunders is wanted somewhere for
store or house burning.
When Mayor Waddell goes into the
examination today he will decide
whether to hold Saunders here or turn
him over to the South Carolina author
tiles.
1t seems that when the highwaymen
robbed Gregg they tackled the wrong
"coon."