The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-03

asked Wilcox where he had been and
the latter replied. oh. to see my girl
and walked on
Owens was detained for some min
utes at his door when he reached home.
and. after being admitted he attended
to the iEh in the house and then
locked the street door As he did so
the town clock struck IL and he hoard
the steam whistle at Blades mill sound
for the night force to stop for the mid
night lunch.
Seen Again at MIdnfEht.
"A few minutes before Il O'Clock Fam
ny Mitchell and Alexander Brown very
standing on Sheppard street. immedi-
ately opposite the Wilcox home. They
say That on h corner of Road street
not more than 200 yards away they saw
wilcox. whom they both know we'll
speaking to two other men. that he
three separated. and that they saw VIII
cox 20 into his fathers house.
AT ll:O O'Clock on the same night
Leroy Crawford. the young man who
had been visiting Miss Olive Cropsey.
left the house for his home. His course
lay precisely along the same route as
that taken by Owens. II took him 10
minutes - reach the point where VIII
cox and owens met and as he did not
SEE the latter during his journey. II;
SlO"s lldN o"tHS Hdu dlT@aGN DASSgHI.
When Crawford reached his lodging
house the proprietor had to let him in.
1t was then exactly 1906. This IS Of
Importance, because il takes Just %
minutes to walk the distance, and the
accuracy Of the Cropsey lining room
clock is thus established.
The pier near which the skiff vas
seen lies between the point at which
Wilcox was met by Owens and the
CrODsey house and not more than three
minutes walk from the latter. The To-
cality is extremely quiet and we'll suit
cd 10 the preparation Of the crime tina;
was committed.
statement by Wilcox.
In spite of the fact that Wilcox gave
no testimony at the trial. h he re-
fused to make a statement 10 the chief
Of police and to the committee OF five
| succeed in getting him to give me his
version of what took place when he
called the unfortunate girl from her
nome. His story was written by me at
his dictation. and at the request or
chairman II. T. Greenleaf was after,
ward turned over TO the committee Of
five. 1t was as follows:
When l called Ella Cropsey to come
out and speak with me il was for the
purpose of returning to her two photo
graphs of herself then in my possession.
one of them | had worn in the case Of
nv watch for some time. and this I re-
moved as 1 sat in the room a few min
utes before leaving. The other was a
larger picture. which l had in my
pocket. | thought that as she didn't
want to have anything further to do
with me l would give them back to her.
/ also had an old white silk parasol be-
longing TO her. and his | placed beside
the steps. in front of the porch. when !
arrived early in the evening.
AFTER calling to her 1 waited just n
moment until she came into the hall.
and as she did so L walked out on thu
porch. She followed me as far as the
outer door only, and. as she stood on the
threshold l handle her the mailer of
the two photographs and said: Here
Ella. take this She took ii from mo
and said at once: 81 know what this
meanS."'
She then began to cry. l handed
her the other photograph, walked out
to the edge of the veranda, stopped
down and got the parasol. By this time
she n come forward and stood beside
me. l gave her the parasol. She was
still crying, but she said nothing to me
LIT was a bitter cold night, and as
she had nothing over her shoulders or
on her head / asked her TO, go into the
house. She said she woul not. l re-
peated my request several times with
out effect. and then told her that l had
an engagement with q man dow town
and wanted to reach there before the
saloons closed. She then told me to go
and l went. leaving her crying at the
top of the steps.
During our ak there l did not lay
a han upon her, nor did she attemp,
to embrace me. She made no threats
or statement other than what | have
told you. l don't know what became OF
her"