The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-04
ROBBERY At DURHAM
Southern's 1icketAgentW Way
laid and Sandbagged.
-Four fu ,dred Dollars Stolen From Ticket OF.
fee. White Man Way and Beaten.
Negro Drowned.
lSnecial To News and Observe

Especial to News and observer
Durham. N c., March 3.-One of the
boldest robberies ever committed in Dur
tween six and seven o'clock Sunday night.
Mr.. James e Lee, the ticket agent for
the Southern Railway at Durham, was
waylaid and brutally sand bagged by two
unknown men, the scene of the assault
Icing the Southern Railway track near
the Hayti switch After Mr.. Lee was I'M
conscious the men took from his pockets
his bunch of keys; went to the depot
mile away; opened the ticket office, un-
locked the company's old-fashioned safe
and took therefrCm over $400
Mr.. Lee had locked up the ticket of
flee and when attacked was on his way
to the home of his brother in law, Mr.
Y E. Smith, who is the superintendent
of cotton mill in East Durham. Sud-
denly two men sprang upon him out of
the darkness and dealt him blows with
some heavy instruments or sandbags. Mr..
Lee fell and lost consciousness.
Passing by Mr.. Lees gold watch and
$25 in money the men found his keys and
then left him. The robbery was not dis
covereds until after Mr.. Lee had been
found and reused to consciousness.
Mr.. Lees injuries consist of a bruised
and blackened eye. but otherwise ne is
all right.
In and around the Southern depot j.;
one OF the most frequented places in
Durham. and it is strange that the men
were not seen effecting an entrance 10
the waiting room and also heard batter
ing away on the safe But they did their
work and got away safely without being
seen.
Two suspicious men were seen prowl-
ing about the depot platform late in the
afternoon. 1t was reported today that
two who were acting suspciously were
seen between here and East Durham. Sew
eral men went down and searched Cor
them but could find not the slightest
trace.
The accident to Mr. Lee and the roo
berry came just on the eve of his ieavins
here for Atlanta Ga, to accept position
with the division freight agent of the Sea-
board Air Line
The authorities are working on the case
and will do all in their power to bring
the guilty parties to justice.
News reached here of the drowning of
negro man near Berea. in Granville
county A Mr.. Williford, who lives near
Moriah, in Person county, sent load
OF tobacco to Oxford. Two colored men
were in the wagon, and when the three
mule team attempted to ford a creek,
they were washed down the stream by
the force of the rushing torrent. All
of the mules and one of the men lost
their lives, the other man fortunately
escaping watery grave. The body of the
drowned man was found a short time af-
terward with the money derived from the
sale of the tobacco safely in his pocket.
which he was carrying home to his en-
ployer.
The commission house of E. E. Thomp-
son was 'entered Saturday night and a
lot of bacon stolen.
Some one fired at the 0. and c. pas
senger train Sunday afternoon just be-
fore it reached East Durham on its way
to this city. The bullets went through
the window but fortunately hit no 're.
August Miller, a white man, was way
laid on Saturday night a mile or so east
of the city and beaten by some party
or parties unknown His skull is thought
to be fractured He was carried to the
Watts Hospital, where he is receiving
treatment. and at this writing is con-
scious 1t is thought that ne has chance
for recovery.