Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1902-08-28
GOlDsRORO. n. G. THURSDAY. AUGUST 49, 1902.

Marshall Holmes there was also IN
the crowd who captured the negro
the following: Anderson Strickland,
Frank Bennett, Henry Grady, AL
bert Blizzard and Bob Taylor. Mr..
Richie put the negro in his buggy
over the protest of the gathering
crowd, who wished to dispatch him
at once. He came on to his home
some eight miles distant, intending
to bring the criminal to GoldsbOro
and deliver him to the sheriff.
When he reached home he placed
the negro in a barn, while he Wentin
to get breakfast before leaving for
town. Just at this time a crowd of
people disguised as negroes came up
and demanded the negro, which
was refused by Mr.. Richie, who turn
ed the prisoner over to Deputy Sher-
iff Walker. The crowd went to the
barn and marched him off in the di-
rectiOn of the swamp. On the way
to the swamp several shots were fired.
The negro confessed his crime to Mr..
Richie and it is said that he also con-
fessed it before he was killed and
asked permission to say the Lords
prayer, which was granted.
The sheriff and coroner, together
with an ARGUS reporter and num-
ber of citizens, arrived upon the scene
of the lynching about O'Clock in
the afternoon. Leading out from
Mr.. J. NJ. Riches home is tram
railway which enters a dense juni-
per swamp a mile or so away. Just
before entering the swamp there is
an old field grown up with short
leaf pines. Here was found a number
Of vehicles with horses tied to the
pine trees. Following the tram road
into the swamp our crowd came up
on a crowd of men who had gathered
around the remains OF the negro,
who had been tied to a log and shot
to death. It was a ghastly and grue-
some scene. The coroner ordered
the remains brought up into the old
field where DR.. Williams Spicer per-
formed the postmortem examination
in the presence of the jury. The cor
oner called up three witnesses who
testified as to the crime and the cap
5ture of the negro and also told about
the crowd taking the negro from
Mr.. Riches barn. The jury then re-
tired pace and signed the follow
ing verdict, which was drawn up by
MIR. .Jno. II. Hill:
'A"We, the undersigned, empannel-
ed as a jury to inquire the cause of
the death of Tom Jones, find that he
came to his death by gunshot
wonnds inflicted by parties unknown
to the jury, obviously by anoutraged
public acting in defense of thear
homes, wives, daughters and chill
dren- In view Of the enornaity Of
the crime committed by said Tom
Jones, alias Frank Hill, we think
they would have been recreaaat to
their duty as good citizens had they
acted otherwise.
"SigneO
CRANK BROADHURsT.
JoHN III. HILL,
r. H. EDWARDS,
r. l. THOMPSON,
c. F. STANLEY
J. NJ. GRANTHAM."
I certify that the above is the YER
dict of the jury, in the business of
which, and the sentiments expressed,
I fully concur.
THOs. HILL, M. D.,
Coroner of Wayne County.
After the formality of the inquest
was over Sheriff Scott offered to give
$500 to have the negro buried and
two men went across the old field
and secured hog trough in which
they placed the remains and placed
then in a shallow hole that was
quickly dug under the soughing
boughs of pine tree, almost within
sight of the place where the negro
\ u