The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-30

wood somewhere on the side OF the face
just where, L couldn't tell. Ire knocked
him back, as L stated before, and he
caught with his hands"
20. Both of them were making ies
tures?"
"A. No sir; yes, they were both making
GESTURES.
After Skinner struck him he stepped
back.
81 don't know the distance.
81 suppose something like six or eight
or ten feet, just the distance, / don't
. know.
'At that time Mr.. Haywood was recov-
ering himself, just as Mr.. Skinner stepped
back and stopped and turned about half
face, l would Judge about that time Mr..
Haywood recovered
(Witness stands up and shows what he
means by half facel.
"Just which way he turned / don't
know, / remember his turning but just
which way he turned / cannot tell you. /
cannot tell you how many steps he made
towards him; he made some something
like that indicating, possibly two or
three steps, or one step.) Haywood was
in full view of me. l saw him extend his
hand, l saw his hand didn't see the
pistol at all, but L heard the report,
when l saw the smoke, then Mr. Skinner
turned, just exactly how he turned | can
not explain to you, because it was done
quick, after the first shot was fired he
turned and went out little ways then
turned again, and made that circle, after
the second shot. When that second shot
was fired Mr.. Skinner was out somewhere
I ha aIo Of he sid IL r
ne was off the sidewalk, but not very far.
Just what Mr. Haywood was doing then
/ don't know. My impression is that
Skinner was going kind of sideways;
cannot tell which side he hads towards
Haywood at that moment; he didn't have
his face towards me exactly, | think
though he had his face partially towards
me. l cannot say that he was going
towards Haywood at the second shot, it
all happened like that (snapping his fin
gers). He had an opportunity between
the shots to leave the sidewalk and get
over On the curbing Before the first
shot was fired Mr.. Skinner had cleared
himself Of Mr.. Haywood and was a few
steps from him / don't know how close
he was to the curbing when the second
shot was fired. When he went around
the carriage that placed the carriage be-
tween him and /. saw him a. the time
of the second shot, he hadn't got around
the carriage then. l cannot tell you what
distance the carriage was from the curb
ing / cannot tell at what time the car
riage concealed him from me. After
he cemae in my sight again he turned
around. don't know the distance between
the curbing and the street car rail, l
don't know that it is thirty feet ! have
not been and informed myself since the
testimony given on yesterday, / could
have done so, yes sir. 1 guess the side
walk is exceedingly wide, 1 don't know
whether it is wider from the street car
rail to- the sidewalk than it is from the
curbing to the pcstoffice, never meas
ured it. / did not go TO the body. Mr..
/ Schmitz and myself were together, and
/ said to him, Mr.. schmitz, don't say a
word about this affair, | know those two
parties and don't want to have anything
to do with it. We then turned and went
towards Johnson's drug store. When they
brought the body over there Mr.. Schmitz
was nearer to the body than l was. We
then went down West Martin street. /
kept the secret of what l had seen until
a short time ago. Mr.. Harris asked me
first about the case, he asked me did l
know young lawyer in Baltimore named
Schmitz, and / said did, when he asked
me where / was on the day OF the kill
ing. I told him l was in Raleigh. Then
he asked me WASH l with Mr. Schmltz
and said / was, and he asked me to
come to his office, that was the first sta5e-
ment | made l met Mr.. Schmltz again
at Southern Pines, was travelling and
stopped there. | guess there was some
vehicles standing on the east side of Fay
etteviIle street. The Legislature was IN
session at that time. / heard no CONVEX
sation between them at all. do not
remember anybody else where l was
standing with Mr.. Schmitz, people might
have been passing along there. We mad
no particular place that we were gong
to, we were just walking out. Neither OF
us said anything about what we saw
until after the shooting, / don't think we
did cannot say. I knew both of the
men; they were prominent men IN Raj
eigh; / couldn't say whether we made
:ny exclamation at ALL heard the mat
ter discussed. I didn't say anything
about it, although / heard the reports
that it didn't happen as I state and the
reason didn't say anything about it is:
/ am poor man and / am a working
man, and have TO work for my living.
Both Mr.. Haywood and Mr. Skinner were
wealthy men, and a poor man like / am,
don't like to get mixed up in things of
that kind, and that is the reason l asked
Mr.. Schmitz to say nothing about it. l
did not see Mr.. Schmitz at all in Raleigh
after / left him there Something was
said about it at the table at Southern
Pines and I think Father O'Brien was
present, but we did not go into it fully.
I cannot say how long that was after the
homicide. 1t was not discussed before
Father O'Brien or anybody else. Possibly
(Continued on Sixth Page)