The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-16

Tom, / am dying. They say l killed
man." and pointing to the celling where
there was evidences of shot, he added:
1T was mighty high shot to kill a man."
Returning to the story Of the men talk
ing across the street he said that Jones
told him the man talking with whitley
was the man who had cursed him and
against whom he had taken out peace
warrant. (This refers to w. P. Croom.)
Whitley at the time had cap on his head.
Mr.. w. l.. Thompson. who at times
works in cotton mill. was next put on
the stand. He said: 81 saw all parties
the day before the killing except George
Whitley, whom l met at Littles bar
at night" After the killing he saw Capt.
Rich, ]. w. Pittman, w. w. Barnes. John
Allen, Gill Ward, and Lawrence Morgan
and Geo. Whitley 1t was Gill Ward and
Rich who brought Allen from the Fryar
house The others named he saw come
from the Fryar building, and about a half
dozen whom he did not know also came
from the building He was across the
street from the Fryar building and when
on the opposite corner. He saw Policeman
Snakenburg talking to man.
Here Dr. Anderson. the coroner, inter
rupted Thompson. Have you been drink
ing?' he said No. replied Thompson,
and the crowd Uttered. Are you under
the influence of hquor?" said Dr. Ander
son. mo. sir" came the reply. DO you
ever drink?" replied DR.. Anderson. mo.
SIR" with emphasis said Thompson, and
then DR.. Anderson told him to leave the
stand Strike out his evidence" said So
licitor Daniels, and Thompson staggered
as he passed into the crowd looking for
seat.
James Dupree, young farmer, who was
in town the day after the killing, said he
overheard conversation between two men
at the back door of ]. T. Williams store
the morning after the killing. They were
talking together about the killing and one
of them said: eff Snakenburg and Mum
ford had watched like they could we would
not have been caught" The men told of
Morgan, Piver> and others being at the
killing. One said: IF they had listened
to me John Allen would not have been
shot" Later one said that Nj. Gill Ward
was to fire first, but that Mr.. Whitley
fired first. He did not know the men but
would recognize at least one Of them, If
not both. One of them works at Wood
ards saloon, red faced, light haired man,
and he tried to talk with me afterwards
but 1 walked off.
Policeman Snakenburg was recalled and
was asked if he had talked with the crowd
he met at Corbett's and said he had mere
ly spoken in passing. Referring to the re-
port that he had talked with two of the
crowd at the Fryar door, he said: Il
heard it last night 1t is a lie from the
start Frank FELTON, and went together
We saw no one at the door as the crowd
had come down ahead of us. l saw man
run across the street and think he had on
a cap and think Geo. Whitley had on a cap
that day. He believed that Whitley, Pitt
man and Barnes were in the habit of wear
ing caps. He said that when he and Allen
met the crowd back OF Corbetts he did not
recognize a single one in the crowd of a
dozen. Whitley had told him of his having
talked with Jones. but he thought after
midnight the trouble was over. Would not
depend on whistle to call up police aid
from depot and asked Mr.. Will Clark to
call men from the depot expected
trouble, but / did not recognize men in
the crowd, and could not be expected to
tackle twelve or fifteen men. saw a
crowd go up in the Fryar building
At this time one of the jurors, Mr.. d. G..
Boykin aided by Mr.. Il. F. Lane, was
vigorously asking questions of Mr.. Snak-
enburg Mr.. Boykin asked Snakenburg
if he had not been approached and asked
to keep out of the way if trouble came, as
had Policeman Frank FELTON,, who at the
examination the day before testified that
Whitley had asked him if he heard
trouble would he not keep out of the way,
but Mr. Snakenburg denied this.
Would not a distress signal have pre-
vented the trouble?" asked Mr.. Lane ana
the coroner, but Mr.. Snakenburg said that
he did not think SO, that he used his
whistle but little. The line of questions OF
Messrs. Lane and Boykin was such as to
give the idea that they thought Policeman
Snakenburg had not been diligent in pre-
venting trouble.
Mr.. Perry Taylor, a bar-keeper, testified
that he roomed in the Fryar building.
About fifteen minutes past one the report
of gun and a breaking door woke him up.
Then he heard another shot, and cry
of Help Help. They are killing me.
/ also heard voice calling on the Lord,
and there was scuffiing in the room. 1t
sounded as if there was large number of
people in the room, fifteen or twenty, and
there was big scuffie.
81 did not open my door till quarter OF
SIX next morning" said Perry Taylor and
the spectators laughed He also said that
he watched out Of his window to see #
anybody went out on the tin roof. but
saw none of the crowd. Next morning he
went IN Jones room, who told him he was
dying and that the crowd had broken open
the door. The lock on the door was
broken and the knob had been forced back
INTO the plaster. Jones declared that he
did not know any one in the crowd unless
Whitley was with the men.
Taylor said he had not seen cards in
Jones room or known of his playing cards.
but that he had seen cards in George Nor
gan's room. which is on the same floor in
the Fryar building as is his room.
AT this point the hearing was adjourned
till four o'clock this afternoon.
II do not believe one word of the story
that Percy Jones was shot hepa11ge a ne