The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-03-31
RECORD Of KILLINGS
IN WAKE COUNTY
Some of the Crimes That
Darker Its Annals,
IT A BLOODY RECITAL
Some Followed by Hangings--Others
Acquitted.
HIS A BLOODY RECITAL
wuI5K6Y CAUSED MOST OF THE CRIMES
Nearly all the Others We're CAUSED by Jealousy,
Unworthy Love, or Like Wrong
Influences That DtbAse
Manhood.

MannOoO.
To the Editor: The recent killing in
Raleigh. recalls some other tragedies that
I.ty. occurred in Wake county.
One Of the crimes Of an awful nature
which is fresh in the minds Of the peo-
r1e was the nhuman murder Of his
wife and child by a white man Earlc,!
Scott Partin. He cut his wife and young
baby up with a butcher knife and threw
them into a COW m.re. He then lied to
parts unknown and has never been cap
tured. This crime became fresh in the
minds Of the people a few years ago
when an freshman was arrested in Selma
and confined in the jail here several
weeks, the people being almost positive
he was the murderer. It was only
through correspondence with persons in
ireland that he was able TO prove his
innocence.
This mans name was Robert Lesson
Porter and he remained in Raleigh sew
oraI months after he was released from
Jail, when transportation was sent for
him to return to his native land where
re had inherited q large estate.
The murder of Joseph Frazier, at Mil
burnie, which is in the recOllections of
many, was another atrocious crime COM
mitted near Raleigh. Joseph Frazier
and Frank B~roadfoot had been together
in a saloon near the Neuse bridge and
became involved in a dispute. Frazier
left BrOadfoot to avoid a fight and
started on the way home when he was
overtaken by Broadfoot in the dark and
stabbed to death. Broadfoot then
came at once to Raleigh where he
closeted himself in a room in the Var
bOrO Hotel. Here he remained twenty
four hours with his attorneys when he
was advised to leave for parts unknown.
This he did and from that day until this
Rroadfoot has never been seen or
heard of.
Then the crime of the deaf mute,
Walter Bingham, was committed. His
sweetheart was q deaf and dumb pupil
in the institution OF this city. He came
here and took the young lady out driving
one afternoon. They drove to Durham,
where they were seen and then back to
near Cary, where her dead body was
found. Her body was not found for
five days. Larger rewards were offered
for his capture than any ever before
known in this State. but he made good
his escape. Several reports We're afloat,
BlI none SttDSlduIldlet anu II was it-
ported that he was confined in an asylum
ana one report said that he had commit
ted suicide. But no report or rumor was
ever confirmed.
The crime of Gooch and Smith was
committed in the bar-roOm Of Cheatham
Bros. on Wilmington street. They went
into the saloon and a dispute arose over
an account watch they owed the pro
p~rietors. Angry words followed and
then a fight in which they literally
carved John Cheatham to death and
came very near killing his brother.
James. They were tried in the Wake
county court and condemned to be hung
and the construction of the s~caffold com
menced in the hearing of the convicted
men. Governor A. NJ. Scales was then
in the executive office and he mmut
their sentence to life Imprisonment in
the penitentiary. Gooch made his escape
after a confinement Of nine years and
fled TO Texas and in a few years news
REACHED this city that he had been shot
to death on a Texas ranch. Smith served
about twelve years Of his sentence and
was pardoned out three years ago en- &C
count Of his being in the last stages Of
consumption. He has since died in this
city.
In 1884 Henry Jones shot and instantly
killed a deputy sheriff named Blake, WHO
was bringing him to jail. Blake had nm
under arrest and he asked him to let hinl
90 in his house and get some clothing.
This Blake did, he standing on the out
side. Jones. instead of getting his clothes
got a Shot gun and coming to the WINDOW
cmpticd the entire load into Blake's body,
Elling him instantly. He Immediately
fed to Nashville, Tenn, after stealing
a horse. whore he was captured, brought
back to Raleigh. tried, convicted ana
hung in the Jail yard of this city.
What may be classed as one of the most
lhhuman crimes ever committed was that
Of George Mills, q white man. He be
lraycd his own neice, then Waylald hef
one dark night, dragged her 10 an unoc-
'ul.od log hut and there he took an Ola
gun rack and with brute strength crush
0d her head to q jelly. He was tflo
convicted and hung in this city. lie
question arose as 10 his sanity and the
"aYernor appointed a commission or IN
sanity experts to examine him, and ne
was pronounced sane. The father OF the
Young girl, Anna W-imberly, was also
.Itrd for being implicated in this crime
DIV was acquitted. Many believe ina
Ao Was responsible for the betrayal OF NJ
own daughter and to hide the crime ne
induced George Mills to carry out Ms
purpose.
"A crime in which many believed justice
'|'iod to meet its demands was the muir
"'i OF Henry Watkins, of Wake Forest
"'"hshlp, by Joel Williams. Williams De
'1Ae jealous Of a man named PEBBLES
W" account Of his infatuation for hE7
sweetheart. Williams burning with MS
Tag" of jealousy hid himself in the Wocds
r"' night with the intention of kiln
i''bltS when Watkins happened to come
"t"H2 at the time PEBBLES was eXpecteu'
anu ne fired upon him. killing him III