The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-07
ROOSEVELT'S BOOMERANG

Below We publish an artlcle 1roLn
| The Robesonian. of Lumberton, giving
| an account Of the arrest OF a man foI
| firing on and wounding four negro men
| and the prompt action OF the snerln
which resulted in the arrest of the as
| ssjlant Of the negroes. We Judge from
the statement of Mr.. Freeman, the
man who did the shooting, that his ac-
ton was not in defense Of his home
against the forcible trespass Of these
four men, but was subsequent to thelr
| at his gate and as a pun
| isbment for whatever ofense they
NAV have committed or intended to
| commit. At any rate h magistrate
before whom Freeman was carried felt
justified in putting him under a justi-
| fed bond of five hundred dollars for
his appearance before him for trial the
next day.
Taking Freeman's statement <the
| sheriff to be correct, it looks as if his
| conduct was a piece Of high-handed as
| sumption of the p~rerogatives Of the
Jaw and a most unjustiffable assault
/ with a deadly weapon. There is moth
ing in his statement to show that the
! four negroes made any demonstration
of violence. They had sticks. There
was nothing unusual in that. They
| started to enter his gate but, it seems,
did not do so, though had their intent
Ieen evil there seems to have been
nothing to prevent their entrance.
The children were left at home alone
and were frightened to see four
strange men make a show Of entering
the yard. Jumping at conclusions
Freeman takes the law into his own
hands and goes cunning for una
game. Admitting that the conduct Of
! TIE negroes was such as 10 brighten
the children and hat their purpose
VAS theft or robbery, VINO has COM
mitted the greater crime, they or Free
man? We believe in every mans right
| to protect his family and his nome,
| out there right of force stops n
! should be made to stop by the law.
Unless there are facts connected
I with the case which Freeman has not
given to the public, and we cannoc
| see what state of facts could exist
which would warrant the shooting OF
! cur men from ambush, his onduc Is
! Unjustifable and criminal.
! It is to be hoped that further deVel-
| opments will show hat the case
! against Freeman is not so serious to
! him or so damaging to the good mama
of old Robson.
! If the facts are simply as he states
them this is a good opportunity for the
courts to show that this taking Of the
law into their w hands by individuals
Will be severely punished.
The Ro~besonian's account of the ar"
| fair is as follows:
Sheriff G.. B. Mcleod was wired ~
! CAPTAIN McNeely that four colored
! lahcrers had been fired on n wound
Ell, from ambush near kingSdale,
Elitt's township, about II o'clock, Sun
! uay, and desired him to come at once,
investigate, n make arrests. In re-
Spouse to this the sheriff arranged
for a special engine and a to come
from Hamlet, stop at MaXton, take up
, Mayor j. C. Parish, and Deputy Sheriff
7. L. Smith, with their blood hounds,
and on to Lumberton where they were
1let by the Carolina Northern train
and carried at once to Kingsdale. The
place where the shooting had been
.done having already been located, the
! LOsse with hounds went to the spot at
, once, which was a distance of less
than half a mile from the station.
, Before the hounds were placed on the
track. however, Mr.. Neil Freeman OF
that community, had Captain McNeely
! II call the sheriff. and stated that to
put the Ounds on the track would
: cause serious trouble; that he knew
who did the shooting and he would
have him at trial Monday or at any
date that might be fixed. This was not
satisfactory, and Mr.. Freeman being
told hat the nan must be Known
now, said: L am the nan He was
at once taken under arrest by the
sheriff and in a few minutes was on
his way to Lumberton where he was
served with four arrantS for assault
on the fOur men. He was placed under
| 6 justified bond of $500 for mis- appear
ance tomorrow, the 9TH, for trial. He
| gav as his reason for the shooting
that these negroes had been to his
house. started in the gate, all of them
carrying sticks, and frightened his
children. who had been left at home
while Mr.. Freeman had gone to
church