The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-26
Two Jerked From Earth
by the Rope.
Continued from First Page.)

thanked Deputy. Sheriff ". 3. Benton for
not permitting his mother and sister to
see him on Tuesday, when it was ru-
mored they had purchased poison to take
to him, told OF his spiritual welfare, stat
ing that he would die a Christian man
and told bitterly of the suffering and
death he was compelled to pass through
in expiatjng Of his crime through the in
huence Of an unnatural father. He at
tributed his downfall to his father alone,
and thera was not q word of forgiveness
for the father who is now serving life
sentence in the penitentiary at Raleigh.
THE FRIGHTFUL CRIME.
The crime for which label Register died
was cold-blooded murder planned
| by his father, H. B. Register,
who is serving life sentence
In the State penitentiary and in which
Jesse Soles was also murdered by label or
one or both OF his colleagues, Cross Ed
mondson and A. C. Smith. According to
label Registers signed confession, A. c.
Smith was the man to whom the murder
of Soles points most directly. Smith is
now in jail to await trial at the next term
of Columbus county court. which con
yenes on Monday, February 20.
The murder and robbery of Jesse Soles,
white, and Jim Staley, cc;ored, was com
mitted on Sunday night, March Goth. last
year They lived in a small house. ten
miles from the county-seat in an isola-
ted section OF the county and were sup
POSED to be engaged in running a block
Jade liquor still They were known to
have a large amount of money on their
persons, estimated variously from 81 500
TO $4,000. On Saturday afternoon before
the killing Cross Edmondson was at
Whiteville and was approached by label
Register, who told him that his father,
II. B. Register. wanted TO see him. Ed
'n3oRdson went to the house OF Register
in Whitegile and found the old man
Register doctoring a horse at his stables.
Edmondson assisted the old man with the
horse and was told to come over 10 the
house and talk over a plan to make
some money easy" The elder Register
then unfolded 70 Edmondson his plan for
the robbery and said the officers wanted
the men out OF the way anyhow and if
9Th. damned niger fickered" to kill
him on the srot. label understood the
plan previously and after supper they
armed themselves with guns furnished by
the Old man and enough canned goods
to last them for food for day or two.
They then proceeded in the country on
foot and remained all that night and
the following lay around the house of
the men against whom they had such
base designs. While lying in wait. they
came upon blockade still and took With
them lIeg of corn liquor from which
they each drank freely. 1t was about
10 O'Clock Sunday night that they APP
preached the house stealthily. label
reered through a window and saw the
negro and white man seated about fire
on the hearth. where they had evidently
been cooking. Register poked his gun
through the shutter and fired; then gun
shot was heard on the inside and Register
fired again. A. that Edmondson said he
became frightened, set his gun by a we'll
and retreated, hiding himself under
pile OF cross ties. He said in his con-
fession that label went in the house
but later came out and called to him.
REGISTER upbraided Edmondson for his
timidity and threatened to shoot him if
he didn't exhibit more courage. The
two men then went in the house and
took off the persons of The two men two
pocket books. The one which Edmond
son got he said contained but SO but
tbs larger amount was in the purse Sc
cured by Register. While they were
making their way from the house, Ed
said he saw a light in the sky
and asked LABEL what it meant Register
replied that it was ''the old man gat-
ting even" Later he confessed that he
did not intend to set fire to the house.
The charred remains of the men were
fotnd in the ruins of the house a day or
two later.
1t is the general opinion of the people
of Whiteville that Cross Edmondson and |
H. B. Register should have suffered the
same penalty as label. as they were equally
guilty of these murders and if the comics. |
sion of Register be true that Smith should !!
also have been one of the party to feel