The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-10-18

HE ne KNEW WHAT he N66 EEcSk +.
for. In the telegraph Office ia the
I told him where we were carrying
him and / didn't read a warrant 10 him.
Sellars told me that saturday he was
at the camp with Brown until o
$50 o'clock. when he started towards
Clark.cn together with Brown. They
went % the end OF the spur track OF the
Seaboa-d railroad that runs 10 a log
They stopped there and he n
Brown talked. ] think he said they
talked about a half an hour. He said
they were standing on the railroad
track n when they left there they
took the right hand side OF the track
down 10 simpsons or Blackourns-
They discussed whether or not he should
take the train at Clarkton or Eikton.
I X him why he wanted 10 take
the train at Eik.on. when Ciarkton
but a mile away and Eikton abo
three miles. He said he wanted to do
so in order TO saw ten cents. but he
decided he could not go to Eikton for
of not having time enough before
the train left. He said he took the
right hand side of the track (north) 10
Mr.. Simpsons or George Black
burns and then took the left hand sid
|Blackburns'. At the culvert he o
the right and side to Clarkton- He
promised TO carry mail back 10
Brown and threw it OF the train When
ihe got opposite the postofiice he went
Through a shingle yard and went into
the office n asked for mail. but got
none. He then went across the porch
lOf my store 10 a watermelon patch
west Of tie depot at the end OF the
warehouse. He bought a watermelon
and ate 1t. sitting On the porch OF the
lextension of the warehouse. He then
went to the ticket Office through the
lcolored room, next TO the store. From
There he went towards the cotton plat
form and stopped o ten feet from
1.-THE corner of the warehouse, where he
took the train and went to Councils.
From there he walked to his home
Councils is Il miles by railroad or IA
lmiles by road from Clarkton.
BLOOD ON BROWNS SHIRT.
Il saw clothes hanging It the shed
near the camp. There was a top shirt.
lit was damp a little and one sleeve
considerably so. 1t was a blue looking
lshirt; blue striped, 1 think. I examin-
led the shirt and on one cuff / found a
lspot of blood about the size of a little.
three cent. piece. 1t was half way of
l.he wrist band and 1 think it was on
lie left enc. 1t looked like a little
spot that had been smeared. I don't
know Of my own knowledge whose shirt
lit was, but I had a conversation with
Brown about the shirt. He was at the
dead body at the time and was not tiec.
7 don't think anyone had charged him
with the crime. / made no threats to-
wards him or held out no Inducements
to him. He was under arrest, but was
not tied. There was not over seven Or
leight people there and it was before
the crowd arrived. 1 did not see a gun.
never spoke to him until the shirt con-
lverSation, but I don't remember eX>
lactly how the conversation started. /
asked him what he had been doing that
morning. He said he had been around
the camp all day and that he had wash
led some clothes. He said the shirt
was his. He also stated hat Seilars had
been with him at the camp that morn
ing. At the water-hole / saw a track
that was made by a pair of new shoes
and about the same size as those IN the
field. There was only one track and
the toe pointed towards the house. If
1.-THE person at hole had gone in any
lother direction save towards the house
there would have been other tracks, as
The would have stepped on red clay"
Upon the converting of court in the
iafternoon Neill ~Singletary vas placed
upon the stand n by him the state
lprovad that the shoes Sellers wore
when arrested precisely fitted the
tracks discovered at the scene Of the
crime. The shoes were lumber 8.
land the one which the witness per-
I%sonally fitted to the racks was OBJ
Itained by him from Sellers.
"A KNIFE PLAYS AN IMPORTANT
FART.
The knife found neal the body next
played an important part.
First, j. Wash Clark testified that he
had found the knife about five feet
from the body and that it a a dark
spot like q blood stain upon it, and
oscar Pridgen, a young negro man
Testified that he had seen a knife SIM
iilar appearance in Dave Browns pos.
session Thursday night before the
murder.
Ex-Sheriff S. c.. wooten was the
next witness and he testified as to hav-
ling seen the track at the water hole
land those at the scene of the crime
HE also stated that he saw the
lclothes at the negroes house. the
lshirts appearing wet.
TWO OTHER WITNESSES.
Witnesses E. j. Cox and Matt Kelly
the latter an old colored man, were the
next ones. The former testified that
on the morning of September 3rd
The and a companion captured a los1
mule near the Packer home abou1
l11:1O o'clock and that after Brown
Twas arrested he told him that he
l(Brown) had been seen them near the
house. The latter testified to having
seen Sellers and Brown standing III
the doorway of their house between
Is and 9 O'Clock on the morning of thu
tragedy, and that they were icokins
i'm the direction of the Packer house
TIGHTENING THE NET.
Witness ]. Wash Clark also testi
fled that around the scene of the slay'
ling were plenty OF 'beggar lice
bushes, and 0. L. Clark when recalled
Ito the stand testified that plenty %
l"beggar Iice' seed were clinging Il
the clothes of Sellers when he was a
iCouncil's.
This last mentioned witness also at
ltributed another strong link TO tn
lchain of cirsumstancial evidence b.
Itestifyipg that Sellers, when arrested
had a small fresh cut on the RICH