The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-10-14
Innocence. Nothing could shake him
this.
INQUEST. FUNERAL. TRIAL.

AoAA AAAAS-
INQUEST. FUNERAL, TRIAL.
Then the inquest and funeral of the
unfortunate young woman followed.
The coroner's jury returned a verdict
the negroes and they were
brought here and placed in jail. Fear
ing their safety they were spirited away
to Wilmington, where they passed
through a period of great excitement,
Jas IS we'll known. From there they
iwere carried to Raleigh to the peniten-
tiary and now they are once more here
and on the eve of a trial, which means
to them life or death.
THE CRIME.
The crime charged against the ne
lgroeS vas one of the foulest ever re-
lcorded. 1t was of a sudden, ruthless
mature that forced with shocking dis
ImalneSs all sunshine from a happy
lhome- 1t was the asSaulting and STAY
ling Of a young wife in a brutal, tor
turing almost on the threshold
lof her home and that, too, when she
lhad almost cached the sweet atmos-
lphere of motherhood. No pen can
graphically enough picture, no tongue
Jean wildly enough unfold the horror
Iof It all. No wonder the two negroes
NOW look into the Jaws of DEATH
The victim was Mrs. George Packer.
LACED "a years and a bride of about a
lyear. In a plain, but cozy little home
she and her husband lived about a
mile from Clarkton. Mr.. Packer was
jim the employ Of the cape Fear Lumbe
company, at Wilmington, and was sta
ltioned at a logging camp six miles from
iClarkton. Owing to the nature of his
work he was unable to spend but every
lother night at home. Friday night,
september End, he had to be absent and
in order not to leave his wife alone he
left q vnrnO FIRST cOuSin Sam piss
Jagged twelve, at the house. Before day
next morning two negrOeS( supposed
Ito be SellarS and BROWN called at the
Ihouse and asked for matches, but little
lSam was too cunning to open the door
$50 he poked them out of a window.
(which, no doubt, thwarted the black
Ideed then. Next morning sam was
labSent from the home from 9 to 1880
O'Clock, going to Clarkton on an errand,
land it was during that time that the
assassin and despoiler of virtue visited
the house. The character Of the deed
lean best be described by the following
which appeared in The Messenger of
September 9Th and which was written
by a staff correspondent on the scene:
LAS BLACK AS HADES.
"Just how it was one and the indie
I%scrlbable agony of it all is plainly told
lby signs.
u SoollS OLilSA w Co Z SAbN JNoN
in the act of taking out a pan Of pies
from the oven when the negro brute
tentered Stealthily and seized her. She
lcried aloud for mercy, but the fiend
knew it not. He dragged her from the
house and in the struggle her skirt was
torn from her. Towards a dense thickec
he pushed her until finally she broke
AWAY from him and started in the direc-
ton of the railroad track. The brute
Iovertook her and another desperate
struggle ensued during which she was
stripped of part of her sack. Beating
and choking her he dragged her to the
thicket, where he knocked her down
and accomplished his fiendish purpose.
Then he stabbed his victim twice in the
neck with a knife and as she turned
over in her agony n probably death
struggle he broke her Sku with a rain.
LYING FACE DOWNWARD.
'She was found lying face downward,
her head resting on her left arm and
in a stump hole n her right arm
crooked as If warding off a blow.
"a KNIFE AND A RAIL.
IAN Did iron case knife, though not
bloody, was found near the corpse. The
Irail, about a yard long and gore stains
led, was also found near by.
THE DISCOVERY.
1T was after the deed was committed
that young Sam Russ returned and
missed his cousin. He went outside the
house to look for her and not far away,
probably go yards and south of the
ihouse, he saw Dave Brown washing
Isome clothing. He inquired of him if
The had seen Mrs. Packer and received
la negative reply. He then went to Mr..
Packers fathers house also nearby,
land as she vas not there the search
commenced. In the meantime Mr.. A.
lSantee came up and said shortly before
The had heard outcries in that vicinity.
THE quest resulted in Uhe finding of the
body Of the young woman in all it's