The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-02-23

label Register, the Columbus county
desperado. who is TO be hanged at
VAUDEVILLE on February 26th for muir
der. on several days ago made a full
confession of the awful crime to a rep
resentative of The w%hiteville News.
The man. A. C. Smith, who Register i'm
piicates in his statement was arrested
and is in Jail at Whiteville. The state
ment was made by Register in his own
hand writing and was signed by him.
1t Is as follows:
w left home in Whiteville. Cross
Edmonson and me. to go down and rob
old man Jim Stanley. My father sug-
gested it. 1t had been reported he
had between $500 and 1000 and he car
ried it On his person. This was on Sat
turday night. March 2Sth. of last year.
We left here between 10 and II o'clock
at night after the night train passed
the station going north. We had been
talking about the same thing before.
We went into the woods near where the
Niger was running a blockade still.
The niger was staying with a man
named Jesse Soles who was also killed.
We stayed in the woods tina night and
adj day Sunday. We took some aimed
goods and crackers with us. We found
a ten gallon key of corn whiskey in
the woods where A. G.. Smith told me
we could find it. My father al talked
with Smith about his matter before
and he arranged with my father to
meet US in the woods. Smith came to
us in the afternoon n we had a ak
with him. He then went towards Soles'
house. EdmonSon and me drank whiS-
key all day. We wanted him to get the
niger down to the still away from Mr..
Soles SO we could rob him. We in
~-l@ - l-1 IL
money or otherwise we would have
shot him, of course. Sometime in the
afternoon Smith came to US again and
said SOleS was not at home and he
would not be there at first dark. and we
had better come up to the house. We
could get the niger there. He said he
could not get the niger away from the
house. and there would be no one but
him and the niger there. We went up
at first dark. Cross EdmonSon whis-
tied and the niger came to the door
and l hot him. He fell in side and the
door close. L was then on the outside,
me and Cross Edmonson. Then there
was a gun fired inside and after that
Cross EdmonSon went to a window and
fired again. Then l saw a. G. Smith in
the house with his gun in his hand.
Then Cross Edmonson went to the back
of the house and fired another time.
There was a bed inside and he said he
lOuSh llC was a liai III liz pCu
but there was nobody there. Then A.
c. Smith came III the house to me
n sale we've got 'em both / told
him 1 thought Mr.. Soles vas to be
away He said it don't make any diff
ference, we've got EN- both Smith
left to go to Bill Soles'. he said. so they
wouldn't suspicion him. Then Cross
Edmonson and myself went into the
house. We searched both Of them.
BdmOnson took both pocketbooks out o.
their pockets and handed one to me. /
got a pocketbook with $40 and some
cents and eleve cartridges in it. l
don't know how much he got. We was
to count it up and divide 1t. but we
never did do it. We left there together
and went to a niggers' house by the
name Of Nelson Toon's and stayed there
all night. came home the next morn
ing. Edmonson went into the woods
and said he would wait there until night
before he went home. My father want
ed a piece of the money was the reason
he planned the robbery.
(Signed.]
"JABEL REGISTER.'