The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-01


house, OF man and a woman The MAJ
was jumping about five feet at a step
the woman about four feet, the man gain
ing upon uhe woman all the time. THESE
tracks led to cotton patch, about a hun
/ -ered yards from the house Here they
found the body of Bridgers' wife, lyin:
dead, face downward.
BridgerS also testified that he had in tn:
house $500 in money, in u sack. 1t wa:
in hard dollars, all except one dollar
which was in two HALVES, one new one anC
one old one. When he went to look fol-
this money after he found out his wife
had been killed, it was gone.
! lie said further that on Thursday, the
day before his wife was killed, as he was
coming UP to the house he saw Adams
| talking to his wife, and when he saw wit
ness coming up Adams left, apparently in
q hurry He walked directly away from
witness, as he tried to catch up with him
and Kept looking back at him over his
shoulder. lie seemed to be so determined
to leave without speaking to witness that
he finally stopped following him.
Sidney Hall, an old colored man, who
lived about quarter of mile from Rob
ert B:idgers was TIE next witness He
said that when Bridgers came running to
his house toward dark, he and his two
boys went back with Bridgers to his
house and saw two children. The girl was
alive then, but died soon afterwards
They went searching tor the body of Bird
gers wife and found it in the cotton patch
near the house. They found tracks Of d
man following those of a woman from the
house to the place where the woman was
found The mans tracks measured twelve
inches in length, and three inches across
the mstep.
Mr.. T. Fl. Massey was next called. He
lived twelve miles northeast of Raleigh,
and about Il mile from Bridgers, who lives
about five or six hundred yards from the
road. path runs from the road to the
house Adams had worked for Massey on
the morning of the day the woman was
killed. He was paid off and left the place
about II o'clock, going in the direction
of Bridgers place and Adams house.
Witness went to the place of the homicide
the next day, and saw tracks of a woman
and man, as if they were running. The
tracks led from the house.
Mrs. Massey, formerly Miss Emma Hoi-
len. daughter OF Mr.. Lum Holden, testi-
lied that on January 22nd, she passed the
8ridgcrs place, going toward Mr.. Lonnle
Watkins. about l o'clock. She saw Il ne
gro man standing at the corner OF the
house. Witness identified the prisoner as
ne man. She was about twenty or TWEEN
| .y-1ive yards away. A woman came out
| If the house and Adams took a step TO-
ward her. The woman was Bridgors' VIE.
| The dogs kept barking and the woman
| came to the door with a baby in her arms
| md Adams went up to the door. Later,
about clock, or a little later, witness
passed back that way, but saw no one.
| MIR. F. c. Holden, father of Mrs. HAS
sey. who lives one mile from Roger 9
Cross Roads He was in Raleigh that
| lay, left here about O'Clock, and passed
ibout six hundred yards from BriGger's
house. Got home about dark. As he got
lbout a mile from home he saw Adams
un from an old pine field across tho road,
'un down about twenty steps and squat
.own behind a bush, looking direct at
witness, who asked him what he was do
ing there. The negro said nothing, but
left his position. Mr.. Holden's son was
with him. They afterwards eXamiI2d the
tracks and traced them through the old
fields and across the road. THIS was on
Monday after the homicide. They took
the track from where he saw Adams squat
back to where the woman was killed.
The tracks in the other direction led Tor
some two hundred yards toward Adams
house. The tracks about where the wo-
nan was killed looked like exactly the
anne tracks as those that crossed the
roa..
On, of Holden
that he had seen Adams hat morning,
and did not know who he was. When ne
saw him again that day, he had said IL
lis son: Il reckon that must be one of
hose niggers that escaped from the jail at
Raleigh But he was certain it was the
zane man he had seen that morning.
Mr.. H. p. Holden, son of the last wit
ness, was with his father when they saw
the negro run across the road from The
old field some five hundred yards from
Bridgers' house. Witness knew Adams.
mad known him lor about 1--WE months,
and recognized him that day as Adams.
Mr.. j. w. Upchurch: who lives about
four miles up the river from Wllburnte.
one mile from Bridgers. He ha;. known
Adams since September. Used to pass
through witness yard every day IN the
harvesting season. He lived about three
quarters of mile away. Witness went
to Bridgers place on Saturday morning
and saw the dead woman lying in the
cotton patch on her face. He went here
to examine the tracks. FIe had often
seen Adams tracks through Las yard
They were peculiar tracks, The tracks
that led from the house to where the wo-
man was found were the very same tracks
that had been going throuAh his yard,
without any douh' They We're at light
angles, the toes pointing outward very
markedly. Then witness exam.ne1 tracks
that led from Mr.. Masseys' house to Bird
gers and they were the very same tracks
that he had seen in his yard, and that had
chased the woman to her death in the cot
ton patch. In tracing the track toward
Adams house they crossed the creek, the
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