The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-26
Lips of the Dying Man
SternIy Sealed.
WHO STRUCK BLOW7
Found at Midnight CHASTITY and Bleed
ing, Speight Refused to Tell.
Arrest of Charlie Wilkins Yes
terday Morning. Verdict Of
Coroner's Jury.

| Especial to News and Observer
| Goldsboro, N. c., July 25.-Was it
murder or was Gray Speight slain in
desperate street duel? Why was it
that in his last hours the man shut
his lips in S IN silence and refused
| to speak the dame of him who had
given him his death wound? Does
| the verdict of the coroner's jury solve
| in part this mystery? Whose eye saw?
Whose voice heard? The evidence is
claimed to be all purely circumstan-
| tial. VIII further developments fasten
the gives upon the accused or viii
| they open the gates wide for his pas
sage to the broad light of freedom?
Here is the story SO far as known:
| Mr. Grey Speight, at one time a
member of the Goldsboro police
force. but now following the carpen-
| ters trade, was cut in the right tenn
| pie with a knife or some sharp-edged
instrument, in the northern part OF
the city Saturday night about twelve
O'Clock.
| When found he was leaning
on a fence on East Centre street, just
few steps south OF G. w. Browns
grocery store, and was evidently very
weak from loss of blood.
The fracas must have occurred on
John street, north near the old Lang
ston market, where Mr.. Henry Grady
now runs an ice house, as the first
trace of blood was found just beyond
a chicken coop that stands near thai
house.
He came on down John street. af-
ter ne was cut, to Hams corner, then
turned down Boundary street and
crossed that street about midway the
square and kept on down that street
until he reached the corner, then
surned down West Centre street and
stopped near the corner where he
was first found.
He bled freely all the
way and must have lost at
least quart or blood at the place
where he was found. His face was
so badly disfigured from blood stains
that he was almost unrecognizable
He was repeatedly asked what his
name was and who cut him, but he
would not speak a word. and finally
of people followed to take
care of him. but when near
the ice factory he was met by
officer Denmark. who at once recog-
nized him and took him to the city
hall. There Speight washed his face,
and was again asked who cut hilH,
but he as before refused to tell any
x,
who cut him.
When found he had an open knife
:n his hand which he refused to give
up until he reached the city hall when
he lid it down TO wash his hand and
Officer Denmark picked it up.
He was told that he was badly cut
and was advised to go and see a doc
tor He started off to look one, and
was next found by Officer Tew sitting
a on no ciH Har yo1 L IoV
office on West Centre street. The Off
Ger and one or two others tried to get
| him to go home. but he refused to
10 so and finally went back to the
city hall, where he remained all night.
| Sunday morning he was taken home
and DR.. j. b. Outlaw went over and
/ dressed his wound. He still
refused to divulge the name of the
party who did the cutting, or to tell
anything about IT whatever.
| He continued to grow worse until
this morning about three O'Clock when
| he died.
Early this morning upon informa-
tion and belief Sheriff Stevens swore
out warrant before Justice Hugh
Humphrey against Charlie Wilkins. a
young white man employed at the
Wayne Agricultural Works, for the
cutting and killing of Speight. and
held the said Wilkins pending the
verdict of the corenr's jury
After lengthy inquest at which
large number of witnesses were ex-
amined the jury rendered a verdict to
the effect that Gray r. Speight came
to his death by a wound on the head
inflicted by some blount instrument IN
the hands of Charlie Wilkins, and he
was thereupon committed to jail by
said jury for trial at the September
term Of Wayne Superior court
The evidence upon which yOunn
Wilkins is held is simply circumstan-
tial, Speight was a desperate charac-
ter when he was drinking, and had
often been before the mayors court
and the higher courts for cutting and
shooting affrays. Even before he left
Greene county he was a terror there.
He was about forty-five years of age
and leaves a wife and one child.
Messrs Dortch and Barham have been
retained as counsel for the defendant.