The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-08-11

in Florence.
Last night, a few minutes before II
O'Clock, Alice Owen, a white woman
who lives at a house of i'll fame on
Eighth street between Church anu
Castle, was shot and instantly killed
by Thomas f. Lamb, a young white
man from Florence, South Carolina.
Lamb claims that the shooting was &C
cidental, but several witnesses say that
he did the shooting in a deliberate
manner and that there was no accident
about it.
From what could be learned last
night Lamb has been coming to Will
mington see the Owen woman for
some four or five years and he came
here the last time Sunday a week ago.
During the past ten days, according to
his own statement, he has been drink
ing heavily. Yesterday afternoon he
wanted Alice Owen to go out to the
ledge of town and practice shooting at
d ldISSl. i'll una dShCCu W 81 "hu
Lamb went to Fate SOutherland's and
borrowed a 3S-calibre, hammerless,
Iver-Johnson pistol. A heavy rain
came up late in the afternoon prevent
ing them from taking their anticipated
"trip.
From the time they We're to have
gone out for target shooting until the
fatal shooting, the men and women at
the house seem to have been drinking.
At the time Of the murder, Louise
Massey and Claude Fowler were in the
room with Alice Owen and Lamb. The
tOYen woman seems to have been sit
ting to- one side of the room near the
Wind0T. The witnesses say that
lamb suddenly pulled the pistol from
his pocket and without saying a word
to Alice owen fired at her, the ball en-
'tering above the left breast and just
above the heart. The woman was sit
ting i'll Il chair at the time and she fell
to the floor, and as she did so turned
- IIpon her back. She died in a few min
utes and never spoke after she was
e. shot.
Immediately after the shooting
o. Claude Fowler ran out after an officer
and found Officers Leon George ana
n. J. Howard at Sixth and Castle, and
in the meantime Officers John Sneeden
and Alex. Wells, having heard the re-
wort of the pistol, fastened to the place.
Cullen Pridgen, who was in another
roOm of the house when the shooting
occurred, stated to the police that
Lamb asked to be allowed to leave by
the back door. but he was prevented
from doing so until the police could
arrive.
As soon as the police reached the
house and found that the woman was
dead they telephOned to DR.. &. ID. Bel,
the coroner. and also to the city hall
for the patrol wagon. Sergeant Bur-
nett was on duty at the hall and he
hastened to the place of trouble. Lamp
was brought to the hall and locked vi
and Sergeant Burnett then went after
DR.. Bell. The body was not remove
from the house last night and was
viewed there by the coroner. 1t was
prepared for burial by Mr.. J. +. Wool
vim, Dr.. Bell will have an autopsy
held today and also will summon
Jury and have an inquest this morn
ing about 10 o'clock.
1t is said that Lamb has often mad
threats before to kill Alice Owen an(
tbat no later than last night Aic'
NyNen IOOh liz pISloA "
one of the other women returned 1t.
Lamb was interviewed by a repre-
sentative of The Messenger last night
He stated that he vas "a years OF ag
and that his home was in Florence. b
said his parents were both dead, b
he had two sisters living in Florence
He did not deny that he had been con
ing here to see Alice Owen for sewers
wears. He said last night the woma
had been drinking whiskey and IA
had beer drinking whiSkey and ID
two half pint bottles. AS he went I
take a drink from Ii Of the bottles
said Alice Owen took it from him an
emptied it out. He said he then pulle
cut the other bottle which had only
small amount of whiskey in 1t an
Immediately pulled the pistol from h
rocket, pointed it towards the windo
dow and said, Here's luck TO you al
and pulled the trigger. He said |
thought he had the pistol pointed d
rectly out of the window, but when
pulled the trigger, to his horror, Il
ball entered the left breast of Ali
Owen.
Lamb is a small man, weighing n
more than 100 pounds. For a iol
time he worked with the A. L. L..
the shops at Florence as a timer, ID
he says for the past few years he IL
had no regular employment only 81
ting an occasional job. He express
great regret last night that he b.
killed the The killing OF t
woman had sobered Lamb to sol
extent, but he was still drul
this morning between 1 and 2 o'cioc
He stoutly maintains that he wou
not have killed the woman for an
thing in the world, and that it W