The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-27
NEGRO FOUND DEAD
Freezes to Death On Fay
etteviIIe Road Near
Parker's Store.

A colored man not known 10 any
body in this community was found
dead near Parker's store which is on
Fayetteville road about four miles
from this city early yesterday morn
ing. The negro was seen the DAY pe-
fore by several persons who knew
nothing about him or his presence III
the community.
He told Mack Williams, who saw
him on Wednesday morning about ~
o'clock that he was a preacher, ana
asked Williams for cents to get
something to eat, Williams says that
he complied with his request ana,
after telling him the road on which he
was travelling, left him at the Walnut
Creek bridge. 1t seems that he was
making his way towards Raleigh ut
the time that Williams first saw him
on Wednesday morning.
Late in the afternoon Williams says
he again met him on the same road
going in an opposite direction from
Raleigh and appeared to be greatly
intoxicated in fact SO drunk that he
paid no attention to anyone along the
road.
AS soon as the body was found early
Yesterday morning DR.. Thos. M. Jor-
dan, county coroner. was notlhed OF
the fact and he Immediately sum-
moned a fury and held an inquest
over the dead body.
The gentlemen who composed the
coroner's jury were Geo. r. Parker. j.
w. Haynes, J. A. Smith, r. E. Gattis,
j. w. Morgan and ]. l.. Durham.
After examining several witnesses
and making as thorough investigation
az possible the verdict of the jury was
THAT in our opinion the unknown
negro came to his death by freezing.
The witnesses examined were w. +.
Durham and Mack Williams.
Mr.. Durham who was examined nrst
testified as follows:
Il saw the dead body OF a negro
man lying in the old field where the
coroner and his jury found him about
one o'clock on January 20, 1908.
called one of the school boys-Walter
Hamilton-and he came and saw him
and then we came up to Mr.. Morgan 9
and reported it to him. | did not and
do not now know the man."
Mack Williams then testified as fol-
lows:
about 10 O'Clock yesterday. Janu-
airy rs, 1905, l met this man coming
this way on Fayetteville road at Wal
nut Creek bridge. He asked If this
was the Fayetteville road. | told him
it was. Then as / came from town l
met him again un on the water works
hill going towards town. He told me
he was a preacher and asked me for
five cents TO get him something to eat.
That was about II o'clock. l gave
him the five cents. Then in the even
ing as l was goinp towards town with
another load of wood i met him al
Mrs. Martha Green's hill coming out
this way again about two hours by
sun, staggering all over the road With
the same stick you found by his side,
He did not take any notice of me, nor
did ] speak to him. 1 thouoht he was
| drunk. ] told Mr. Jeffries that j gave
| him FIVE cents and he had gone off and
| drank 1t up. / saw the man just
awhile ago and I know he was tbs
! same man. / examined the corpse and
| found no wound upon his person ex.
! cept a small scratch upon his right
| cheek, which no doubt was scratched
when he fell down where he lay Oh
some other place. We found nt
whiskey upon his person. He was
| tolerably we'll dressed and had a clear
shirt wrapped in paper in his pocket
! He had a paper in his pocket. witt
| No. 5 Morris street, Rev. W. w
Beckett A. NJ. f. Church. and half AZ
envelope. the sealed half. on the in.
side of which was written in pencil
| ID. G.. Davis. Mt Olive. n. c. He also
had a piece of last weeks Biblical Re
corder. some matches, nails ant
| forty-three cents in money and :
small two-bladed pocket knife"