The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-30
SHOOTING AFFRAY
KiddeT's Hill Scene Of Ex-
element Last Night.
FOUR men WERE SHOT
Shooting Done by Frank Bell, Who
Used a Shotgun.
All Parties Involved Were White.
Frederick Was Shot in the Abdomen
and Wounds Received by HIM May
Result Notwithstanding Occurred
Last Night at II O'Clock at Front
and MarstelIer Streets.

Four white men were shot On Kid
/; der's Hill last night and as a conse-
cuence one of the men will probably
die. The men shot were John Roder-
lex, shot in the abdomen, and Dave
JamisOn, Ben Reaves and Clyde Lee,
shot in the leg. The first two named
were carried to the hospital and it was
learned at an early hour this morning
that John Roderick's condition was
critical and that there was but little
hope of his recovery. There were nine
perforations in his intestineS. The ball
vas not located, but is thought to have
lodged. in the muscles Of the back.
The shooting took place at 1926
South Front street, on what is known
as Kidder's Hill. A representative Of
The Messenger was at the scene of the
shooting soon after it occurred, but it
was difficult to learn the exact particu-
lars further than where the shooting
occurred and who did it. The man
who caused all the trouble was Frank
Bell, a little dark complexiOned man
who runs a blacksmith shop at
Twelfth and Wright streets. The
house where the shooting occurred was
occupied by a family by the name OF
Cain who moved here from E'ayette-
vile last Tuesday, having come here
to work in the Wilmington Cotton
mill. From what could be learned
BELL had gone to the house early in
the night and about II O'Clock a party
Of men went to the house and endeavOr-
ed go in, but were refused admittance.
The people who were in b house say
that one of the men threw a beer bot
tie through the window, and as a mat
ter Of fact a beer bottle had been
thrown through the window and fell
upon the bed in the rOOm,. where the
bottle, which was filled with beer, was
found by one of the police. When this
was done Bell is said to have fired
three times, twice with a single bar
rel shotgun loaded with buckshot
and once With a pistol. The first vol
ley from the shot gun seems to have
been the one which wounded All Of the
men. The first volley was fired through
the door and came through the middle
panel, tearing a hole about the size of
Il dollar. The muZZle of the gum must
have been almost against the door.
A few minutes after the shooting oc-
Cured a message was SEN to- The city
hall requesting that as many police
men as possible be sent to Front and
Marsteller streets. Sergeants Woolard
and Burnett and Police Officers NJ. A.
Jones and Evans fastened to the scene
of the trouble and Officers Minchu,
Skipper, Wells, Howard, Meier and
Holt followed a few minutes later. By
the time they arrived the men who had
had been shot had left the house and
gone to their homes or were endeavor-'
ing to reach home. Frank Bell was
found in the house and made NO denial
of being the n who did the shooting.
but said they were trying to enter the
house when they had been told to leave
He had the shotgun, which said was
his sons, and q five shooter. British
bulldog, pistol. Bell, Ben Reaves and
Clyde Lee were arrested and carried
to the city hall and John Roderick and
Dave Jamison to the hospital Reaves
and Lee We're slightly wounded in the
leg. Bell talked freely about the shoot
ing and when he talked he laughed in
an urconcerned way, as if nothing had
happened. He appeared to- have been
about half drunk. ROderick is said to
have been under the influence Of Whis-
key and his friends say they We're try
ing to get him home and were passing
by the house where the Gains live
when a gun was fired from within,
wounding both Roderick and those ac-
companying him.
A man by the name of Cato Little
ton lives across h street from where
the shooting occurred and n Of the
calls, either from the gun or pistol.
passed through the wall of the house
and grazing the skin of the neck of a
small child who vas asleep in a bed. !
1t was reported that the child killed.
but this was not true.
In looking around the house last
night where the trouble occurred two
bottles filled with beer were found in
the sand by the door steps. The door
had an old hole in it very similar to
the n made last night, showing that
shooting had occurred there before. |
Only one vOlley was fired through the
door last night.