The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-03
Foul Crime Against a
Helpless Woman.
LET THE LAW STRIKE
The Governor Requested to Call Spe.
cial Term OF Court to Try The Me-
gro Walter Partridge For Grim
inal Assault Upon Mrs.
Ha!es,
Especial to News and Observer)

>(Specldl 10 news ana ODSeINeID
Fayetteville, n. c., Feb. 2.--One OF
the foulest crimes ever committed in
this section was consummated yester-
day afternoon on the road to Hope
Mills, about four miles from this city.
The victim is Mrs Hales. q respect
able white woman, who is a widow.
Accompanied by her little son she had
reached the point in the road indicat-
ed when she was met by a negro
named Walter Partridge.
according to the information receiV-
ed, but few, if any, words passed be-
tween them before the negro seized
the helpless, shriekng woman and
lung her to the ground. He then
rained blows upon her, caught her by
the throat in an effort 70 st.tie her
cries, broke off the point of a pair of
scissors with which he tore, in one or
two places, the skin from her throat,
and then dragged her from the road
TO point nearby, where sometime
later he finally left her.
AS soon as news of the outrage was
brought to headquarters of the au-
thor.ties here Sheriff Marsh and a
posse set off in pursuit, and, with only
the clue that the or minal was thought
To be a silk mill hand, stopped at Hope
Mills to ascertain what employe or
employees had been absent from work
that day and afternoon.
superintendent T. w. Thurston laid
open every channel of information and
gave all the assistance i'm his power.
While they were making inquiries
Deputy Sheriff Moore and Constable
Cockman caught Partridge, brought
him up and delivered him TO the
sheriff.
The news had not been generally
circulated through the country. 1t
was then midnight. Later, however,
quite a crowd had collected about the
court house and jail, ard there was an
exhibition of deep and bitter feeling,
but not much excitement when Sheriff
Marsh committed his prisoner to one
OF the cells of the Jail.
Mrs. Hales was badly bruised and
injured il the commission of this hor-
ribie crime, but it is thought that she
will recover. She gave the story of
the deed ard described the scissors
with which she was cut on the neck.
Walter Partridge has been an em-
ploye of the Ashley Bailey silk mills
out has not been at work for a month
Or more. He is stout fellow, only
about eighteen years of age. He con-
coolness and nerve and described 1t in
detail. Sheriff Marsh thinks that he
never had a more brazen prisoner OF
cne with more nerve.
Twice he got from the negro the
confession. and though telling HIM OF
the inevitable consequences of his aw-
ful crime, The mans story remained
the saline in every particular
Superinterde dent Thurston gives Par
fridge a bad character, saying tnat
ne is one of the worst hands he ever
had under him. Partridge was ar
rested at his home last night and this
morning Sheriff Marsh sent out ana
secured the broken pointed scissors
described by Mrs. Hales, which gave
the clue to the fact that the per2e-
traitor of the crime was silk mill
workman.
Mrs. Hales had been at the Tolar-
Hart mills with her brother-In-law
and was on her way To Beaver Creek
when she was assaulted. She was a
Miss Rogers before marriage.
The preliminary trial was held at
the court room this afternoon before
Magistrate C. p. OVERLY. The pris-
oner was bound over and the Cover
nor requested to call a special term OF
court