The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-11-20

Does not Deny Having Committed
the Crime-He has Been on the
County Roads a Number OF Times.
4 cold biooded murder was commit
ted in this city last night shortly after
seven o'clock when Frank James, col
ored, better known as "Smiley,' cut
to death a negro woman by the name
of Bette Johnson, and who was known
as Monk" Both negroes have been
on the county roads at different times
and it has not been long since James
finished serving a term for gambling.
The woman was murdered in Mead
ow's alley and where the alley enters
Eleventh street, between Market and
Dock. James vas caught last night
between II and II O'Clock in the yard
of the Cape Fear Lumber Company,
where he and several other negroes
were gambling.
The murder was a most cold blcoded
llC ~ Tx hIuIo -
statement he and the Johnson woman
had a fight about 7 O'Clock in regard to
some money. The woman went to
Justice of the Peace William Sheehan
to get out a warrant against James for
assault with a deadly weapon. She got
out the warrant and started back to
her house and had reached the point
whr the alley enters Eleventh street
when she was accosted by James. He
says he said to her, You have got a
warrant out against me have yOu?"
Her reply he states was that she had
not got out the warrant. At the time
he says there was another man with
the woman who made some remark
and James stated last night that he
knocked him down. Then it was, &C
cording to his statement, that Bette
Johnson jumped on him and he began
to cut. He denies knowing how bad
he cut her but says the man had a
knife and was trying to cut him. He
| claims to have done the cutting with a
pocket knife.
A woman who lives on the corner
where the murder was committed told
a representative of The Messenger that
she heard a m give a scream and
say, Murder, [ am cut to DEATH and
that she rushed into the porch and
saw Bette Johnson running down the
street screaming. Just before she
reached Market street she fell. A ne
gro nan by the name of William
Ellerby stated that he was IN Market
street when he heard the woman COM
mence screaming and saw her run
down the street a few yards and fall.
The Oma was cut in a most
frightful manner There was a cash
On the right side of her throat about
3 three inches long, the jugular vein
having been severed, another cash
about the same length in her left side
and it had entered the abdominal cav
ity and on her left leg just below the
knee. was a cash about 4 inches long
The woman was an awful looking
sight as she lay upon the sidewalk in
a puddle of blood. She died a few min
utes after she fell.
It was but a short time after the
tragedy before the street was crowded
with negroes. At first it was N
what difficult to find out anything
about the murderer, but eventually his
name was learned. Constable Savage
was notified to bring the bloodhound
recently purchased by the county to
the scene. When the dog reached the
spot he vas allowed to smell a pair of
J trousers in the house and at once toOk
up a trail but it proved to be the
wrong trail. He went into the south
ern section of the city,
While an effort was being made to
locate the man by tracking him off,
GERS were on the lookout all over the
city for him. A squad of four police
men composed of Messrs. Charles
Jones, l. F. Higgins. J. r. Sneeden
and w. M. Harris went in the direc-
ton of the Cape Fear Lumber Com
| pany mill to look for the man. Soon
after entering the mill yard they ran
up on a crowd of negroes playing
crap. Officers Jones and Higgins were
together and they recognized James.
All of the negroes jumped up and
started to run and were fired upon. To
the surprise of the officers they return
ed the fire, but fortunately none OF the
! officers were hit. James was singled
out and in a very few minutes he was
cornered and arrested by Officers Hug
gins and Jones. The patrol wagon
was then sent for and the negro car
ried to the city hall. James at first
would not say much but presently he
gave hisirersion of the affair, as stated
ahOve.W He is a very mean looking ne
gro It is SAID that when he has been
on the 9e~oHpptyttrroads he was an excel
I lent hand but was very t~reacherous
and bad to ebeo watched fclosely. He is
a sSuathu Eolinag negro dbuti has been
innWffmfngt0n forTseveral years.. For