The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-03-08


] governor and the sheriff took precau-
| tionary measures in time TO prevent
| the possibility of occurrence of either
| event
| Had the man fallen into the hands
of the people of Fayetteville at the
time when their passions were wrought
| up TO such pitch and he had been
summarily executed, how much So
ever the act would have been deplored
even by many OF the participants after
there had been time for reflection aud
for better judgment TO resume lis
! sway, no one could really have ceE-
| sured them for their action.
How greatly the man deserves tle
doom that awaits him is shown b.
his statement TO MT. d. X. Taylor one
OF the posse which arrested him on
| the train in Dunn From The Fayette-
vile Observers account of the corOn-
er's inquest we take this from MI
Taylor's testimony:
Mr.. Taylor says that just after the
| arrest Walker said that he had done
| all the shooting, he was satisfied with
the result was now ready to go to
hell. He had changed his slouch hat
to Il cap with q long ViZOr, which was
pulled down over his face when Mr..
Taylor first caught sight of him. The
pistol Nth which he did the shooting
and which Mr. Taylor brought back to
| Fayetteville and turned over to the
sheriff was one of the very latest
models Smith and Wesson. and looks
like q brand new one. It had four 81
calihre loaded cartridges i'll the cham
berS.
Walker says he fired only three
shOts-at Chief Chason first, then at
Lockamy, and last, at Buckingham as
the last named was about to shoot LiTl.
The chief, however, was shot in the
head and also in the foot
buckingham shot at the negro sew
eral times after he had fallen but all
the shots went wild
We have heard surprise expressed
that the negro could have shot al
three men before any one of them lad
time to fire at him. This is accounted
for by the following account of the
shooting given by The Observer:
When the policemen entered the
house. they found only Two persons,
Tom Walkers Wife, and It white man
named Joe Fitzinger. who was GUS
toner, and who had just bought a
bottle Of beer and was in the act of
drinking it. The chief read the war
rant to Walkers wife, and then Wal
ker came upon the scene with his
hands in his pockets, and told MIR.
Chason to read the warrant to him,
which he proceeded to do. Suddenly
walker pulled his pistol and crying,
4ou have bounded me long enough,
and L Will shoot you like dogs" began
firing in rapid succession. He shot the
chief first at close range: the bail en-. ,
tering the left side Of his face near the
nose, the powder burns showing plain
ly on his face. I!e turned and shot
Mr.. Lockanly who was STOPPING down
looking into the boxes and barrels in
a corner for beer and Whisky. Mr..
Buckingham came from the other side
of the house and was shot through
tilS iCAI lung oIlu oIlcbio(A-+
This shows that the policemen were
take at a great disadvantage. The
man. Fitzinger, who was present, says
that the shooting was so rapid that
he does not know which one of the
policemen was shot next after tie
chief.
There is one circumstance connected |
with this sad affair which it gives Us |
pleasure to note and that is the con-
duct of the negroes of the town when |
it was learned that Walker had shot |
three white men and had made lis !
escape. They We're Mortified at his !
crime and were anxious to render all |
assistance possible in the effort for |
his capture. Their conduct shows ttat |
We have among us many of that race |
who abhor crime and vice among /
their own race and who are anxious TO
suppress 1t anu W Cdhe tnelr part III
to justice those of their race
who commit such heinous crimes
The Observire says of their conduct:
The negroes behaved aGmira bly,, on
this occasion, and Professor F. Z.
Smith. of the cOlOred no1nal school,
rendered his services to Mayor T. J.
Powers about 10 o'clock Saturday
hight. and offered to furnish one hun
1red men of his race to assist in catch !
ing the murderer. The better class Of
negroes IN Fayetteville do not uphold ,
crime. but dep!ore it in heir race.
The white people of the south Should
give all possible encouragement and
aid to this class of negroes in their eff
orts to restrain the lawless element