The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-12-17
DELIBERATE MURDER.

The Court House the Site Of Thi'
Deed of Blood-C. {. BarcGield L
the Eictim-He Is Plundered o
Several Hundred Dollars -Tht
! Crime for the Present Shroudet
4 but Some Clue May Lead % th'
) Arrest of the Miscreant.
/ OF iale homicides have OeccRe sc
frequent in ShGeN eport and Caddt
Parish chat such occurrence is Be-
ing accepted as matter of fact.
II is true that eonsicioe have
sbeen secured in several cases, but
the muraerOusly inclined are not IN
the least deferred. The iife or a
| human being is of little value, al
. least so it would seem. when q
man has been killed there are some
expression of regret from, his
| friends, but being dead he is soon
forgotten. except by his near re'a.
tives, whereas sentiment is di-
rected more or less TO the criminal
whose opportunities foI escape are
enhanced by ready pleadlneS and
ilair-splitting technicalities.
In the deliberate murder Of C. o.
! Barefelf there is presented for Sc
rious consideration crime without
IL parallel perhaps in criminologH.
Men have been murdered in a
multiplicity of conditions, but never
in temple Of justice, when the
murderer has bided his time and
awaited his opportunity to execute
his diabolical intent.
At what time was l>arcficld mure
;tered and by whom?
Barefeld was discovered lifcless
Monday morning by the two colored
men employed about tbe coul%
house as janitOrs.
As usual the two janitors were in
The basement of the court house
making ready to fire the furnace.
rom which heat is generated, with
which the several offices and COM
partmcnts of the court house are
heated.
AS one of the janitors struck a
match he was Mortified to see out
stretched on the floor the body of a
man. The two janitors without de-
!ay hurried to the police station and
reported. The officers in charge
fastened to the scene and there
oulstretched on. the concrete feor
vas Barefield's body, the head ly-
ing in pool of blood. Nearby was
what would be called a bludgeon, in
plain words, piece of iron about
lhree-quarters of an inch in diam
eter and about thirty inches long
was used by Baretield as a maui
for driving small wooden stakes.
This maui was bloody. There was
also found a hickory handle intend
ID for pick. Such handles are
saleable in hardware stores. The
handle bears no indication of hav-
ing Deen used IN pick.
a circumstantial view of the sur
roundings would lead to the theory
that Barefield was sitting in a chair
in the near the fur
mace, reading. In this compartment
he had his tools and some of his
personal effects. He had frequently
REPAIRED to this compartment to
read or to work. There he was Sc
cluded and was not subject to in
terruption. He was somewhat of a
recluse. although he was sociable
with those whom he regarded as
his friends. He would, during the
| days of the week, when not en-
| pl6yed, be found about the court
khouse or in the sheriff's office talk
ing with people. On Sundays he
would loiter about the court house
and then he would go into the base
ment where he had his compart-
ment. -.-s
For years Bareiield was employed
to do the carpenter work about the
court house. He was also the hor-
/ ticulturist of the court hous.
square. He manifested specia
pride in the caring for the live oaE
trees planted several years ago b,
Judge Bell. These trees stand as
memorial to the memory of the de,
ceased jurist. 1t was by Judge Bel
that Barefield had been instructe
how to keep these trees trimmed
AS fact Judge Bell only a few day
before his untimely death had bee
! viewing these trees with BarefielC
! During the days of Friday and Sat
urday last Barefield had been Ell
gagged in trimming the trees. r.:
! 1t has been stated that Baretiel
was murdered between the hours Q
,, 8 and 10 o'clock Sunday morning