The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-03-12
R. W. COBB ELECTROCUTED.
IContinued from First Page

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in the lamb of the porch, and i'm
mediately ran it off in the direction
Mrs. Shaw had heard the person
run. To make sure they were start
ing in on the right track, they were
brought back to the track in the
porch, and they went off again in
the same direction. 1t was then dis
covered that the man had jumped
the wire fence into the oat patch
and had run diagonally across it
to the public road; the tracks were
very plain across the soft ground.
The dogs, unable to get over the
fence, circled the patch and struck
the track on the other side where it
came out.
There was found the track of
bicycle that had come up the road
from the direction of Roanoke Rap
ids and proped against the wire
fence. 1t was evident that the per-
son who had crossed the patch had
taken the bicycle and ridden back
down the road toward Roanoke Rap |
ids. The dogs ceased to make music
and the people followed the bicycle
track. At intervals, when the road
was rough or he would lose his bal
ance, the rider would step off the
wheel and push it. Whenever these
tracks appeared, the dogs would
open up
The track was followed in this
way to where it entered the main
avenue leading into Roanoke Rapids.
The rider was joined by another.
who had been waiting at this point
with another bicycle, and the first
rider changed to the other bicycle
without getting to the ground, and
the man who had been waiting took
the bicycle the first one had been
riding. The people continued to fol-
low the original bicycle track and
traced it to the home Of Clyde Tay-
lor, where it was found in the porch
This bicycle had a tread with nine
; little ridges in it, and the track all
the way had correspondent with it.
But the dogs would not run any
track from where the wheel was
found in Taylor's porch and this was
quite mystery until later, when
Gurkin, who was the accomplice of
: Cobb, explained how they had ex-
changed wheels It was afterwards
ascertained that Cobb, on that same
night, had borrowed Clyde Taylor s
> bicycle, and he admitted at the trial
> that he rode it that night, but he
claimed to have gone to another
% house in the same direction. 1t was
: shown, however, that the track Oh
the wheel did not go to that house
: and its occupants stated that he hac
= not been there
. SOME OF THE EVIDENCE.
~ The wheel track was pretty cleal
n all the way from Roanoke Rapids tt
= Shaw's place and back again, an6
n the testimony was that 10 traffic haC
been along the road since the nev
track had been made,
Cobb had been heard to plan sew
eral months before to go out Their
r and get the money, and it had bee
r. stated that the trip would be mad
$. on bicycles because bloodhound
could not run bicycles, and also tina
IF Clyde Taylor's wheel would be used
~ 1t was also stated, and not denied b
ae Cobb, that he had tried to borrow
n pistol from several different peopl
We that afternoon. 1t was shown tina
" he got back to town that night abou
d. half an hour after the killing, dust
a. and hatless On the Friday befo1
en- he had said to young man that h
ne knew where there was good thin
1g in the country, and if his plans worl
at ed out he would 60 to Norfolk G
IS Sunday, and invited the young ma
he to go with him to Norfolk.
The trial took place before jude
ne Lane in June and Cobb was convic
ed ed and sentenced to death. He a
,;o pealed to the supreme court. S
~ licitor John H. Kerr was assisted
ue the prosecution by E. l.. Travi
Sic chairman Of the Corporation Cor
mission, and A. L. Clark, of Roanol
Rapids. Cobb was defended by
G. Dunn, of Enfield, and JOSEF
Pippin, of Littleton.