Mexico weekly ledger., 1916-02-24
SONNY BOY" MITCHELL, WHO
KILLED BUSTER" HAYES
HERE OCTOBER SEVEN
TENTH 1903. CAP
TURED.
! WOUNDED 3 OTHERS
ADMITTED HIS IDENTITY TO Of
FIcERs AT BLOOMINGTON,
ILL, WHEN PLACED UN-
DER ARREST.
'HADSHOTHlSSLSTER
A REWARD OF $500 HAD BEEN
OFFERED FOR HIS APPRE-
HENSI0N AT THE
TIME OF THE
CRIME.

Augustus Mitchell, better known as
Sonny Boy" local negro bully who
shot and killed Buster" Hayes and
wounded three others, one his sister,
in this city the night of October sew
enteenth, 1903, was placed under ar
rest by the officers in Bloomington,
I'LL, Saturday after thirteen years
liberty. He admitted his identity and
consented to return TO Mexico With
out extradition proceedings. Sonny
Boy left this city after the shooting
and though repeatedly reported cap
tured succeeded in eyading arrest all
these years. AT the time of the
shooting there was a reward Of $500
for his capture but it is understood
this has since been withdrawn.
Mitchell has been living in Bloom
ington for the past seven years un-
der the name of Smith and working
as chef, his occupation while a res
ident here. Sheriff Barnett went to
Bloomington Saturday night and
brought Mitchell here Sunday
Sheriff Barnett would not state
who had turned in Mitchell's where
abouts to the officer though it is
thought It was a relative Of Hayes.
Mr.. Barnett says Mitchell had been
known 10 be in Bloomington for a
number Of years though no effort had
been made to comprehend him. The
reward for his capture expired about
ten years ago though it was renewed
twice.
Waves Preliminary Hearing.
@Sonny Boy" when he was arraign-
ed before Squire Wayne Monday
morning waved the preliminary
hearing. His case will be set for the
March term of the Circuit Court.
Until that time he will be held at the
county Jail. Prosecuting Attorney
Whitson read the charge of murder
on which "Sunny Boy is held.
Mitchell spoke up without hesitancy
! and said that he killed Hayes in
self-defense after being Knocked
down the old runway" at the Fox
building three times.
He left here on the night of the
killing via a Wabash freight train to
st. Louis. From there he went to
New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla,
where he stayed for three months.
Not wanting to stay at one place
too long so soon after the shooting
he left there for Texas where he lived
for sometime. But "Sonny Boy" just
had to come back to some of his old
lhaunts. He said he had lived in
Bloomington for nine years and had
a good home at the time of his ar
rest
For months the Hcops" in his dis
trict in Bloomington ate their mid
might lunch in the restaurant in which
| Mitchell worked. He knew them well
and when they asked him his former
home it was the last Of his thoughts
that they wanted him for the killing
Of Hayes which long ago had ceased
to worry him.
At the time Of the shooting he was
only seventeen years. old and now
looks about 25 although he is thirty
HE was well dressed and his genera
appearance indicates that he hai
been prospering. :.
Il Story Of Crime. .S.....;
The following story. of the cEiin'
with (which Mitc!eiis is charged II
taken from the Mexico Ledger undel
date of Thursday Oct. 22, 1908:
ii, Armed and looking for trouble
Augustus Mitchell, local negro char
acter commonly known as "Sonn.
Boy" visited negro dance hall, a
the corner Of jefferson and Libertl
streets, Saturday night, the seven
teenth, on being refused admission |
quarrell ensued between himself ans
the dance hall door-keepers, jim
Hayes, we'll known as "Buster" an'
Ben Phillips. Mitchell resorted Il
his pistol, firing point blank at hi
victims. Hays was shot in the righ
breast dying twenty minutes later