The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-02-05
CLEARED OF MURDER CHARGE
Negroes Charged With Murder of
Late Neil Shaw Go Free-Walter
McNair Goes to Pen Civil Court
This Week


McNair Goes to Pen Civil Court
This Week
Foster Mcmillan and Arch Bethune,
tcth coloTed, charged with the mur-
der Of the late Neill shaw, who
disappeared from his home in the
Ten Mile section on the 26th of last
July and whose scattered remains
we're found in woods about mile /
from his home on November IA, 60
free. Nearly two days of Robson
Superior court were taken up last !
week, beginning Thursday, in the Sc
lection of jury from a special We
nire of so men anu examination of
a cloud of witnesses, and before the
evidence had all been taken Solioi-l
tor S. 8. Mclean gave up the case
against Mcmillan. who was beng
t:;c-1 and said he would not ask for
a verdict; and Bethune was releas-
ed without trial.
Much interest had been created
by the case ard a crowd that filled
the court room gathered to hear the
| trial. many of the crowd being from
the Ten Mile section, where Mr.. Shaw
lived Messrs. Mclean. Varser &
Mclean and Mr.. H. E. Stacy repre-
sented the defendants and Solicitor
/ S. b. Mclean was assisted in the
prosecution by Messrs. Johnson &
j Johnson. 1t is learned from a re-
liable source that citizens of the Ten
Mile section raised 500 to employ
council for the negroes.
! Many witnesses were examined
but no evidence of damaging ma
ture to the defendants was brought
out. Jim King, a notorious negro
who has been in the tolls few him
self and who has turned out as de-
tective, had professed to have the
goods on these boys and as a re-
suit of his work they lodged in pris-
en- for spell awaiting trial; but he
failed to convince anybody that he
was entitled to the $3.50 which he ad-
mitted he expected to get if the trial
resulted in conviction Of the ne
groes he said were the guilty par
ties.
The Robesonian had a reporter al
the trial and every bit of the tes
1 timony was written UP for the pa
t FER, but owing to demands for space
Of much more important news, thi:
81 voluminous testimony can, be glanc
= ed at only.
: Mrs. Shaw's Testimony
h Mrs. Shaw, widow of the mur
: dered man, said that Mr.. Shaw lef
t her at the breakfast table on tn
e morning Of his disappearance. Sh
e expected him back to dinner. bu
o when he failed to come she did no
O. become alarmed, and she waited IN
o til the next morning to give Sh
e alarm. On the day the remains wef
k found she went to the place wit
e i,er father, Mr.. VIM. Malone. Whe
t, her husband left home he wore ia
IS shoes. straw hat, blue overalls
is striped shirt, and was going to wor
ID in the new ground. She was sur
n the clothes found with the skeleto
n were the clothes worn by her hus
e band when he left home. Mr.. Sha'
n had a gold watch and knife on HI
} person wnen he left home. She ha
81 been married 9 wears; has 2 chi
w dren; has been living I'm the TIE
j. Mile section years.
nj Testimony of County Health Office
S. DR.. 3. w Page. county health o
ID ficer. said he made an examinatlo
c. of the skull and found that it he
W. been fractured from the RIGHT sic
I'd almost all the wav across. Tho bio
that caused the fracture would hay
killed Fan. The bones had bee
! exposed to the weather for ison
tirae.
Jim King
~ Jim King, colored, testified tn
- at Mr.. J. N. Regna's on Decemb
,te -, II he saw Foster Mcmillan, who to
~, ~ him that if they got Arch Bethu
III for killing Mr.. Shaw they wou
~ have him for the right thing; tn
~ ~ Bethune shot Mr.. Shaw and knock
a.. a. him down and that he (McMilla
NJ ny struck Nj. Shaw on the head aft
,,7t ,lt he fell, then carried him over on n
p Ira Iowrsend's place; that Fost
~ ~ showed him where he and Arch we
- ~ working the day before the murd
bo w and they made the plot to kill N
;.e :n Shaw; that Mr.. Shaw and Arch h
49, 49, fallen out. Jim said if he succee
III III ed in convicting these men he W
nc looking for $3.50 reward. r" s.
us. us- he had studied detective work IN
20 detective training school in :,
r. f. York and he showed his diploma.
of Foster Mcmillan
tor Foster Mcmillan testified as f
or lows: He had been living IN Ho
UCI OllSVlllO OH 1iho AAtN, ~.
OBJ time on Mr.. A. Powell's place. Wo
the ed in new ground in July. Had bt
in iail about 6 weeks. He accoun
for his movements on July 26 fr
the time he got up. Borrowed
cart from Mr.. Sandy Inman and ca
Z to Lumberton after fertilizer.
oan told Of meeting Jim King, of K
asking about white man being m
n. dered about there and King 5;
.iti- "Some damned white folks were
md ink to lay it on the poor negro'
ard He said he had a gun with him
at July 26 to trade with Pedeway "
oru- son. The last time he saw Mr.. ST
e a was on Tuesday before he disappe
ed
RN. Others who were placed on
stand were Rural Policeman l..
NAL Townsend, Messrs. R. II. ands ..