The daily times., 1919-07-07
NEGRO KILLS
WHITE MAN
MIR. Gus Tilley Fatally Wound
de While Assisting Chief
of Police Hobgood.
THE NEGRO WAS KILLED
THE NEGRO WAS KILLED

Oxford, July 6.-After fatally
wounding Mr.. Gus Tilley, a young
white man here, who died this morn
ing at O'Clock, Jim Couch, a negro,
succombed today to gunshot injuries
inflicted in seven we'll directed shots
by Chief of Police Hobgood, who
bravely let a crowd of determined
men to a vacant store, where the
darkey had taken refuge, following
the negro's escape from his boarding
house after shooting Mr.. Tilley,
when the latter went to assist in
placing him under arrest last night.
Mr.. Tilley went with Chief of Po-
lice Hobgood to arrest the negro ear
, ly last night at his boarding house
because of the shooting late in the
afternoon of a negro girl. When
Couch saw Sheriff Hunt bringing in
COW from a field near where he
was staying he fired upon the officer,
apparently thinking that he was
, about to be arrested because of q
| quarrel he had had with his land
t lady. The bullet missed it's intended
mark striking the girl instead, and
! inf1icting a flesh wound in one of
her legs. At the time Sheriff Hunt
i knew nothing of the trouble the ne
+. gro had had.
The trouble originated when Man
dy Anderson, colored, ordered Jim
Couch to vacate her apartments,
where he had been boarding, or pay
up his rent. She had threatened to
have a warrant issued unless he COM
piled with her demand. Couch re-
fused and apparently the dispute
had ended until he fired upon Sher-
in Hunt about 6 O'Clock Saturday
afternoon.
Following Couch's return to his
boarding. house, a posse of ten men
were stationed as a guard around the
place. Later they were relieved by
Chief Hobgood and he and Mr. TIL
the negro to come down stairs.
Couch complied with the request
and as the negro approached, Chief
Hobgood threw fiashlight upon him
and discovered that he was prepar.
ing to fire upon him.
! Being practically alone, the police
chief realized his predicament and
Immediately fired upon the negro as
the latter tried to grab the pistol
from his hands, placing bullet just
: below the negro's heart. The negro
did not stop and as he ran by Chief
Hobgood, Mr.. Ti1ley who had just
} come in tackled him barehanded
Couch fired upon Tilley and contin-
ued to run, making his escape sue
cessfully. Mr.. Tilley was fatally
wounded by the shot and although
given every possible medical atten.
ton died at his home this morning.
Pursuing the desperate negro, who
: apparently had become crazed, {
crowd of some 500 men including
Mayor Stem and other prominent
citizens located Couch in Wilson.
store, near the Oxford mills, just out
side the city limits, where Chief Hob
good, who had led the posse, fired
six successive bullets into the negro
: who fell three separate times while
running away before he surrendered
While there was an immense crows
of people, only few participated ir
the capture of the negro, the others
being merely spectators.
Excitement which ran tense all o.
the night had subsidized considerabl,
today. Mr.. Tilley, who will b:
buried tomorrow, had been married
only few months, his wife surviving
him. He was about 21 years old.
The negro is said to have been {
man of bad habits and ill repute, be
ing a big muscular brute.