The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-02-01
YOUNG WlLCOX'S BODY
HAS NOT BEEN FOUND
John BUCHANAN CAPTURED
AFTER Today CHASE. THOM-
SON RETRACTS CONFESSION.

Latest developments Ill tllC nun uOi
near Lumber City of Robert Wilcox,
nephew of Mrs. c. T. Lowrey, of Daw-
son, have increased interest in the
tragic affair.
John Buchanan, one of the accused
men, was arrested after Guiding otfl-
GERS and posse several days, and Jake
! Thompson, who confessed particlpa-
ton in the crime when arrested day
or two afterwards, have been remov-
ed from the Alamo Jail to the San
dersville jail for safe keeping.
Thompson, who is only about 10
years old, has repudiated his comics
sion and now declares he does not
know who killed Wilcox. He says
that he told the officers he killed the
missing man for the reason that they
had threatened to place him in the
town calaboose, where the crowd out
side could get him.
Il said | killed him to keep them
| from letting the mob get me, he said.
81 don't know who killed him;
didn't | don't know whether he is
! dead or not"
Buchanan was present when the
statement was made, but would say
nothing about the matter, only that
he had nothing to do with the killing,
Keep Up Search.
Search for the body OF Wilcox will
be kept up indefinitely, according to
reports from Lumber City. A party
OF citizens have been dragging the
! Oconee river for the body for over
two weeks, but their efforts to find
| the body of Wilcox are somewhat dis
couraged; they are still hopeful that
they will be successful in the next few
days. The river has been dragged at
the place where Thompson in his con-
fession claimed he threw the body into
the water and for some distance down
stream. 1t is believed by those engag
ed in the search that the body prob
ably was carried some distance from
the point it was thrown into the river
and has not risen on account OF the
low temperature Of the water.
Story of the Crime.
The case, which has attracted inter
est throughout South Georgia, origi-
mated two weeks ago. Robert Wilcox,
10 years of age, following an inspec-
ton of cross ties in the sWampS several
miles from Lumber City, near what
is known as Cheney's Ferry met up
with John Buchanan, an old fisherman
who made his living on the Oconee,
Ocmulgee and Altamaha rivers, and
Jake c. Thompson youth who, &C
cording to their confessions, were at
the time engaged in manufacturing
and selling whisky.
The two men had with them at the
time a gallon of whisky. Wilcox went
with them to Buchanans shack, locat-
ed on the banks OF the Oconee. The
trio had several drinks. Later on out
side the shack Thompson asked Viii
con- according to Thompson's con-
fession, to let him examine his shot
gun Wilcox handed over the gun, and
because | wanted to, aided by a sud
den passion to kill | pulled the trig
ger and the body fell almost at my
feet" stated Thompson in his con-
fession.
The confessor and the fisherman
dragged the body to the river bank
and cast it into the stream. They
agreed to keep silent about the crime,
and the youths hat and gun were
buried i'll thicket. Buchanan then left
the scene, while Thompson remained.
He was captured by friends of Viii
cox three days later.
With a rope around his neck and
knowing that the chances of admit
ting the crime meant more or less
certain death, Thompson told the
crowd that he and Buchanan had slain
the youth and he volunteered to take
the crowd where they had hid the
hat and gun. He led them to the spot.
He was then turned over to the au-
thorities.
Buchanan was captured after a fen
days chase. Sentiment at Lumber
City is that the fisherman took about
as prominent part in the crime as did
Thompson.