Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-10-24
Accused of Killing Sheriff
And City Sergeant of
Virginia Town
EIGHT ARE WOUNDED
Barn In Which Accused Negro Had
Taken Refuge is Finally Burned
Body Found in Ruins.

are QeaQ ana elpII are "ouihiea a"
the result of raid made last night
on moonshine still of negro near
here and battle between the moon
sinner and the posse this morning,
concluded by the firing Of the barn in
which the negro had barricaded HIM
self and his death in the flames.
The timely arrival of Gov. West
moreland Davis, of Virginia, late this
evening is believed to have averted
an impending race riot.
The dead arc:
Sheriff William c. Bond, Of Orange
county.
Julian F. Boyer, town sergeant, of
Orange.
Walter Ware. negro moonshincr'
The sheriff and his deputy were
slain by the negro last night. When
they failed to return this morning the
posse was formed, and the six hours
with the negro followed before he
was entrapped in the blazing barn.
None of the wounded arc in serious
condition.
Immediately upor his arrival the
Governor, accompanied by members
of his staff. went to the scene of the
shooting, three miller from this place.
Upon his return here he set up tenn
porary headquarters and directed the
Town Marshal to issue an order clear
ing the streets n 8 p. m.
Sheriff Bond, accompanied by Ser
geant Boyer, drove yesterday after
noon to Church Run road, three miles
from the Orange Courthouse, where
it was thought Walter ware. the ne
gro, was conducting moonshine still
or an extensive scale. The officers
left the car with the chauffeur and
disappeared in the dense wood direct
ly opposite the estate of Jacuclin P
Taylor, of Richmond.
The driver of the car. having wait
ed six hours for their return, drove
back to Orange and reported their
disapparence to Alexander C. Brown
Commonwealth Attorney, and DR..
L. Holladay, the coroner. All night
the two men accompanied by posse
of citizens, searched the woods and a.
bout Z o'clock this morning came up
on the bodies of the men, side BY
side on an almost inaccessible hill
side. Returning to the town with the
bodies, members of the posse began
a scearch for Ware, at once euspecting
him of the murder.
At the home of the negro, Wares
wife told +. II. Organ. and Lewis Ber-
tucci, of the Richmond Police Depart
ment, who had been ordered to the
scene by Governor Davis, that her
husband had confessed to her the Kill
ling of the two officers. She said he
spent last night at his home and left
early this morning.
Immediately the trail was taken up
and the posse, led by Commonwealth
Attorney Browning, went back TO the
scene of the murder. With this posse
were other groups of indignant cltl-
zens from other towns.
Ware maintained his moonshine
still in a secluded spot at the summit
of the wooded hills. Two hundred
yeards away was a barn, and it was
there that Ware fortified himself a
gainst the combined posse of more
than 200 citizens and county detec-
tives.
Armed with shotgun, the negro
managed for some time to stop the
approach of the pursuers and wounded
eight members of the posse The
wounded men, all residents Of Orange,
are Manley Carter, Edward March,
Albert Spicer, George Brooks, William
Browning, Earl Warmbesie, Haywood
McCleary and Julian GraZett. After
an hours battle the posse, making
vain attempts to capture alive or per-
suade him to surrender, saw flames
shooting from the roof Of the barn.
According to the members of the posse
shots fired by them set on fire hay
stored in the barn A breeze famed
the flames and in "a few minutes the
entire building was burning.
Several of the posse Immediately
approached the flaming building and
searched for the negro, the remainder
spreading around the building. After
the fire had burned ITSELF out the
charred remains Of the negro were
found. The top of his head had been
shot away. It is not known if bull
let fired By member of the posse
struck him or whether he killed HIM
self to escape capture or death in the
flames