The daily times., 1922-01-10
YOUNG CHAPMAN TELLS !,
OF KILLING HIS FATHER


Winston Salem, Jan. S.-W1ll1am
Chapman, aged IS, who was arrested
at the home of his brother, S1las
Chapman, here Friday night, on the
charge of killing his father, Matt
Chapman, in Stokes county, October
19 last, admitted during an inter-
view with a newspaper reporter at
the county Jail, that he shot MS
father, though he claimed that ne dld
it in self-defense; that at the. time
he fred the fatal shot his father was
in the act of assaulting his mother.
The trouble originated, it is alleged, /.
when the father refused to give the |
son money to go to the Stokes county
fair at King. Here is the young mans
story:
Il asked my father for money to
go to the fair and when he refused
I pleaded with him, telling him that
l had worked hard and helped to
raise a crop of tobacco and that l was
due some consideration. After l had
asked him several times for the
money. he said he would kill me II
/ mentioned it again. kept after him
for the money and he picked up
long iron poker and struck at me- |
1 knocked the lick off and then my
mother began begging him not to nit
me again. He then started to hit my
mother and 1 reached up en- the wall
and got the pistol, .32 caliber, and
fired one time. / ran and it was some
time before I learned that the shot |
was fatal
The young man refused to tell |
where he had been since the killing, |
other than that he went direct to Mt. |
Airy. When asked if he was out of |
the state he said: 81 don't want to tell |
now He said he came to Winston |
Salem Monday night and has been at
the home of his brother, where he |
was arrested. He said the officers ap- |
peared to know him when they walk |
ed in. |
Young Chapman said he was tired !
of lodging and had come to Win |
ston-Salem, from where he intended |
to go to Danbury, the county seat of
Stokes, Sunday to give himself up to
the officers.
Continuing his story, the young
man said:
Ny father was very hot-temper-
ed man and became enraged very |
easily. He drove my oldest brother |
away from home and has always |
treated my mother cruelty. A few
days before the trouble at home he |
beat her so that she will probably |
carry bruises as long as she lives. He
also drove me away from home sew
eral years ago and I stayed three !
weeks with my sister at Dalton
The young man said his father al
ways kept loaded pistol hanging
over the head of his bed for pro-
lection of the household. In referring
to the poker, which the father is al
legged to have used, the prisoner said
it was about the thickness of one of
the bars in the cell in which he was
confined, and about three foot long.
Young Chapman, said that his
father was not drinking man, but
that he would occasionally take
drink. He never knew him to get
drunk.
Silas Chapman, the brother of
Willie Chapman, has been living in
the city several years and has been
Seliewing the carpenters trade. There
"a two s1sters. one living at home
sEs tAa ether one married and living
- 4sGitc..
Ss.ite Chapman, although he says
he is 18 years old, hardly looks to be
more than 16. His appearance is very
yeathful. He talked very freely when !
questioned about the killing of his &
rather. He admitted being sorry, but
frequently during the conversation +
said he "had to do it,