The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-04-21
ALDERMEN MAKE NO MOVE
TO SUSPEND MAN KILLER
Looks Like Wild Man of the Local Police Force
Will Be Whitewashed By Your Aldermen
After Brutal Shooting of Negro Boy
IAN Editorial BY W. o. Saunders)

OF AlQeTIuSu Ol EllLdOClIl Wy
have so far declined to take any
action in the case of Policeman
George Twiddy for the brutal,
unwarranted and murderouS
shooting of the negro youth
Davis Overton, Jr. on the morn
ing of Sunday, April 2.
The truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth about
this outrageous case was given
to the public thru the columns
Of this newspaper last week.
.Anv member of the Board of
Aldermen could verify the facts
published in this newspaper.
But this man-killer Twiddy
continues to wear his police
mans badge and walk the
streets OF Elizabeth City clothed
with authority to carry a gun.
Maybe if Twiddy continues his
man-ki1ling career he will even
r~allv kill the one man some pol
,t;cians in this town want killed.
Is that the reason Twiddy is re-
tanned on the police force in face
Of the charges against him?
This newspaper has asked
Mayor Goodwin what he pur-
posed to do in the Twiddy case.
Mavor Goodwin says he was not
consulted in the matter Of police
appointments; that he had moth
ing to do with putting Twiddy
n the police force and he does
not consider it his duty to take
the initiative in removing him.
Chief OF Police Holmes, to
whom Twiddy is directly re-
sronsible in the performance Of
his duties says he knows nothing
about the shooting of the negro
youth, and he doesn't appear to
want to know.
Needless to ask the City Man
aScr. J. B. Ferebee, who has no
more authority under his mas
tiers the Board Of Aldermen than
q blind mule in the city stables.
One by one the Aldermen pass
the buck. Alderman w. H. Jen-
nectc says he had nothing to do
with putting Twiddy on the po-
lice :orce and he doesn't purpose
to have anything to do with his
removal.
It seems that five members OF
the Board of Aldermen are re-
sponsible for Twiddy's appoint
ment. They are P. H. Williams,
". H. Weatherly, c. H. Twid-
dv. P. c. Cahoon and L. w. An
dcrson. Mr.. Williams says the
Aldermen will take no action in
Twiddy's case until the Courts
have acted. Mr.. Williams says
there ara several sides to the
case.
Several sides to the case!
There is only one side in which
the Board of Aldermen should
be interested. The incontrovert-
ibIe facts are that George Twid-
dy gathered up a party of men,
three of whom were nonreSi-
dents of this county and went
out of his jurisdiction, four miles
out of town, between daybreak
and sunrise on the morning of
Sunday, April 2, to hunt a ne
gro boy wanted by the county
authorities for vagrancy. The
sheriff of Pasquotank county
says Twiddy had no warrant for
the negro. But whether he had
a warrant or not, this posse, or
ganized and headed by Twiddy,
fred a volley of shots after that
frightened negro boy. One OF
these bullets entered the boys
back, penetrated his liver and
right lung and lodged behind a
front rib. The boy was left in
the woods in that condition
Iwiddy came back to town and
made no report of the incident
Five days later the boy was
found more dead than alive in q
ditch near the point where he
vr-l- rLo4