Evening star., 1922-12-13
SLAYER NOT FREE,
CITIZENS DECLARE
Middleburg, Va, Residents
Give Account of Recent
Shooting ARRAY.
Axecial Correspondence Of The Star.

Asecial Correspondence Of The Star.
MIDDLEBURG, Va, December 10
The article published in The Star
on Sunday last, under the title Self
Confessed Slayer Freed While In
nocent' Awaits Fate" is misleading,
according to a committee of Mid
dleburg citizens.
In the first place. Milton Furr, who
claims to have shot Irving Hatcher.
has not been freed, but Is in Jail
awaiting trial. In the second place.
Milton Furr, had had no fight with
Hatcher.
1t is too long a story to go into
the detailed evidence; but it is due to
the tragedy was enacted, to state
certain points which do seem clearly
established.
Fight IL Recalled.
Some weeks prior to the killing.
Irving Hatcher and Lewis Furr had
a fight, in which Furr was worsted.
On the night of April Is Lewis Furr
engaged 4 man to take his father to
Nj: Defiance for a package. which
package proved to be shotgun.
That night Lewis Furr was seen on
the streets of Middleburg carrying
a gun. This was stated by four wit
nesses. three of whom saw him in the
mediate vicinity of the shooting
only Il few minutes before the shoot
ing.
store of j. w. Mitchell and took a
seat behind the stove and in clear
view of the street. Alex and Charles
Furr came into the store. Later one
of them began to abuse Hatcher and
picked up a pop bottle. whereupon
held it in an attitude of defense while
he defied the Furrs. The other Furr
pulled a rock. out Of his pocket, but
vas prevented by a bystander from
using it.
All were told that there could be
no fight in the store. Hatcher backed
out Of the door into the street, and al
most immed. .ately was shot with a
shotgun i'll the hands of some one to
the north Of the door and close at
hand. Hatcher staggered away from
the door and fell at the feet of his
the report of the gun the light in the
store went out. Out Of the darkness
the voice of Lewis Furr was heard
by no less than six witnesses, not in
Guiding the negro, Phil Lambert, who
said that he saw Lewis Furr shoot
dlCneE.
Two witnesses of unimpeachable
character heard Lewis Furr say that
he had three shells left, and this
while he was struggling with his
father for the possession of a gun.
Others testified that with one of these
shells he sought to shoot Phil Lam
bert. the only eyewitness testifyinG
for the commonwealth.
Defense Claimed Alibl.
The gun which Milton Furr claimed
to have used had not been fired, while
the gun which Lewis Furr claimed as
his own was still wet when found by
the sheriff and presented to the
coroner's jury. and was loaded with
she'll containing the same size shot
as those found in Hatcher's body.
At the trial the defense tried to
establish an alibi, but failed. Apart
from the evidence of Phil Lambert
(whose testimony the defense was
unable to shake) the commonwealth
produced evidence sufficient to con-
vince every man on the jury that
Lewis Fur fired the fatal shot. That
the shooting was premeditated was
clearly shown by the location of
Hatcher's wound (Which was in the
left arm and side) and by the direc-
tion in which Hatcher tottered be-
fore he fell upon his face in the road
was'