The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-11-16
HELD WITHOUT BAIL
FOR DISOSWAY'S DEATH
Washington. County Youth Who Killed Sleep
ing Physician Has Broken Under Consci-
business of His Own Life Imperiled

NuiI'll NoiiiiioJ 6o JNoi yin
Washington County farmer
charged with the murder of
DIR. A. w. Disosway in an In
dian Lodge near Mackeys in
the early morning hours of
Saturday, Nov. 3, is held for
the January 1924 term of the
Washington County Superior
Court, following preliminary
hearing before Recorder Carl
L. Bailey at Plymouth, Mon
day, Nov. II.
The defendant put on no testi.
mOny at the preliminary hearing.
G. c. Gibbs, the Tyrrell County man
asleep with DR.. Disosway when ha
was slaughtered. and Charles Tark-
ington, the Indian half-breed in
whose lodge the crime was com.
mitted, were introduced by the
State and substantially corrObOrat-
ed the exclusive story Of the sensa-
tional murder. published in this
newspaper last week.
Charles Harrington, the half.
breed is kindly and intelligent
old character who tells~a straight
forward story. He corrObOrates &.
G. Gibbs who says DisOsway was
murdered while asleep by two loads
Of shot fired into his groin by Ralph
Collins. Collins told this newspaper
last week that he shot DisOsway
in self defense only after Disosway
had drawn n gun on him. "Dr.
DisOsway could not draw gun Oh
Mr.. Collins" says Charles Tarking-
ton. Doctor, he had no gun; I
put all the guns away so they have
no guns while they're drinking"
Collins told this newspaper that
he carried his gun with him when
he went to the half.breed's lodge
earlier in the night. Charlie Tark-
ingtOn insists that Collins did not
have a gun, but went away and
came back with a gun some time
after a quarrel with DR.. Disosway.
Collins home is three quarters Of
a mile from the half-breed's shanty.
The mattress OIL which Disosway
was asleep and the quilt with which
he was covered at the time were in
evidence Monday morning. The
quilt was tattered and burned from
the g,in-fire. There were holes In
the mattress where the shot enter.
ed after tearing away certain vita
organs of the murdered man anr
passing thru the flesh Of the uppe
front and inner aspects of hi
thighs.
Ralph Collins the man who comit
ted the almost inhuman crime, ha
broken under the consciousness o
the Nervousness of his crime ant
contemplation of the death chaii
which probably awaits him. He
looks like n dumb, haunted thing
now, and not the alert, agile, up.
human that he was. There
is terror in his eyes and his nerves
are wretched.
Two of the most interesting anL
interested spectators at the hearing
in Plymouth Monday were liark
DisOsway, "a, years DID, father of
the murdered man, who came from
New Bern to consult with attorneys
and personally see to the prOsecu.
ton Of the slayer. The other was
the pretty young wife of Ralph
Collins with her little boy, hardl.
four years old. Another child, o
baby i'm arms she had left at home
Mrs. Collins Is very young and
probably has been assured by hcI
neighbors that nothing much will
happen to her husband, and she
probably believes his story of shoot.
ing in self defense. She did not
look like one stricken with grief or
apprehensive over the
outcome.
The law firm Of Ward & Whitley
has been retained by the defendant.
IIalIet s. Ward himself sat by the
defendant i'm the preliminary hear
Ing Monday. On the other hand
able counsel have been employed t
lSSiSt the State. Van B. Marti;
Df Plymouth, Thompson & Wilso
md l.. W. Mcmillan, of Elizabetl
I'ity. J. X. Wilson of the firm o,
Thompson & Wilson appeared H.
the preliminary hearing.