The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1929-04-26

And hundreds who packed the
in Columbia Monday and
Tuesday, with ears strained to catch
some hint of what it was all about.
went away with disappointment
written on their faces when wilkins
stood up in court Tuesday morning
and pleaded guilty to murder in the
second degree. His plea Of guilty
barred the introduction of evidence
that might have let the court room
crowd into the secret.
Upon wilkins plea of guilty to
murder in the second degree, Judge
Devin admitted the testimony OF
only sufficient witnesses to establish
the fact of the crime and its cold
bloodedness. At 1l:18 a. m. wilkins
entered his plea of guilty. At noon
Judge Devin pronounced sentence
and the curtain was drawn on the
great mystery.
On the cold, raw morning OF
March 2nd Milton Godfrey and E.
R. Voliva were driving pack OF
horses and mules from Gum Neck
to Columbia. A pesky mule broke
from the pack about a half mile
from Columbia and entered the
yard of w. S. wilkins. Godfrey
did not pursue the mule, but drop
ped back several hundred feet in
front of the house of neighbour
and sent Voliva to chase the mule.
While Vo1iva was engaged in pur-
suit of the mule, wilkins rushed
from his house with double bar
rel shotgun, and headed straight
for Godfrey. Coming close upon
Godfrey he fired, but missed bis
mark. Godfrey turned with a sidi-
ly smile and faced wilkins and
wilkins gave him the other barrel
of the gun in his heart.
81 told you I was going to kill you
and now I've done it," wilkins Is
said to have exclaimed. ~
But Columbia is a small town and
the life of everybody in a Small town
is more or less of an open book
to the small town gossips. Colum-
bia gossips are satisfied as how the
killing came about. It was case
of insane jealousy and not revenge,
according to gossips. '... -,.
There is a certain young woman
who lives on the road between where
Wilkins and Godfrey lived and both
men are said to have been interest
ed in this same woman. wilkins
considered that he had a prior in
terest in her. But the young woman
persisted in her affair with Godfrey.
wilkins is brooding, Sulking,
morose type. He used to be seen
much on the streets Of Columbia,
coming into town from his little
shop that sat in the yard Of his
home in a bend in the road on the
outskirts of town. But for months
before the murder he did not come
to town so often or loaf and mix
with his neighbours as of yorc. And
all the time Godfrey was afraid.
Godfrey knew that wilkins had
designs on his life and would not
pass wilkins home alone except in
an automobile going fast. One
night last December Godfrey was
found hiding in an automobile On
back lot in Columbia. He con-
fided to a friend who found him
there that he had seen wilkins III
town and that wilkins had threat
ened to kill him. When the mule
broke from the pack and strayed
! into wilkins yard that morning IN
early March, Godfrey dropped back
respectful distance from the Will
kins' home; he knew that Wilkins
! had a gun loaded for him.
But none of this came out IN
court; rather than bring out the
facts in court and damn the life OF
the young woman he was Interested
in, wilkins threw himself upon the
mercy of the court. And he VIII
be an old man of Ga years before he
is free again, if he lives that long in
prison.
o,,o of Tho ccore of uooden his