The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-30
BUSH INTERVIEWED
BY NEWSPAPERMEN
Negro Aroused From
Prison Bed To Tell
Oh Escape

= AAoy W."
win Buddy Bush, 22-year-old
Northampton county Negro who is
charged with attempted assault OF
a Rica Square white woman, was
brought from his cell near mid
night tonight for an interview with
newspapermen.
Buddy sat nervously in~terlocking
his hands, which be said he In
jured five years ago while rabbit
hunting, and told of his escape
from a group of five men who took
him from the Northampton county
Jail at Jackson early last Friday
morning.
"They came and woke me up,
he said. There were three white
men, all wearing masks of red
and-white handkerchiefs. They told
me to put on my clothes and come
along"
He said that he recognized one
Of the men. Bush said that ne
did not recognize any other mem
bers of the group in the jail but
Joe Cunningham, an assistant
theater manager at Rich Square.
Asked how many men were out
side, Bush said, Il only saw two
outside. There were three who
came into the jail"
He said that at least two OF the
men had pistols, and he was
ordered to get in the rear seat
Of a four-door, 1886, Chevrolet
which had a spotlight on the left
hand side
They put me in the back seat,
but I got right out on the other
side of the car. ] fell getting out
OF the car, but I got up and ran,
but I fell again"
Asked if the groups fired upon
him, Bush said that he heard n
pistol shot, and added, Il don't
know how close it came, and l
never looked back"
II didn't know where I was run
ming, or what I ran into" (offi-
GERS later said he a into a
chicken wire) Il climbed two or
three fences (there are three
fences about eight feet high)
around a chick yard and I kept
on running until I got lost about
Light in some woods"
Asked if they were pine woods,
Bush who is a lumberman's help
sr. replied, mo, Sir, l know pines
they were mixed woods, there
were lot Of vines in those woods,
too"
He said he was lost all day Fri
day. He said that he didn't know
that area since he had lived
around Rich Square most of his
life. He said that he had nothing
to eat or drink all Friday and Sat
urday.
Bush said that he spent most of
Saturday on the edge of field. He
said that he didn't see again any
of the men who took him from the
jail. Asked if he was afraid, he
answered candidly, Eyes, sir, I
was just scared to come out"
"About ligat Sunday morning I
found my way he recalled. II
knew the man "a negro), and he
put me in his front room after he
gave me breakfast"
Bush said the man contacted
Buddy's father who later brought
q Negro minister to the house.
The minister urged Buddy to give
himself up to the authorities.
Buddy said the authorities came
for him during Sunday afternoon
and questioned In. He refused to
say where the questioning ocur-
red or for how long. But admit
ter, latter that they brought me
here to the prison."
Bush also refused to discuss any
OF the details connected with the
alleged attempt to assault the Rich
Square white woman.
He did say: II never saw her be-
fore - not to know who I was
looking at"
He denied that anybody chased
him after the woman is alleged to
have screamed for help. Bush said
he later took his sister, Willie, to
the movies.
Asked if he would like to leave
the prison on payment of his bond
- this had to be explained as Bush
has only a first-grade education -
he replied, Il guess I would like
to get out, but reckon I'll stay here
until my trial"
Bush was asked if planned to
return to the Rich Square com
munity to live, and he replied,
mo, Sir, I'm not going back there.
J. just want to go anywhere that
people are square.-No, Sir, any
Where but Rich Square"
He said that officers have not
brought any of the men who took
him from the jail here for identi-
fcation. "They amt brought any
body up here for me to look at"
As the interviewing closed, one
reporter asked him about his ap-
petite. Bush said, 1--WE got caught
up in my eating"
BOARD ACTION QUESTIONED
RALEIGH, May ?3.-P-Acti-
~