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VOL. XXII. GOLDSBORO, K. C, THUESDAY, JULY 19, 1906. KO. 3.
MURDERED FAMILY
SET HOUSE AFIRE.
Terrible Tragedy Near Salis
bury, Saturday Morning,
Negros Arrested.
Greensboro, N. O , July 14. One
of the most horrible tragedies in the
history of Rowan county occurred
near Barber's Junction, about lorty
miles from this city, this morning.
Between the hours of 1 and 2 o'clock
unknown persons entered the home
of Isaac Lyrely, a well known farm
er, while its occupants were asleep,
killed Mr. Lyerly, his wife and two
of the younest children, ' fatally
wounded the third and then Artd the
house.
The parents and the three children
were sleeping in the front room on
the first floor there being two older
daughters sleeping up stairs who
were awakened I , the smoke and
flames from below. The two girls
descended the stairs to awakt n their
father and mother. On reading
their room they found their fiu jer
and mother and thevihree youff:
children lying on.lhe bed,
heads were crushed Jheir fac
badly disfigured. J
The two older daughters, Mary
and Annie, aged 18 and 16 respec
tively, managed to carry the dead
bodies from the house and extinguish
the flames. Then they ran tc the
nearest neighbor, W. B. Barber's,
and told the story of the tragedy.
There being no officer of the law at
this place, R. R. Million, train dis
patcher on duty at that hour, was
notified and he wired the news to the
sheriff at Salisbury, who started at
once to the scene with bloodhounds
and a posse of armed men. Blood
hounds were also sent from Winston
Salem to assist in the pursuit.
Three negro men and a negro wo
man, George Erwin, JackDilligham
and Mitchell Graham and his wife,
have been arrested and put in jail
at Salisbury on suspicion of complic
ity in the crime.
Excitement is intense in the neigh
borhood and there is talk of lynching.
CHARLOTTE FOR SAFE KEEPING.
Charlotte. N. 0., July 14. Sheriff
Julian, of Rowan county, tonight
brought to this city for safe keeping
. Neal Gillespie, his son, John Gille
spie, Jack Dillingham and wife, Geo.
Erwin and Henry Lee, negroes,
charged with the murder of Isaac
Lyerly, his wife and two children
near Barber's Junction last night.
There was nothing to indicate a
lynching at Salisbury but the sheriff
thought best to move the prisoners.
The coroner's jury tonight fastened
the crime upon all the prisoner?.
GOVERNOR OFFERED REWARD.
Raleigh, N.C., July 14. The Gov
ernor was notified by telegram this
morning of the terrible tragedy near
Salisbury and at once issued orders
for bloodhounds to be sent from the
penitentiary and also made proclama
tion of a reward of $350 for the mur
derers. Later it was learned that
there were no bloodhounds at the
State's prison except two untrained
animals and they were on the Hali
fax county State farm. News of the
tragedy caused much interest here
and everything possible was done at
the executive offices to assist in bring
ing the fiends to justice.
NEGROES MADE THREATS.
Mr. Matt L. Webb, a white man
who had worked with Nease Gille
spie, alias Nease Graham, a large
mulatto, about 40 years old, report
ed that he had heard the negro use
the following language: "Old man
Lyerly can cut that wheat and thrash
it but he will never eat it or get the
money for it."
This recalled something that Mr.
J. G. Lyerly, a son by a former wife,
had heard his father say, Nease Gil
lespie, who is a saw mill hand for
Mr. John Dellinger, moved into one
of Mr. Isaac Lyerly's cabins last fall.
He, his son and step-son agreed to
work so much land if they took the
house. A section for wheat was laid
off. The Gillespies sowed part of this,
but finding that they could get plenty
of work at good wages did not sow
the entire lot. This, not being ac
cording to contract, worried Mr. Lyer
ly, who spoke to Nease and was, in
turn, cursed. Finally, however, the
matter was settled by Mr. Dellinger,
the saw mill owner, agreeing to pay
house rent for Gillespie. Nothing
more was heard of the wheat until
some time ago, when it had been cut
by Mr. Lyerly, who was preparing to
have it thrashed.
Monday Nease Gillespie went down
to Mr. Lyerly's home and asked him
what he wa9 going to do with the
wheat.
14 Why, I am going to thrash it and
use it," said Mr. Lyerly.
"You will not," declared Nease.
Hot words followed and Mr. Lyer
ly ordered the negro out of his yard.
It was here Gille-pie told hi land
lord that he would kill him or die in
the attempt if he used the wheat
without giving him a share of it.
It was after this that Nease told
Mr. Webb that Mr. Lyerly might cut
the wheat, but he would never eat or
sell it. Gillespie had been very in
solent to Mr. Lyerly.
The crowd which gathered at the
Lyerly home heard of this threat
of Gillespie and went to his house to
arrest him. The negio had gone to
is work, a mile or more away, but
wife became frightened and ran
'ie home of Mr. Dick Files, a
.er, and begged him to protect
ht raying that she would be hanged
fo billing the Lyerlys when she had
nothinto do with it.
SATD V'fjJCSPIE KNEW OF THE
"I don$J thing about it,
but my husbiP said Gilles
pie's wife."
Near the homeNjf Gillespie was a
freshly burnt spot, tfaereatraw bed
and other things had beenfired since
daylight. Those who graveled in
the charred place found pieces of
clothing, and a spoonful of scortched
blood. Some spaces from the house
a bloody shirt, which had been
boiled and was still wet, was dis
covered in a weed patch. These bits
of evidence, when put together,
make an interesting and convincing
story.
Gillespie's wife was hysterical and
wild. She talked two ways, but the
officers believe that she gave her
husband away to Mr. Files. Gillespie
is described as a fussy negro.
Revenge seems to have been the
motive for the bloody murder. There
were more than $150 in the house,
and not a cent of it was taken.
Mr. Isaac Lyerly was a well-to-do
man. He leaves an estate worth
about $8 000.
YOUNG NEGRO CONFESSES.
Barber's Junction, July 14.
Henry Gillespie, a young son of
Nease Gillespie, this evening made
a confession to the effect that his
father and John Gillespie committed
the crime and that the other negroes
arrested were implicated. Henry
Gillespie was at the scene of the
killing all day and on being ques
tioned this evening he became fright
ened and made a confession to Mr.
E. A. Barber, constable, and in the
presence of W. A. Thompson and
others. He was then taken into cus
tody. He said the elder Gillespie
and his son John killed Mr. Lyerly,
his wife and the little boy, Jonnie,
and fatally injured the little girl, who
died this evening, and that the other
negroes arrested were implicated in
the commission of the tragedy.
BLOCKADE STILL CAPTURED.
Durham N. C. July 14. Revenue
Officers Merritt an Jordan yesterday
afternoon captured two blockade
stills of nine gallons capacity in the
northern part of Durham county,
about nine miles from the city. The
stills were new ones, and from the
surroundings injj which they were
found, were being prepared for opera
tion. They were brought to the city
and destroyed.
Buy one of our Mosquito Canopies
and sleep in peace. We are sole
agents for the Dixie Canopies.
Andrews & Waddell.
THE ROBBERS FAIL.
Seek to Entice Cashiers Hicks
And Dorsett From Home.
Spencer, N. C, July 14. At 2:30
o'clock this morning an unsuccess
ful attempt was made by unknown
parties to entice A. W. Hicks,cashier
of the Wachovia Loan and Trust
Company, at Spencer, from his home
to the bank presumably for the pur
pose of forcing the cashier to open
to safe at the dead hour of night.
A caller at the door awakening the
family of Mr. Hicks stated that a
prominent . gentleman of Winston
Salem was at a hotel and had sent
for the cashier to come at once.
Knowing the gentleman whose
name was given to be in Europe,
Mr. Hicks told the caller there was
some mistake and demanded his
name. The stranger, who was a
white man of good appearance, insist
ed on getting the cashier out of his
home, but finally fled andj it is be
lieved joined a party of robbers on
the street. Officers are working on
the case, which caused a sensation
in Spencer, but are without a clue.
A similar attempt was made at
the same hour upon J. K. Dorsett,
cashier of the the bank of Spencer,
YELLOW FEVER IN LOUISIANA.
La Place is not on a through or long
railroad. It is on the Mississippi
river twenty-nine miles above New
Orleans, in the parish of St. John
Baptist. The town is perhaps ten
miles from Lake Pontchartrain,along
the shores of which the Illinois Cen
tral railroad is laid. The distance
between it and any railroad in Al
abama is simply the distance to Njbw
Orleans, and Lake Pontchartrain Jies
in the way. Perhaps a more isolated
place near New Orleans could not have
been selected, and Dr. Irion, presi
dent of the Louisiana state board of
health, is watching the locality close
ly, employing in the meanwhile all
possible precautions.
But Louisiana certainly should
punish the physician in charge of
the case severely. He knew his
duty, having formerly been the
health officer of St. Johns parish,
but he neglected, or rather intention
ally refused to report the case until
July 7,twelve days after its develop
ment. The patient is now well, but
in the twelve days many moequtoes
may have bitten him. An example
should be made of the offending
doctor, who preferned the whims of a
patient to the public health and the
welfare of perhaps the entire south.
His name is Montigut, and he needs
an allopathic done of Louisiana law.
It if regrettable that Texas greed
and states' rights nonsense kept the
marine hospital service from taking
charge of the yellow fewer situation
in and about New Orleans. It is the
danger point of the country,and ever
will be in the respect of yellow fever.
As the law was finally passed the
general government will have charge
of maritime quarantine, and the
state boards will control the situation
on shore. Dr. Irion is president of
the Louisiana state board of health,
and upon him falls the task of seeing
that the case at La Place does not
become a focus of infection. There
were many cases of the yellow fever
in 1905 at La Place.
A KIDNAPPER CLUBBED.
Policeman Knocks Him Down And
Rescues Boy He is Bearing
Away.
Atlantic City, N. J., July 14. An
alleged attempt on the part of an
Italian, Joseph Contora, to kidnap
five-year-old Edward Teafy on the
Boardwalk today came near resulting
seriously for Contora, at the hands
of an infuriated crowd. The Italian
picked up the lad and started off on
a run with him in his arms. A big
crowd was soon in pursuit. A police
man overtook the would-be kidnap
per, knocked him down and rescued
the boy.
THE LYNCHING TRIAL ON
A True Bill is Brought Anainst Zeke
Lewis, Charging Him With Being
One of the Lynehers of Gwyn John
son, and the Policy of the State to
Try Each of the Defendants Sep
arately is Plainly Indicated.
R. L. Gray, in Raleigh News and
Observer.
Monroe, N. C, July 16 The first
day of the trial of the twenty-two
citizens of Anson county who, it is
charged, on May 28th forced a way
into the jail at Wadesboro and took
therefrom and lynched J. V. Johnson,
the slayer of Gwyn Johnson, resulted
in the bringing of a true bill against
Zeke Lewis, the determination by the
court of the right of the State to
change the venue from Anson to
Union county and developed the
policy of the State to try each of the
defendants separately.
Several motions to quash the in
dictment against Lewis were made
and denied. One of these was aimed
at the alleged want of power under
the statute to bring an indictment in
a county other than that in which
the crime was committed. Another
at the alleged unconstitutionality of
such change and amotion was lodged
for a continuance and removal, for
that the judge in his charge had used
expressions tantamount to an instruc
tion that the jury should find the de
fendant guilty.
For the State appear Solicitor Rob
inson, John T. Bennett, of Wades
boro, and R. B. Redwine, of Mon
roe. For the defense, J. A. Lock-
hart, H. H. McLendon, T. L. Caudle,
Fred Coxe, of Wadesboro, and A.
M. Stack, F. F. Grffin, J. C. Sikes,
Williams & Lemmonds, Monroe,
Ajchuis, Jerome & Armfield, and R.
L. Storms, of Monroe.
The sensational feature of the day
was the scrimonious character of the
charge of the judge to the grand
jury.' The allegation made by the
defense that he instructed the jury
that the defendants were guilty was
not sustained by his words, but his
voice and manner were such as to
cause a profound impression.
In that necessity comes in the
spirited conflict referred to between
people and judge. The court is pit
ting himself and his office against
the desire of the crowd. He made
no bones of accepting the situation.
Kept as it was within the technical
proprieties which hedge a court,
Judge Shaw's charge to the grand
jury was m effect a prosecuting
speech. It was evident that he felt
the odds against which the State's
case will be conducted keenly. The
knowledge raised in him the battle
thrill. He put the law to the jury
with almost brutal earnestness. Be
hammered home the uncompromis
ing truths of the facts in a way that
suggested physical blows. He refer
red indignantly to the stories of in
fluences at work in the county and
left the jury practically with this
bone to crack:
It is conceeded that a crime has
been committed. The men who took
Johnson from the jail and killed
him ares guilty of murder in the first
degree. It is not the jury's place to
question the law. If the State brings
the evidence against the defendants
to show their guilt, there is only one
way in which they can escape,
through perjury, a failure in their
oaths on the part of the grand jury
to return a bill, by the petit jury
properly to render their verdict or
by the officers of the court to do
their duty.
He laid particular emphasis upon
perjury and in concluding exclaimed
dramatically, that, so help him God,
if there should be in this case a mis
carriage of justice, the responsibility !
would not be his; that he had made
mistakes in the past, but that in this
case he would say in advance that if1
justice miscarried the skirts of the
court would be clear.
He warned the jury that many
friends of the defendants were here,
and that not all of these had come
for a good purpose. If anyone spoke
to them, "send his name to the court
and I will promise that he will not
talk to anyone else outside the county
jail for a few days."
Referring to the crime of the
lynching and to the reports that the
men involved were of the "best
citizens" in that county, Judge
Shaw said that "regardless of the
character of the man he was a human
being charged with crime, and he
was entitled to the protection of the
Constitution and laws of the State,
and by a crowd of cowards he wTas
killed.
"When I say cowards," almost
shouted the court, "I mean what I
say; talk about good citizens doing a
thing; like this. I don't believe it.
It's the lawless element."
He declared that the statement
that the mob was composed of "good
citizens," had been made for the
purpose of hiding the real trans
action. SUDDEN DEATH AT MOREHEAD
Young Billy Boylan, of Raleigh, Suc
cumbs to Heart Failure, While
Talking With V. M. I.
Classmate.
Sunday afternoon at 4 o'clock,
while sitting in a, lower window of
the Atlantic Hotel ball room with a
V. M. I. classmate, "Billy" Boylan,
as he was familiarly known by all
his friends, son of Mr. Billy Boylan,
of Raleigh, and a universal favorite,
suddenly gasped for breath, which
even his companion barely noticed,
and fell backward to the floor dead.
Nothing could have been more
sudden, a flash of lighting could not
have caused a more instant death.
There was not a movement of the
lifeless form as it lay upon the floor,
not the twitching of a muscie. Death
was instant.
. At first it jnras thought the young
'man 5 had tainted. Friends sitting
near went quickly to his assistance,
Ladies rushed to their rooms for re
storatives, several doctors, including
Drs. Primrose, Duffy and Hoke,
were promptly at his side; but, while
they ceased not. in, exhausting every
effort, their experience and examina
tion told them he had already "crossed
the harbor bar," and yet they hardly
knew how to face the anxious throng
of the popular young man's friends
hovering over him and say to them
"he is dead."
His young sister, Miss Josephine,
his idol, and for whose pleasure he
had gone to Morehead, had but a
few moments before passed him and
spoken with him, on her way to her
room, and she was now the object of
tenderest solicitude. Strong hearted
men wept at the thought of her,
while the ladies of the hotel gathered
and hurriedly and tearfully consult
ed as to how to break the news to
her. It was terrible, it beggars de
scription. The speechless anguish of
those sympathetic faces as they con
templated the unspeakably sad situa
tion. While the young man's remains
were tenderly borne to his room
several of Miss Boylan's lady friends
from Raleigh went to her room let
us not follow them there. Their
mission is too sad for pen to portray.
The father of young Boylan was
notified by telegram of the sad and
sudden ending of his young life, and
the remains were prepared for the
casket, and, accompanied by his
sister and a number of friends, came
up to this city on the late train last
night, and were taken on to Raleigh
for interment.
The young man was about 19
years of age and was sitting in the
window with Mr. Kennon Borden,
of this city, and together they were
looking through the V. M. I. an
nual, of which institution they had
been classmates last session, when
the end so suddenly came as de
scribed above.
The physicians say that his death
was instant, and was due to heart
failure.
STATE FIREMEN.
Annual Session In Asheville.
Officers Elected Golds
boro Wins Honors.
Chicago has a saloon limit one
saloon to each 500 population.
Bears the ,nB wna iQ" nave Always
STC
The Kind You Have Always Bought
The annual session of the Htate
Firemen's Association, held last
week in Asheville, seems to be the
greatest in its history. The business
session and the annual election of of
ficers was held on Tuesday night.
President McNeill was enthusias
tically re-elected. Mayor Boy den
was in the same way re-elected first
vice president; J. F. Mandry, second
vice president; W. C. Von Glahn,
secretary; R. G. Taylor, treasurer;
R. E. Lumsden, statistician.
E. T. Whitin, of Charleston, in
well chosen words, presented to
President McNeill, a handsome lov
ing cup.
The parade this morning was txr
ticipated in by all the visiting tire
men and their apparatus. The line
of march was over the principal
streets, and thousands of residents and
visitors watched the marching fire
men and commented on the hand
some apparatus. All the wagons
and reels and horses were decorated
witn many colors, while the firemen
wore badges pinned to neatly fittius
uniforms and attracted much atten
tion. It was a great day for the
North Carolina fire laddies.
The first event of the tournament
was the steamer contest between
Newbern and Goldsboro on Pack
Square. Newbern won the quick
water prize and also the distinction
of lowering the world's record.
Goldsboro won the long distance
prize-v)- ' y -.-
There was one purse of $100 for
quick water with 60 per cent, to the
winner and 40 per cent, to the loser,
also a $100 purse for the long distant e
water, with the same per cent, to
winner and loser. The two steamers
were rolled to the tank located be
tween the fountain and the city hall
shortly after the parade and prepara
tions made for the contest. Neu -
bern had the first show. At the sk -
nal Fireman E. P. H. Brison went
to work with a vim. His comDletn
knowledge of the machine at once
won for him admiration, andshortlv
when water was shown in record
breaking time, applause burst from
the Newbern admirers. The New
bern team got up steam and showed
water in two minutes, six and one
half seconds, reducing the world's
record just 22 seconds. Newbern
threw water 219 feet and 10 inches.
Goldsboro came next and showed
water in three minutes, 22 seconds.
Goldsboro shortly redeemed hereelf,
however, by putting the stream be
yond the Newbern mark amid
shouts and applause from the Golds
boro admirers. Further, and still a
little further, crept the Goldsboro
stream, until the distance of 227 feet
and nine inches was reached. This
was the day's record, and the con
test ended with Newbern winning
one prize and Goldsboro the other.
A world's record was broken three
times this afternoon. Fully 5,000
people witnessed the event.
Raleigh walked off with all first
prize money and the honors.
The first contest was the horse
hose wagon. The rules call for a run
of 300 yard3, the laying of 288 feet of
hose, attaching a nozzle and showing
water 50 feet. The world's record for
this was 30 1-5 and the State record
30 4 5. This afternoon Raleigh Res
cue No. 1 made it in 28 second?;
.Asheville in 29 1-5; and Durham in
29 8-5, winning first, second dnd
third prizes respectively.
Newbern, Eclipse of Goldsboro,
KiDston, Statesville and Capital of
Raleigh, made zero, the teams fail
ing to get the nozzle on. The rec
ord of teams was: Goldsboro, 31 sec
onds; Henderson, 32, and Rocky
Mount, 30 3-5.
Buy one of our Mosquito Canopies
and sleep in peace. We are sole
agents for the Dixie Canopies.
Andrews & Waddell.