Saturday, October 26, 2019

Malcolm Jernigan Escapes Serious Injury After Robert Royal Attacked HIm With Axe, October 1919

From The Dunn Dispatch, October 23, 1919

Negro Tries to Kill Malcolm Jernigan

Malcolm Jernigan, a young farmer of Dunn, is suffering from an ugly scalp wound inflicted by Robert Royal, a negro, who is said to have attempted to kill Mr. Jernigan with an axe following an argument at the home of Hardy Warren in Sampson County Tuesday morning. The injured man came to Dunn without assistance and was treated by Dr. C.D. Sexton. The negro is believed to have escaped.

According to Mr. Jernigan he had hired the negro as a day laborer, giving him a homuse on his farm for himself, his wife and family. It was understood that the negro was to be permitted to work for others in the neighborhood when his services were not needed by Mr. Jernigan. It seemed, however, that he did not care to fulfill his end of the bargain, appering to rather work for others than for his regular employer.

Tuesday Mr. Jernigan needed him. The negro’s wife volunteered the information that he was working at the Warren place. Mr. Jernigan found him there and remonstrated with him for leaving his work. After some argument the negro ran to the wood pile, grabbed the axe and attacked Mr. Jernigan, attempting, it appears, to crush his skull.

Mr. Jernigan dodged, the blade of the axe cutting a gash about two inches long in his scalp. His injury is not considered dangerous.


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