James Phillips Has Second Run-In With Highwaymen, Jan. 25, 1921

In a running fight with highwaymen, last night James Phillips, driver of a Standard Oil truck, was the victor, escaping without injury after, it is believed, he had shot one of the highwaymen through the arm.

Phillips was attacked near Mingo Dam from a trip to country stores in western Sampson County about 7 o’clock. When he neared the dam someone fired a shot through the windshield of his car. Another man jumped to his running board. Phillips fired two shots at him and he fell to the ground. Several other shots were fired at Phillips as he sped forward, but none struck him.

Two negroes in a dilapidated Ford car were on the dam a few minutes before the truck arrived, according to information gained bu Chief of Police Page, who went with Patrolman Nipper and Deputy Sheriff Jernigan to the scene of the battle as soon as Phillips reported the matter here. No trace of the supposedly wounded man or his companion was found by the policemen, however, except the tracks of the Ford, which were traced through devious paths back to a negro settlement at the edge of town.

Phillips usually carries a large sum of money when he returns from trips through the country. This is generally known and is believed to have tempted the negroes to hold him up.

(From the front page of The Dunn Dispatch, Jan. 25, 1921)