Three negroes are in the city jail and a fourth is being held in Spartanburg, S.C., as the result of investigations of the police into the murder Saturday night of George L. Keller, Johnson street grocer, as he was passing a dark spot on West Eleventh street, beyond Smith, on his way to his home from his store.
Detective D.B. Bradley of the Charlotte police has gone to Spartanburg to bring back the negro, also a hobo who told the Blacksburg, S.C., officers that the negro declared to him that he “played hell with a white man in Charlotte.”
The description furnished the local officers of the negro held in Spartanburg answers the one given by the night watchman at the Standard Ice and Fuel Company, near the scene of the murder, of the tall, slender negro who with a short, fat negro ran by the ice factory after three shots had been fired from a hedged ambush on Eleventh street. The three negroes held here, who also answer somewhat to the description of the tall negro, were arrested on suspicion, one of them having been found in the loft of an engine cab at the Southern roundhouse Sunday afternoon. None of those arrested will fit the description given of the short, fat negro. Efforts to locate him have proven fruitless. The officers feel, however, if his companion can be found, they will be able to get the second man.
AWAITING HIS RETURN
Chief Walter B. Orr was anxiously awaiting Monday the return of Detective Bradley and the Spartanburg negro and white hobo. The negro was in a freight car on the Southern yards Sunday afternoon when the white hobo sought entrance for a trip south. The negro flashed a gun in his face, the white man told Blacksburg officers, but when he found out that he was hoboing the gun was withdrawn. The story of having “played hell with a white man in Charlotte” was related en route to Blackburg but details of the trouble were not divulged, according to information received here.
The hobo reported the story to Blacksburg officers after he had been forced from the freight car there by the negro. Charlotte police telephoned to Spartanburg and the negro was caught after he had been chased from the car. In the chase he threw away his gun. Latest information from Spartanburg was to the effect that officers were looking for the gun.
A reward of #400 for the capture of the slayers of Keller has been offered by the city and county. Two hundred dollars is offered for the capture of each negro. Arrangements for the reward were made by Mayor J.O. Walker upon recommendation by Chief Orr. Mayor Walker telephoned Chairman J.B. McLaughlin of the county board of commissioners and asked if he would be willing to go half in a reward offer. The chairman readily agreed. Mayor Walker announced that he also would wire Governor Morrison and ask him to offer a reward in behalf o the state. With the offer by a city and county, a personal reward of $50, made by Chief Orr, will be withdrawn.
Coroner Frank Hovis has empaneled a jury and was to hold an inquest in the recorder’s courtroom at the city hall at 2:30 o’clock. Several witnesses have been summoned. The coroner did not know whether a verdict would be withheld after the investigation or not.
A local insurance man reported to Chief Orr Monday that he saw two negroes who fit the description given of the murderers of Keller, sitting on a curb within a few feet of the Keller grocery store Friday afternoon. He inquired of them where a certain negro lived whom he wished to see on an insurance matter.
“Naw, we don’t know where he lives,” they replied in an insulting tone. “We don’t live in this town and we ain’t got no insurance.”
The report of the insurance man was the first evidence obtained by the police as to the presence of the negroes about Keller’s store. One was tall and slender, and the other was short and heavily built and wore a white sweater, he told the officers.
POCKETBOOK IS SIMILAR
One of the negroes arrested by officers Sunday afternoon had a pocketbook containing a Coca Cola advertisement. The pocketbook was similar to one carried by Mr. Keller, his sons reported after looking at it, but they were unable to positively identify it as the one having belonged to their father. The negro was taken from the loft of an engine cab at the Southern roadhouse, having been found there by railwaymen. He was sentenced to 30 days on the county roads by Recorder J. Laurence Jones Monday morning for trespassing. The police are holding him in the city ail for the time-being, however, awaiting continued investigations into the murder.
From The Charlotte News, May 16, 1921. For the rest of the story, go to The Charlotte news and evening chronicle. (Charlotte, N.C.) 1914-1928, May 16, 1921, Page 3, Image 3 · North Carolina Newspapers (digitalnc.org).
No comments:
Post a Comment