W.N. Alexander, negro, is in the city jail indicted on the charge of shooting and probably fatally wounding James Perkins, another negro, in a shooting scrape occurring at Tilghman Lumber camp early Sunday morning.
Alec Trammel, arrested in the company of Alexander, is also held as one of the chief witnesses of the affair. He was carrying a shot gun with the authorities arrested the two men.
Alexander and Trammell were arrested by Sheriff Jernigan, aided by D.R. Vance, assistant patrolman, near town shortly after the shooting took place. They were coming towards town and when covered they declared that they were on their way to town, where Alexander was going to give himself up with an admission of the shooting.
Perkins, riddled with bullets, three in his leg, and the remainder of the six scattered throughout his body, was taken to town shortly after the shooting occurred and examined by Dr. Turlington. The physician carried him to Raleigh Sunday afternoon, where he was put in care of the St. Agnes hospital.
(Lines obscured) had gone out to the camp to collect some money that the negroes owed him, he claimed.
“I wasn’t lookin’ or thinking of any trouble,” the negro said Sunday afternoon in his cell in the city jail, “when Jim hollered something when I first met him.” Alexander said that they had been in an argument Saturday night and that Perkins was evidently still made with him.
Trouble Over 10 Cents
The negro then admitted that the trouble had originated over a 10 cent piece, and the purchase of a coco cola. Some hot words had passed between the two men, and the effect of them was still in the minds of both, it appeared.
The quarrel at the camp early Sunday morning seemed to be of short duration before the shooting commenced. Several of the camp negroes witnessed the scrape, and all have somewhat different tales to tell of just how it all happened.
When asked who fired the first shot, Alexander replied: “He did. He shot at me four times, and John Love, another negro who was helping him, shot at me once.” Alexander admits his firing of six shots, five at Perkins and one at Love. He said that none of the shots fired at him went true.
Alexander was very cool, calm and collected, when talked to at the city jail about the scrape. When Chief of Police Page announced to him that Dr. Turlington believed Perkins to have only a “fighting chance” to live and realizing that he was about to face a charge of murder, he seemed not in the least disturbed or afraid.
“I know what had happened,” he said, “and I was coming to town to give myself over to the police when stopped by the Sheriff.” He claimed that he had gotten Trammell to go with him, and had given him the shot gun he carried in order to get to town safely. He talked freely about the whole scrape, and seemed willing to tell all he knew. Trammell was not so talkative, but stated that he had nothing to do with the affair,and was only accompanying Alexander to town.
Alexander has been in Dunn since last August, coming here from Georgia. (words obscured) is on the payroll of Tilghman Lumber company, but authorities say that he has given trouble in the past and is known about town as “good for nothin.”
From The Dunn Dispatch, Monday, July 12, 1921
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