“The 14-year-old son of Ed Goff was killed by his father Sunday morning about 9 o’clock at the family home about six miles from Snow Hill on the old Kinston road. A jury impaneled by Dr. W.E. Dawson, coroner, found that the boy was killed by his father and directed that the father be held for the grand jury.
Goff claimed that the killing was an accident. He said he was trying to see if the gun was loaded and it went off accidentally, the load taking effect in the side of the boy.
The lad, who had been sitting before the fire place, leaped to his feet and ran out on the porch. There he fell dead. The father, according to the younger children, followed the boy to the porch and tried to lift him to his feet and failed.
The principal witnesses before the jury of inquest were the three smaller children, Lois, Charlie, and Marion. Charlie said that his father pointed the gun at his mother to scare him and that it went off and the load hit his older brother who was beyond his mother. Mrs. Goff claimed t have had her attention directed to something else a moment just at the time and not to know just how the shooting occurred.
News of the affair quickly reached the county seat and Sheriff E.A. Rasberry hurried to the scene of the killing. Goff made no resistance. The sheriff took him in charge, bringing him here and placing him in the county jail.
The man showed some evidence of having been drinking. Eight or 10 gallons of moonshine whiskey was found in the woods near the Goff dwelling. Bloody finger prints were found on the bags containing the liquor, and theory of the officers is that Goff carried the whiskey out after he had placed the lifeless body of his son on the bed.
From the Lagrange Lenoirian as reprinted on page 6 of The Goldsboro News, Saturday morning, December 20, 1924
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93064755/1924-12-20/ed-1/seq-6/#words=DECEMBER+20%2C+1924
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