The body of Clayton E. Beaman, well known slot machine man who had been missing since Saturday night, was found about 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon in Greenleaf Park, a small patch of woods about three miles from Wilson and about half a mile from the Raleigh road. The body was found by two young white boys named Charles Russell and Charles Moore, both of whom reside near the place where the car was found.
Beaman’s head was practically riddled by bullets, one shot, believed to be the first one fired, penetrated the back of his head, two the right temple and one pierced the top of his head. The body was in a sitting position under the steering wheel and from all indications the shots fired into the temple were fired from the door of the car, or from the ground as the wounds showed an upward course through the head. The shot that pierced the top of his head entered the brim of his hat, then went through the hat band into his head and came out of the top of the head tearing a portion of his hat away, and going through the glass in the door of the car.
No clues were left for the authorities to work on and up until noon today no arrests had been made in the case, despite the fat that several rumors had been circulated that arrests had been made. The Coroner’s Jury, after viewing the corpse last night, met this morning with Coroner Rex Farmer, but no verdict was returned. The verdict will probably be returned tomorrow morning when the jury meets again. The jury found, however, that Beaman met his death at the hands of an unknown assailant.
Missing Since Saturday
Beaman had been missing since Saturday night, at which time he left his wife at Oettinger’s Department store and told her he would return by 9 o’clock. When he failed to return, Mrs. Beaman became alarmed and the police were notified of his disappearance, and an effort to locate Beaman was instituted. The search went on throughout the night, and continued through yesterday, and up until the time the young men reported the finding of a body in a Ford Car near their home.
According to the story related to a representative of The Daily Times by Moore and Russell, the men who found the body, they noticed the car in the patch of woods sometime between 8 and 10 o’clock Saturday night but didn’t pay much attention to it as it was a common occurrence. Yesterday they passed the same spot a half dozen times and the car was there, whether it was the same car that was seen there the night before or not, they could not say, but they thought it was.
Man Dead in Car
Along about 4 o’clock a friend of theirs passed down the road and had a puncture a short distance from the place where Beaman’s car was parked, and they walked down to the car of their friend and noticed a man’s head inside the car, and a foot in the right hand door, which was open. They were unable to see through the glass in the back of the car as the curtain was pulled down. After noticing that the occupant of the car failed to move, it was thought that he was drunk or asleep and finally the boys decided to go to the car and see who it was in it.
Walking on the right had door of the car, which was open, the boys looked in and saw the dead man sitting beneath the steering wheel, the incident was reported to a neighbor, Mr. Preston Barnes, who told the boys to report it to the police. Hurrying to Wilson the police were notified and several officers and sheriffs rushed to the scene.
Coroner Rex Farmer was summoned and upon his arrival, a jury was empaneled and the body examined and turned over to an undertaker for burial.
Robbery Not the Motive
Apparently robbery was not the motive for the crime, as five one-dollar bills were found in a billfold in a hip pocket, and a gold watch in his vest pocket. It was reported that he had made several collections from slot machines that he operates throughout the county, but this report has not yet been confirmed as the stores he said he intended to visit were not visited by him.
It was said that he told Mrs. Beaman he was going to several stores along the road to Elm City, but when police called the proprietors of the various establishments they stated he had not been there. Whether or not he visited any other stores prior to the murder is unknown.
Shots Fired at Close Range
The weapon used was probably of .32 calibre and more than likely a .32 short as one of the bullets that penetrated the body was removed and it was said to be a lead slug. All the shots that were fired were fired at close range as powder burns on the body indicated. The hair around the place where the bullets entered the back of the head, was burned n a circle approximately two inches in diameter and almost to the skin, the neck was also ?? by the powder. The shots fired into the temple also showed sings of powder burn, the hair just above the right ear was singed and the ear burned a little.
From the position of the body, Beaman had undoubtedly been out of the car and had just got back into it when he was killed, the keys to the vehicle being in his coat pocket and the door being open. His right foot was almost in the doorway while the left foot was under the wheel. The spot in which the car was found was a muddy place covered with water about an inch deep. Beaman’s shoes were muddy which also indicated he had stepped out of his car.
Funeral Tomorrow Afternoon
The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon from the residence of Mr. J.A. Driver, Wilson R.F.D., at 2:30 o’clock, interment will be made at Maplewood cemetery. The deceased was about 36 years old and is survived by a bride of 12 months.
From the front page of the Wilson Times, Tuesday, February 10, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073953/1925-02-10/ed-1/seq-1/#words=February+10%2C+1925
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