Albemarle, April 3—That John Gray, who was on yesterday convicted of first degree murder in connection with the death of “Dad” Watkins here last October, and was this morning sentenced to die on ?? 26, is an escaped convict from Texas serving a term of 99 years for murder of a man in that state, ?? now seems probable.
Officials of Athens, Texas, reading of the Gray case here, wrote Sheriff ?? stating that a John D. Gray killed a man in that state 12 years ago, was tried, convicted and given a term in the Texas penitentiary, and shortly after staring his term, escaped.
They stated they believed the man went to North or South Carolina. A photograph of John Gray in jail here was sent, and word comes back that the photograph was very much like the escaped Texas convict.
John Gray denies that he was ever in any trouble in the state of Texas. He admitted this afternoon that he spent about a year in that state several years ago, traveling with a wild west show. He even admitted that he has been in Athens, but said he was only there for one night. He said that he had never been in any trouble with the law prior to the trouble with which he is now mixed.
Native of Georgia
He said he was 55 years old and a native of Georgia. He has been a resident of Albemarle for the past nine years. Asked if he had anything to say for the papers further than he had already said, Gray said:
“All I have to say is that everything I have told about the “Dad” Watkins case before is a lie. I was forced to confess by that detective. I believe he would have killed me if I had not told him I was implicated in the Watkins killing.
“I have made my peace with God,” he went on, “and He has told me to keep my mouth shut from now on.”
And here Gray started talking and talked incessantly for half an hour, relating his gruesome experiences while in Dillon, South Carolina, after the murder of Watkins, and before his arrest.
He told of a man entering his room each night for several days in succession, of seeing a man looking in his room through the window, of some one getting hold of his wife’s foot on one night, and of being harassed until he finally slept with a hatchet under his head. But after this and with all this talk, he stated that he was not guilty of the murder of “Dad” Watkins.
He said that he had a dream the other night, and that he dreamed “Dad” Watkins’ head, arms and legs were buried in his yard directly in the pathway leading form the house to the well. He stated that he wanted the sheriff to take him over there and let him dig and see if “Dad” Watkins’ mutilated members are not buried there.
Deputy Sheriff Lilly stated that before being taken to Raleigh, Gray will be taken to his home and allowed to investigate, as it is believed that possibly the tale about the dream of the buried arms and legs may possibly be another way of telling what he knows to be a fact. Should the members be found there, that would tend to lessen the suspicion against Theodore Gray, as about the strongest evidence connecting him with the case is the statement that John made of his knowing of the burning of the head, hands and arms of Watkins in the school furnace.
Court adjourned this afternoon with a large number of criminal cases, many of them jail cases, untried. A special term will be asked for in order to dispose of any cases remaining for trial at the close of the present term.
From page 3 of The Concord Daily Tribune, April 5, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-04-05/ed-1/seq-3/
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