John Graham, colored, of Harrell’s Store is dead and a negress, Annie Bryant will have her arm amputated as a result of a shot gun in the hands of Mark Fennell, also colored, Sunday afternoon.
Sunday night Fennell was arrested by officers and placed in the county jail here without bond, charged with the murder of Graham, who lived only a few hours after he had been taken to the Bullock Hospital in Wilmington. The major portion of the load entered his body just above the thighs at close range, according to reports from officers here.
Two other colored members of the group were also hit by a few stray shot, but their injuries are not reported as being serious.
According to the general statement among the colored people who were in attendance at Graham’s funeral Tuesday afternoon, the shooting was accidental. It has been reported that Fennell was in an adjoining room and was handling a single-barreled shot gun which was loaded.
Some reports have also been received here to the effect that Fennell threw open the door to the room and intentionally fired upon the group and immediately made his escape into the nearby woods, only to be captured by officers late Sunday evening.
According to Sheriff Jernigan who has talked to the prisoner, Fennell said that it was purely accidental and that he was in an adjoining room with the gun in his hands when it fired off the charge, going through the open door space into the group sitting closely together in the next room.
The preliminary hearing has been set for Thursday afternoon.
From the front page of the Sampson Independent, Clinton, N.C., Thursday, August 26, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn91068086/1926-08-26/ed-1/seq-1/
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