Perry Melton Arrested for Shooting His Nephew, Henry Melton, 23, Oct. 11, 1926

Four Arrested in Brawl After One Man Was Wounded. . . Henry Melton Was Severely Wounded When Shot by His Uncle, Perry Melton, Yesterday. . . Three Women Are Being Held. . . They Are Alleged to Have Taken Part in Brawl Which Resulted in the Shooting

Asheville, Oct. 11 (AP)—While Henry Melton, 23, of Black Mountain hovers between life and death at a local hospital as a result of bullet wounds inflicted yesterday during a brawl on the Rainbow Gap highway, four persons, including three women, are under arrest today in connection with the affair.

Perry Melton, uncle of the wounded man, is being held in the Buncombe County jail charged with the shooting. The women, Juanita Wheeler, May Wheeler and Willie Lee Sutton, are charged with aiding and abetting and with operating a public nuisance.

Perry Melton and Juanita Wheeler were arrested yesterday afternoon shortly after the affray by Chief of Police L. R. Powers of Black Mountain, and were brought to the county jail later in the day.

May Wheeler and the Sutton woman were captured by Powers today in the Black Mountain railroad station. They will be brought to Asheville today by Sheriff E. M. Mitchell for safe keeping.

According to Chief Powers, the shooting followed an alleged drunken brawl at the Melton home in which nearly a score of persons participated. The party, according to witnesses, got “too rough” for Perry Melton, who went to his own home, returning shortly after with a shotgun.

As Henry Melton approached him a few minutes later, the uncle is said to have fired at close range, inflicting an ugly wound in the young man’s side, and crushing several ribs.

From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Monday, Oct. 11, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-10-11/ed-1/seq-1/