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Brutal Murder and CruelAttempt.Bennie Freeman’s Head Crushed with Axe—Green Davis Suffers From Two Shot-gun Wounds in Face—Babe Ballard Confesses Shooting Davis—Babe Ballard, L. E. Harris, Frank Walker and others Charged with Killing Freeman.This town was thrown into the wildest excitement at early dawn Monday mornin, when it was learned that a negro named Bennie Freeman had been found dead, ( murdered with an axe ) on theside-walk in front of T. T. Gardner’s home. That Mr Green Davis had been possibly fatally shot on the public street near the power-house.Mr. Davis was shot with a shot gon at the corner of Plymouth Mercantile Co.. store on Water Street about 4:30 o'clock while on his way down to the factory, the first load entered the face on the right side making a terrible wound the second shot missed the mark the wound ed man was attended by DC Gilmer and rushed to the hospital at Rocky Mount where, at this writing, he is doing as wellcould be expected and there is hppes for his recovery.A Coroner’s inquest was helu over the body of the dead man, and two or three neg roes were committed to jail as possibly being implicated in the murder, and the investigation was continued until Thursday.Sheriff Reid, knowing that the County dogs were too young and inexperienced to depend on. wired for J. W. Shores, of E. City, to bring his old reliables. Mr.;Shares arrived at 2:45 and the dogs took the trail and worked it twice to the river before night. Tuesday morning a gun was found back of the stores near the river; the dogs took the trail from the gun and worked the same route as of the night before.One Babe Ballard was suspect-ed|ofthe crime and a message having been received that aaid Ballard had been seen near Skinner’s quarter, seven miles away, the dogs were taken in an automobile to the point where they took up the trail and worker it up the Skinner Ditch about five miles to a lumber road that goes over to Maple Siding, towards Bel haven, here the dogs took the lumber road and after gumg four miles through the disimal swamp they overhauled Ballard who had left the road and hid in the bushes.Ballad was taken and brought back to Plymouth He at once admitted his guilt, saying that Thos. Hoggard had promised to i pay him fifty dollars to kill night policeman, A. F. Arnold. A warrant was issued for Hoggard who was arrested and given a hearing before Recorder Bateman- After hearing the evidence 11 ^ggard was bound over for two weeks to await the results of Mr. Davis’ injuries, in the sum of one thousand dollars.Ballard testified that Hoggard had made the offer twice, once in July and again on Sunday night, to hire him to kill Mr, Arnold. He said Hoggard gavehim the gun found, which he used, that he knew where the beat of the policeman ended, that he stood near by in the shadow of the store, that a man, whom he took to be Mr, Arnold, ((Hit which proved to be Mr. Davie,) come to the post on which the clock key was, that he shot him, the man turned around, he re-loaded the gun and shot again, then ran down back of the stores as far as a wire fence, back of Hampton’s store, there he threw the gun down, where it was found, and then run back as indicated by the dogs, that early in the day he went in the woods and made his way towards Bel-haven during the night and early part of the day following.The finding of jury of inquest over the body of Bennie Freeman, was rendered yesterday at 5 o’clock, and from, said finding they say that the dteceased came to his death by the unlawful acts, of Babe Ballard, L. E. Harris. Frank Walker and others not known to the jury. Harris was at once arrested and placed in jail, the others being already behind the bars.
Newspaper Details
Plymouth Roanoke Beacon
Plymouth, North Carolina, US
Fri, Oct 23, 1914
Page 5
Full Page
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Arena S.
USA 24 Oct 2023
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Plymouth Roanoke Beacon
