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(Continued from Page 1) wicker of sporting enterprises as well as for the many resorts he conducted in this city and in Atlantic City for dee dee. At one time he was finquetal Packer of Jack Johnson, former heavy weight champion of the world. For many years Wilkins financed in whole , or in part all of the colored baseball teams of this city. In Harlem he was a power awors the colored people. His influence was particularly strong at elections. He ‘was indifferent in politics, swinging bpetween the Democratic and Republi can parties on the mood suited of 13 big private interests dictated. The po lice said that his influence was built largely on his practise of extending h is Hand to those who required years and finally achieving in his Ex clusive Club In the Harlem 2 colored cabaret which attracted large members of white patrons and which became ‘one of the best known ecabarets in the oldy. women His early enterprises after coming to New York from Norfolk and Wash ington, D. C., were downtown. For ee years he conducted a resort ir ‘Thirtyfifth Street, near Eighth Ave ue, which was the social headquart ers of Jack Johnson. Later, Wilkins e tablished a place in West Thirty Sev enth Street. This annoyed the police so much it was rallied scores of times. e frequent raids however, failed to discourage Willar and he never clated to shot His busi ness woakened Wilkens In this place to build a balcony from which patrons q might view Jack Johnson being serv ed on the floor below. KEPT OPEN DESPITE WALDS. — ‘The Police received so many coin about revata In the place that in July, 1910, 2 Supreme Court injunc tion was obtained iy the Police as 2 mens of closings, numerous raids paving faked of that purpose. Wilkins obtained a stay. When the injunction period expired, Wilkins said he would net Seek to renew his license as he did not need it. He continued business despite many more relia. Wilkins moved to the Heriem in 1803. His brother, Leroy Wilkins, estab lished 4 cabaret for colored people at Fifth Avenue and 135th Street. But While the entertainers in Barron 1 Wilkins’s place were colored, his pa trons, to a large extent were white. He was known to colored people as: “no man with the big bank roll” He made bets on horse races and ta ‘crap games. He always denied that he graft to the police. His Intimates said that he had often loaned money to “Yellow Charleston.” The latter was descried by the police as a gambler and a drug addict. Jamed Samaon, his colored secretary said that Wilkins’s last act of charity was yesterday afternoon when he mail ed a check for $25 to Sam Langford, Negro pusgilist of other years. He aho sent Langford tin order on a downtown tailor for a suit of clothes. Langford jaid New York for an operation to save him from blindness and is penn less. Wilkine'’s wife left yesterday after noon for Lakewood and returned last night when notified of her husband's death. Kayen WILLIAM MILLER SURRENDERS AFTER SPENDING NIGHT PAC E STREETS OF JERSEY city. Worn from a night of pacing the William Miller, a mulatto mown a “Yellow Charleston” sur rendered himself Sunday morning at Police headquarters and announced that he was the man who on Saturday evening shot to death In Harlem two other Negroes, Barron D. Wilkins, cabaret owner and sporting promoter, and John Parker. ‘The prisoner, who said he wish ‘porter, fat whom the police descibed no gambler, bootlegger, drug addict and possessor of a police record, snid that City, afraid, sleep and wilking the he spent Saturday night in Jersey streets. He sai he finally decided give himself up because he feared he might be lynched if caught by some of Wilkins’s vengeance-seeking mourn arm. ‘Miller said he killed Parker in a pool room at 129 West 134th Street in self defense. Wento approached Wil king in front of Wilkine’s cabaret at Seventh Avenue and Sixth Street a few minutes later he all be demand ed ‘getaway money and believed he should have received It because Wil k ion's owed him money. Wilkins’s re fusad, he and, led him to shoot the cab inet manager. 7 Miller was a dejected and weary fig ure when he shuffled into the Detective Bureau at headquarters and announc ed to Lieutenant Joseph Miller. “T hem you're looking for me. I killed Barron Wilkins that night, Captain Arthur Carey of the homicide squad and Assiant District Attorney Mor gan A. Jones were called to headquar ters, Mr. Jones will submit the case to the Grand Jury today of tomorrow, KILLED NEGRO IN CRAP GAME, Miller said he was 42 years old and ad lived in Harlem twenty years. He leave his address as 115 West 134th Street. He said that on Saturday era [ning he was playing dice with fifteen other Negroes in a poolroom at 129 West 134th Street when Parker enter ed and sat in the game. He said Park er became abusive after a few minutes) and drew a knife. In self defense, sill, Miller, he drew a pistol. He said he tired as Parker slashed at him. One shot missed. He fired another and Parker collapsed. Miller said he ran to the roof of the building and scurried over housetops to corner at Seventh Avenue, des cending to the street where he found ‘Wilkins In front of his cabaret, the Ex clusive Club) in conversation with an other Negro, Benni C. Parker. He exid he had $50 in his pockets but thought this would not be enough for a “get away.” He decided to appeal to Wil kins, explaining to the police that some months ago he sold Wilkins whis ky for $700 of which Wilkins still owed him $400. He said he told Wilkins he had just shot a man and needed the money due him for his escape. “T won't pay you any money,” the prisoner quoted Wilkins. “T wasn't taking any chances, went on the prisoner. I shot him. I’m [So] TRIED TO SHOOT PARKER. In his furry, Miller said, he aimed at Wilkins’s companion, but the pistol jammed Miller said he jumped into a car scab, alighted from it quickly and sped into a tenement. Then he fled across roofs, throwing the pistol into an air shaft. He descended to the street, not recalling where, took a taxicab to Sec ond Avenue and 17th Street and boarded a surface car on which he trav ele downtown. He said he wound up finally near City Hall and walked to the Hudson Terminal, taking a tube train to Jersey City. Unable to sleep and rm a quandary over his plight, he walked the streets all night In the morning he went to Weehawken. At the ferry house there, he said, he met a Negro named Perry, to whom he gave $10 to escort him, aft er breakfast in a nearby restaurant, to New York Police Headquarters. He said he gave himself up because he knew his house was being watched. Fle x said he was afraid that if he remained at large some of the many Negroes Wil licim had befriended would hunt him down and that he would be lynched. After telling his story, Miller became apathetic. He ‘seemed to fall into a ‘trancelike condition from which even the caresses of his daughters, Evelyn, 9, and Florence, 7 did not arouse him. MILER HAS POLICE RECORD. According to the records af Police Headquarters Miller was sentenced to the penitentiary in 1907 for receiving stolen goods. In 1908 he served six months in the workhorse for vagran cy. On October 31, 1918, he was sen tenced to Welfare Island for felonious amenlist in connection with the shoot ing of Ploteasa Black in Harlem. The police said he made his living by gambling and that he was known to them on a drug addict Clement Wil kins, brother of Barron, was shot and killed ten years ago at the spot where Barron was killed Saturday. Wilkins was buried Wednesday after son in Mount Olivet Cemetery. (New York Times, May 24th, 1924, )
Newspaper Details
Richmond Planet
Richmond, Virginia, US
Sat, May 31, 1924
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Wilka M.
USA 11 Nov 2025
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