Alamance-Sampson-Wayne County NcArchives News.....Burglaries at Burlington – A Citizen Murdered While Defending His Property. October 13, 1892
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Robert F Delay fremill99@aol.com July 9, 2013, 11:13 am

"THE LANDMARK," STATESVILLE, N. C. October 13, 1892
THE LANDMARK.
VOL.  XIX.  STATESVILLE, N. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1892.  NO.11. Pg #2.
THE LANDMARK, ISSUED EVERY THURSDAY. J. P. CALDWELL, EDITOR & PROPRIETOR.
Burglaries at Burlington – A Citizen Murdered While Defending His Property.
Burlington, Alamance County Special, Inset to State ?????
   For the past two weeks a series of petty burglaries have been annoying the 
people of this town and last week a posse of regularly organized vigilants 
patrolled the streets nearly every night. On Friday night a special effort was 
made to capture the marauders which resulted in a skirmish with them at the 
house of J. H. Shelburn, but they were not captured and no one was injured. 
Saturday night was dark and rainy and owing to their hard work during the week 
many of the watchers repaired to their homes. At about midnight seven or eight 
shots were heard in the business portion of town. All in the vicinity ran at 
once in the direction of the sound, Frank and W. E. Hay, merchants, arriving 
first. They found the body of J. Frank Matthews, clad only in night clothes, 
lying on the ground about thirty feet from the rear door of his own store, 
with three 32 calibre balls in him, and no trace of the assassins. One ball 
had entered the upper part of the lungs in front, passing through and coming 
out in the rear, another entered the left shoulder from the back, while the 
third entered the brain just above the left eye. No trace of the murderer 
could be found. A military rifle which had been discharged was found near the 
body, also two extra cartridges, and a hole seven inches deep in the brick 
wall of the store where Mr. Matthews had discharged his gun at the intruders. 
The town was quickly aroused and the country scoured, but without avail. 
Sunday morning an arrest was made on purely circumstantial evidence and the 
examination is not yet completed, but it is doubtful, unless new evidence is 
produced, if the man can be held. While the sheriff was busily engaged here a 
negro came from Swepsonville to report that he had shot and killed a burglar, 
a white man, in a store in that place.
   About 8 o’clock Monday night three attempts at burglary were made in the 
western part of the town of Burlington. The Burlington Light Infantry 
patrolled the town.
   Gov. Holt has offered a reward of $300 for the arrest of the murderers of 
Matthews.


Additional Comments:
John Frank Matthews was the son of Oliver M and Elizabeth C (Wilson) Matthews.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/alamance/newspapers/burglari749gnw.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/

File size: 3.1 Kb