Mecklenburg County NcArchives News.....MR. J. G. HOOD IS MURDERED February 10, 1909 ************************************************ 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: Danielle Mozingo danisue1970@yahoo.com October 8, 2011, 11:54 pm Charlotte Observer February 10, 1909 SHOT DOWN BY WILL S. BIGGERS. ----- Former Well-Known Merchant of the City, J. Green Hood, Attacked by Will S. Biggers in Front of the Central Hotel and Shot to Death--Trouble Was Over Business Settlement of Years Ago, a Judgment Held by Hood Against His Assailant Being the Immediate Cause of the Tragedy--Shot Four Times, the Last Bullet Proving Fatal and Being Fired While Victim Lay Prone on the Pavement--Biggers Appears to Lose His Mind After the Arrair and Raves Wildly--A Sensational Occurence. Supposed to be on his way to the court house to sign a quit claim against his pursuer, Mr. J. Green Hood, a former well-known business man of the city, was attacked by W. S. Biggers yesterday morning in front of the Central Hotel and shot to death, his assailant firing four times, once after his victim had fallen prone to the pavement. The murder is generally conceived to be one of the most cold-blooded in the county in many years. After firing three times at his victim, the third shot bringing Mr. Hood to the pavement, Biggers leveled his pistol on him and fired the fourth and fatal shot from the back, this bullet ploughing entirely through his brians. Patrolman Hunter ran across the street as soon as he heard the first shot, but before he had reached the scene Biggers had fired the fourth time and had completed the task to which he had set himself. He then looked up and saw the officer, handed him his pistol and surrendered without the least effort of resistance. Before he had reached the police station, Biggers had suffered a violent nervous chill, his face turning suddenly bloodless and his mind apparently leaving him completely. During the larger part of the morning, he was seemingly entirely insane as he lay in his cell, chanting some old songs or beating against the bars that held him firmly a prisoner. SCENE OF THE SHOOTING. The affair happened immediately in front of the door of the Central Hotel and, while it was witnessed by several bystanders, the suddenness of it all resulted in confusing testimony as to the details of the tragic happening. It is indicated from the nature of the evidence of those who saw the entire affair, or even parts of it, that Biggers was determined to claim Hood as his victim in cold blood, and that in a moment of blinding and irresponsible passion he entered into his murderous work, refusing to desist until he had made certain he had been successful. The revolver he used was a new special 32-calibre Smith & Wesson, of the latest make. It is generally believed that Biggers had purchased the instrument for the specific purpose of killing Mr. Hood, although this is more speculation on the part of some officers and is strenuously denied by the wife of the murderer. SHOT FOUR TIMES. The pistol was a six-shooter and when Biggers handed it over to Officer Hunter, four chambers had been emptied. One shot went wild of its mark. That is believed to be the discharge that sent through the door of the Central bus which was backed up to the sidewalk, the bullet which broke through the front window of the vehicle and narrowly missed the driver. It then went across the street and struck the large plate glass window of the Southern Loan & Savings Bank, being picked up outside the building by one of the young men employed at this institution. Another bullet went through Mr. Hood's coat and vest and underclothing and grazed his stomach, being later picked up on the street. The third bullet struck his forehead and fractured the skull of the murdered man, bringing him to the pavement with his face toward his assailant. As Mr. Hood lay prone on the sidewalk, with a wound which may not have proved fatal, Biggers stooped down to close range with his head, leveled his pistol squarely and firmly and fired the fourth and fatal shot into the head. This bullet entered and came out through the forehead, tearing a great hole in his head from which his brains escaped and flew through the air. LIVED FIFTY MINUTES. Mr. Hood was shot at 9:10 o'clock and lay in the death agony on the sidewalk for about ten minutes before he was borne to the Charlotte Sanatorium. It was 9:45 o'clock when he reached this institution and he died upon the operating table at 10 o'clock, living fifty minutes with the hideous and fatal wounds in his head. The physician who was first on the scene and there within five minutes after the shooting, accompanied the dying man to the Sanatorium, but no hope was ever given that anything could be done at all by which the man's life would be lengthened. Several physicians gathered around Mr. Hood as he remained on the operating table, merely establishing in their own minds the nature of the wounds and satisfying themselves as to the necessary facts which they would need to be possessed of in court. The body was later taken to the home of the deceased where arrangements were made for the funeral this afternoon. BASIS OF THE TROUBLE. The basis of the trouble was imbedded in financial entanglements which came about several years ago when the deceased was engaged in the dry goods business under the firm name of J. G. Hood & Co., and occupied the store under the Belmont Hotel. Biggers claimed that he lost money in this company which, after nine months, was forced to liquidate, the stock being bought by Efird's Department Store. In this concern were Messrs. J.G. Hood, P. B. Hood, James Stewart, J. S. Archbelt, W. S. Biggers, J. H. Harrill, Paul Chatham and others. Mr. Biggers, it is said by friends of Mr. Hood, put $1,500 into the concern when it was first organized and later put $500 more in it when Mr. Hood purchased the Archbell stock and Mr. Archbell became directly associated with him in the active management of the store. This $2,000 of stock which Mr. Biggers put into this business was lost in the later liquidation of the company. It is said that in order to settle up the affairs of the company Mr. J. G. Hood, P. B. Hood and Biggers borrowed $10,000 from the Commercial National Bank By close manipulation in the settlement of the affairs of the company, Mr. Hood paid all on the note except $2,000, it being claimed that Biggers paid nothing on the note and refused to be connected in any way with the settlement of the affair. SUITS INSTITUTED. In order to protect his own name, Mr. Hood mortgaged his home and paid the remaining $2,000 on the note, thus settling up the old business completely with the exception of internal differences in the company. A suit followed, in which a judgment was secured against Biggers for his proportion of the $10,000, and when the sheriff went to his home, it is said that he was notified that Mrs. Biggers owned all the property. Mr. H. H. Hood, brother of the deceased, was appointed trustee of two lots held by Biggers on Ninth street and later Biggers sued Mr. J. G. Hood for the $2,000 he originally put in the stock of the company, contending that he had been robbed out of this amount through mismanagement of the affairs. Another suite was instituted by Mr. J. G. Hood in the referee court to bring the complex situation to light. Here the matter rested. None of the suits have ever been tried and the situation was seldom spoken of until recently, although Mr. H. H. Hood declares that Biggers two years ago threatened the life, which he took yesterday, unless he got a square deal. WAS GOING TO SIGN QUIT CLAIM. Finding some days ago that he was blocked by this judgment against the sale of a farm which he was negotiating with a Charlotte man, Biggers seemed overcome with hatred. Biggers, it is understood, went to Mr. H. H. Hood and besought a quit claim and Mr. J. G. Hood refused to sign such a claim until Biggers had signed a dissolution paper concerning the old business. A wrangle of several days' duration had been in progress, Mr. H. H. Hood taking the part of peacemaker between his brother and Biggers, doing all in his power to bring about a relief of the strained relations. The son of the deceased, Dr. John Hood, of Pineville, was in the city Monday and was with his father at the court house when Mr. H. H. Hood came up and advised the deceased to sign the quit claim. He went off with the promise that he would think over it during the night. He went with his son to the depot and he was again advised to sign the claim in order to prevent any culmination of the feud which had arisen. He promised his son that he would consider the matter seriously, and his wife now asserts that he left home yesterday morning to go to the court house to sign the quit claim against Biggers so that he might be allowed to sell his farm, the intending purchaser refusing to take the property with the cloud over it. He was on his way when Biggers intercepted him and shot him down. This is the substance of a statement made by H. H. Hood last night to an Observer man. THE GRUDGE OF BIGGERS. "Green Hood was trying to rob me; trying to rob my wife and my children, and I won't stand for it." This is the statement made by Biggers to Officer Hunter when he handed him his pistol, adding "I have done all I had to do, and I will go with you anywhere." It is believed that the fact the Biggers had become entangled in the financial transactions already alluded to which put an end temporarily to his efforts to sell some of his property, so preyed on his mind that he formed the determination to take the life of Mr. Hood. The matter has apparently been on his mind for several days, declare some who have seen him and the collapse of his nerves after the affair is considered by the officers as a further indication that the matter had long been on his mind. The basis of his grudge against the man whose life he took is no doubt well lodged in the minds of intimate friends of Biggers and his lawyers and will not likely be known until the trial. BIGGERS IN BAD CONDITION. When Biggers was under the power of the law and was being taken to the city station by Patrolmen Hunter and Mosteller, he lost his nerve completely and suffered a nervous chill. He was writhing and cursing as he wiggled between the policemen who were taking him to seclusion. After being placed in his cell , he immediately broke into singing, chanting words from which sanity was absent. He talked loudly, cried and beat against the prison walls, appearing to have been completely out of reason. The tragedy was constantly on his mind and in his wildest moments he continued to refer to the alledged undue advantage taken of him by the deceased. A number of his close friends, among them Dr. S. M. Crowell, called on the prisoner shortly after the tragedy, but he seemed to recognize no one. To the newspaper men he gave no positive statement of any kind, appearing to be averse toward making any statement. He could not talk rationally. His sister-in-law, Mrs. H. H. Hood, called on him about noon and after looking intently at her for a brief while, he extended his hand through the iron bars and burst into tears. His wife came up town to converse with him, but she was very much affected and could remain but a short while. To newspaper men Mrs. Biggers declared that the pistol which had done the murderous work had been in the possession of Biggers for several years and was not recently purchased. She also said that when Biggers left home yesterday morning, he patted each of his children on the head in an affectionate manner and was gone from the house before she realized it. Mrs. Hood, her sister, who lives across the street, informed her shortly afterward that Biggers had killed Mr. Green Hood. STORIES OF EYE-WITNESS. The stories of eye-witnesses agree in the main facts. One gentleman declares that he was walking up South Tryon street toward the square and met Mr. Hood, speaking to him. He went a little further and met Biggers, who was walking in great haste and whose mind seemed to be intent upon some certain thing. "I stopped after Biggers had passed me, for some reason, and watched him as he approached nearer Mr. Hood. Suddenly the latter stopped and was in the act of turning squarely around to face Mr. Biggers when I heard a shot. Mr. Hood threw up his hands at first and tried to whip the one arm of Mr. Biggers down when another discharge was made. At the sound of the third shot and while calling loud enough for me to hear him, "For God's sake, don't do that," Hood fell to the ground and then Biggers leveled his pistol at his head and fired again. The blood spouted out of the wound made by the third shot and Mr. Hood fell toward his antagonist." This in substance is the story of other eye-witnesses. The words that passed between the men, if any at all, are not recalled by any person who could be found by an Observer man, although it is presumed that Biggers called to Hood, who was walking down the street in front of him. A number heard the deceased say, 'For God's sake don't do that,' and also remember the effort he made to push back his assailant. The wonder to many is that he could not overcome Mr. Biggers, who is a one'armed man, although exceedingly strong in that. THE CAREER OF MR. HOOD. The deceased was probably 55 or 60 years of age and has been in business here for many years. He was at first identified at Davidson College with the Hood, Shelton & Co., which conducted a large dry goods store---the beginning of the larger firm of J. G. Hood & Co. A few years after Mr. Hood had been in business here he organized the Tapp-Long Company, this firm later selling out to the organization known as the Little-Long Company. He also bought out another large business, the Ed Mellon Company, selling it back in six months and losing heavily in this transaction. Failing to meet certain obligations and worrying over his situation, Mr. Hood made an attempt to end his life with a razor, but did not succeed in this attempt, his friends and family rescuing him at a strategic moment. Mr. Hood then went to New York City to spend a few months and returned here less than five years ago to establish the J. G. Hood & Co.'s store on East Trade street in which Biggers was interested. His business career has been checkered, successful at times and unsuccessful at other times. MR. BIGGERS WELL KNOWN. Mr. Biggers is well-known in the county and city as well. He was a lover of blooded horses and was accustomed to riding behind a spirited animal in a cart. He lost his right arm some years ago while coupling cars at the intersection of the railroad and East Trade street. At that time he displayed a nerve that was the talk of the town when he walked after his injury 100 feet up East Trade street, a little boy bearing his arm to him later. He was married to Miss Wolfe, of Sharon, a few days after the accident and while he was receiving treatment at St. Peter's Hospital. He served in the Spanish- American war and was never known to fail to show a superior brand of bravery and nerve on any occasion. The coroner's jury which heard the evidence yesterday afternoon rendered a verdict to the effect that Mr. Hood came to his death by a pistol in the hands of W. S. Biggers. The shooting was the most sensational happening in the city in a number of years and immediately after the deed, an enromous crowd of people congregated about the spot and talked over the affair with some who happened to see it. After that it became the talk for an entire day's conversation and the news was rapidly spread to all parts of the county. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/mecklenburg/newspapers/mrjghood663gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 16.2 Kb