The Tri Weekly Standard

JONES COUNTY MURDER.

FURTHER PARTICULARS—Mrs. NETHERCUTT ALIVE AND LIKELY TO RECOVER—THE MYSTERY IN RELATION TO THE MURDERERS—COL. NETHERCUTT'S SON THINKS THEY ARE WHITE MEN.

Further particulars in relation to the murder of Col. Nethercutt have been received from our special reporter who visited the scene on Monday.

Mrs. Nethercutt who was reported to have died from her injuries, is alive, and it is thought will recover. The murder was committed on Sunday night between 7 and 8 o'clock, and pretty much as reported in Tuesday's Republican. Col. N. and his family, consisting of himself, his wife, son and daughter, and a young lady teaching school in the neighborhood were seated around the fire, the Col. reading the Bible. One of the murderers, only, entered the room at first, and speaking a few words, simultaneously raised a musket and shot Col. Nethercutt, almost instantly killing him. A second man now entered the house and upon opposition being offered by Mrs. Nethercutt, one of them raised a chair and struck her upon the head, the blow stunning her. The men now enquired for the Col's. rifle, which they procured, and also twenty dollars in specie which was taken out of bureau drawer. There were one or more men heard outside the door, but up to this time only two had entered. They now informed the ladies and Col. Nethercutt's son a lad of about 16 years, that if they would be quiet no harm should befall them. The ladies and the young man were then led to the smoke house, the murderers locking them up. From this place the unfortunate family heard the murderers ransacking the house. They remained for nearly an hour, and about an hour after their departure young Nethercutt made his escape from the smoke house and gave the alarm to the neighbors.

Upon entering the house Col. N's body was found lying face down, near the fire-place, and on removing it, it was discovered that he had fallen with one arm so near the fire that the side of it was burned. In a corner of the room lay a lot of seed cotton, clothing and furniture which had evidently been fired by the out-laws, but the fire had gone out. On the cotton was found the wearing apparel of different members of the family, torn, cut, and partially burned. A mirror had been taken from the wall and broken to atoms. A marble top which had covered a bureau was also broken upon the floor. The murderers had taken nothing with them except the money and rifle. They evidently attempted to destroy the house and contents by fire.

A remarkable circumstance is the fact that the Col's pockets had not been rifled. It was some time before any of the neighbors could be induced to go near the house as it was thought the murders were still about and prepared for resistance. Word reached Sheriff Colgrove at about 2 o'clock in the night, who at once summoned a posse and proceeded to the scene of horror. Pursuit was instituted at once and traces of the murderers were discovered, which it would be imprudent to disclose.

In regard to the color of the murderers the family of the deceased do not agree. We learn that two of the ladies think they were negroes, while Col. Nethercutt's son firmly declares his conviction that the men were white men with blackened faces. He says that he noticed that the lips of the murderers seemed unnaturally red, that although one of them was quite black the hair of his whiskers was straight and full of ashes.

From this account, it would hardly seem probable that the primary object of the murderers was plunder. The wanton destruction of valuable clothing and furniture would indicate that the murderers had some other motive. This seems to be the opinion of the authorities in Jones county, and also of several detective officers and officers of our Criminal Court.

We learn further that several persons who are known to have threatened Col. Nethercutt's life, have left their houses since the occurrence of this tragedy.

We repeat our hope, that no means will be spared to bring the perpetrators of this fiendish act to justice. Rewards should be offered at once by the different corporations, and we hope the matter may be brought to the attention of Gov. Worth that some more than ordinary measures may be employed to stop these fearful outrages, which have so frequently occurred during the last year in Jones and neighboring counties.—Newbern Republican.