You better get out. I don’t want to hurt you.

Collier Gray being duly sworn says:

Albert Battle was on wagon with me come to his house he open up the gate I drove in yard he shut gate behind me I drove to wood pile he stopped behind wagon I look back & saw deceased getting over fence Albert’s wife told deceased not to get in yard dog would bite him deceased said what dog if you get over you will find out what dog he continued to come & came to front door he tried to open door from front door he went to back door & left to back door & went to wagon where Albert Battle & myself were at & stood there about 2 or 3 minutes & never said anything Albert said what do you want deceased said I don’t want anything I ask him did he have good sense he said you need not care he did not say anything more for about 2 or 3 minutes then he turned & went back to back door & left back door & went to front door walked up on steps & tried to open front door again Albert came around from wood pile & said you get out of my yard the deceased said I am not going no where Albert went in house & got his gun & told deceased to get out of my yard deceased said he was not going Albert said to deceased my wife is scared of you get out of my yard deceased said I am not going anywhere Albert said go out I don’t want to hurt you deceased I am not going no damn where I am not scared of you & nobody else I am not going nowhere Deceased said you can shoot me if you want to I am not going no where Albert said you better get out I don’t want to hurt you Albert turned off & went to gate & opened gate & started back to house to put his gun up & the deceased turned from corner of house & made toward Albert & said I am not scared of you & I will let you know it & deceased made towards Albert & got in about 7 or 8 steps of Albert & put his hands in his pocket & continued towards Albert Albert said stop & still deceased continued toward Albert & deceased got in about 2 steps of Albert & started to take hold of Albert & Albert knocked deceased down with his gun then Albert put his gun in this house & then went to out in the road & called Mr Warren Woodard & Mr Woodard went to where Albert was & went in Alberts yard & looked at deceased Mr Woodard told me to get some of the boys to help me to carry deceased down to the Gin house Alberts brother in law helped me    /s/ Collier Gray

Dorsey Ann Battle being duly sworn says:

The man came to my gate & did not know him I told him not to come in that the dog twill bite you deceased says what dog I said you come over & you will see then the deceased came in front then I went to back door & fastened that then I stepped to the window & let down the curtain he left the front door went to the front window then he went around to the end window & then he went around to the back door & stood there some little time then deceased went to where the men folks were throwing out the wood at and began talking with the men then be came back to the front window then my husband came around to where the deceased was standing and ask deceased to go out of the yard & dec’d said he was not going any where then my old man came in the house & got his gun & went out the back door around the house to where the man was I was standing looking through the window at him my husband said to decd you go out of my yard I don’t want to hurt you decd said I am not going no where what in the hell do I care about you hunting then my husband took his gun in his hand & went to the gate & opened it & stood there with his hand on the gate & his other hand on the gun my husband hollered to the man & told him to come out of the yard & then my husband left gate seeing the man would not come out the decd was standing near the wagon when my husband left the gate decd left wagon and came meeting my husband my husband was going backwards & the decd was advancing on him then decd put his hand behind him & mu husband said go on back man says I don’t want to hurt you he got so close to my husband I thought he was going to hurt my husband then I turned back into the house & I did not see any more in a few minutes I came back to the door & saw the decd lying on the ground & my husband was standing near him     Dorsey Ann (X) Battle

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  • Collier Gray — in the 1900 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: Collie Gray, 29, wife Penny, 29, and children Lulu, 6, Carry, 7, Rosa, 5, Robert, 4, and Mary, 2. In the 1910 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: Colier Gray, 39, wife Penny, 39, and children Lula, 18, Cary, 16, Robert, 12, Annie, 19, Walter, 7, Willie, 5, Matty, 7 months, and Henry, 3. Collier Gray died 8 March 1925 in Wilson township, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 10 September 1870 in Wilson County to Cary Gray and Philis Pender; was married to Mary Gray; was a farmer; and was buried on the Whitehead farm in Wilson County. Walter Gray was informant.
  • Albert Battle — in the 1900 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: Albert Battle, 41, wife Dorseyana, 42, and children Joe, 17, Millie, 15, Albert, 13, Sudie, 9, Bettie, 8, Mary, 5, Jacob, 4, and Lenora, 1.
  • Dorsey Ann Battle — Dorsey Ann Battle died 24 February 1922 in Great Swamp township, Wayne County. Per her death certificate: she was born in Edgecombe County to Tom Drake and Francis Battle; was a widow; and was buried at Rountree Chapel, Wilson. Albert Battle of Fremont was informant.

Coroner’s Records, Miscellaneous Records, Wilson County Records, North Carolina State Archives.

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