News from the Past - June 24, 1929

An odd one today - well the article is rather pedestrian - from The Bee, published in Danville, Virginia, Monday June 24, 1929.

"Kid"Lilly Is
Now Accused
of New Murder
No further trace has been found in this section of "Kid" Lilly, negro desperado who escaped last week while being taken to Chatham in a bus. Despite the alertness of people in the Ingram section where he made his getaway no trace of him has been found Sheriff Murphy has deputized several people to act in the event the negro is found but all have been warned that if the negro is still there and has parted the handcuffs and secured a gun it will be a question of who shoots first.
At the present time there is reason to believe that 'Kid' Lilly long since vacated this section in fact the police at Alexandria where he was captured for Chatham authorities believe he is responsible for shooting and killing Detective Charles McClearly In that city last Thursday night.
The police detective followed the negro and accosted him. to question him when he was shot. Several people saw the murder and are positive the gunman was a negro. Of particular importance is the fact that the Alexandria police were "tipped" that Lilly had been seen in Alexandria two hours before the shooting and the fact that McCleary was the officer who arrested Lilly about two weeks ago for the Chatham authorities having some trouble with him at that time.

That last sentence I find baffling; McCleary arrested "Kid" Lilly because the Catham authorities were having trouble with him? But then it occurs to me that he might just have been "uppity."