The 1909 Buckingham Murders: EXTRA!
Willie Jackson: Under Surveillance
The suspicious behavior of Willie Jackson may have led to the capture of Dallas Wright, Edward Jones, and Richard Perkins who were arrested in June of 1909 for the murders of the Stewart brothers. According to the June 22, 1909 edition of Richmond’s Times-Dispatch:
The boy, Willie Jackson, who is the star witness, was an employee on the farm of Superintendent of Schools John A. Twyman at the time of the murder, which took place two months ago. It was the actions of this boy which first directed attention to him as probably being connected in some way with the crime. He was seen running through a piece of pines with another negro and on being hailed and asked why he was running, he said he thought the man who was passing was the sheriff. When asked why he wanted to avoid meeting that officer, he said he had been killing fish with dynamite in the stream near by and had been told this was a violation of law. This, however, was not a satisfactory explanation of his action, and he had been under surveillance ever since. It is probable that he gave the first clue which led to the arrests.
Willie Jackson was about nineteen years old when the murders took place. John A. Twyman, born in 1856, lived with two sisters and a brother in the James River District of Buckingham County. His sister, Augusta, and his brother, Samuel, taught in the public schools.
Who was the man who questioned Willie Jackson and reported him to officials?
Need to catch up on The 1909 Buckingham Murders? Part I: June 1, 2015
slate river ramblings . . . . 
“Running while black” = probable cause. Things haven’t changed too much, unfortunately.
Who admits they are running from the sheriff?