ARAA Families

Newspaper Article: Arkansas Gazette, January 30, 1889

Little Rock - Night before last the little community of Wrightville in this county was the scene of a killing that excited the colored population extensively and the entire community considerably. It seems that about a year ago John Colman and Ida Holland, both colored, were married and lived together more or less regularly until about Christmas when Colman by threats and abuse drove Ida away from his house, as she said she was afraid to live with him longer. She went to her mother's in the neighborhood, and since Christmas has lived there. When she left Colman he made threats against her life, but until night before last had made no effort to execut them.

On the night mentioned the dogs at the house of Fannie Cummings, Ida's mother, were heard to bark very fiercely for a time, when they seemed to recognize somebody and became quiet. In a few minutes the inmates of the house noticed that their dwelling was on fire, and at once suspicted that Colman had set it on fire. Fannie Cummings first went after water to extinguish the flames, but as they gained headway Ida also started to the well for water when she was shot in the head and killed. The murderer then fled, but in a few minutes citizens of Wrightsville were notified and John Colman was arrested. He was in bed, but everything seemed to lead to his being the guilty party.

Coroner Bond was summoned by telegraph and he down in a buggy yesterday morning to hold an inquest. In the inquest it turned out that the shot with which the woman was killed were turkey shot of a size corresponding to some purchased by Colman at Wrightsville. The coroner's jury, after examining into the matter and not wishing to prejudice the interests of Colman, presented the following verdict: 'We, the jury, find that Ida Colman came to her death on January 28 1889 from a gun-shot wound inflicted with homicidal intent by some person to the jury unknown.'

Yesterday Colman was taken before J. C. Boyd, a colored justice of the peace for examination. He will probably be brought to this city and lodged in jail today to await trial by the circuit court. The people of Wrightsville are quiet and calm, knowing that Colman, if guilty, will receive punishment similar to the crime without any unlawful interferrance on their part, and will make no such attempt to take the law into their own hands.