The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-07-25
TIE MuRDER IN KING STREET.
Coroner's Inquest.

NJ. Dereef, foreman, VIM. Davis, J. Hampton
C.. Small, H. Larcomb, Thos. Frazer,T. A
Holton, J. Berkly, Chas Michal, G. W. Dawnes
R. Benford and S. Gordon. TheE eVfdenc
seems conclusive of the identltyof the partie
imnlRated itlhGafair. wepubiishlbelow tn
most 1,ateriah portion of the evidence tahel
gu Saturday he examination Of witnesses
HSbe resumed tomorrow morning,s-at II
O'Clock; as the Main GuaydhOpse: -
EEC. D. w Robinson, sworn, testihes, that III
| fsa policeman, and was on duty on THURSDAY
AIehrsfromsT to J. O'Clock, on King streetshe
Wsen George and Wentwort About t6fteer
minutes to IL, some five soldier passed: The
corner0f King and George streets who were
noisyaand disorderly. DeponentS requested
them to keep quiet. One Of them approached
and shook hands with deponent, and said he
passed on towards the Citadel. When about
half way between Calhoun street and the Cita
| del, deponent heard the rap of the policeman
on that post. Before these raps, the man who
had cane, and had shaken hands with depo'
nent, said that one of the party had re-
| volver. Johu Howe, who appears, and depo-
nent recognizes, is the man who had the cane,
and he told depouent that they Intended
to shoot the colored policeman II ne aeeempe-
| ed TO arrest them. Immediately after tnls,
he heard the raps. Deponent. IN Company
with the one on duty in George sIreeC, ssarIeu
| Immediately to the assistance OF deceaseo. De,
ceased told deponent that one OF tle party aau u
he came any nearer he would blow his brains
ont. ". A, johnson was identified as the
marty who had the pistol. Deponent saw him
Are. and saw deceased fall. Johnson then
snapped the pistol at deponent and ran into
the Citadel, pursued by deponent, anu was ar
rested by the sentinel on duty. During the
pursuit, deponent shouted for help, saying !;
when near the Citadel gate, johnson fired
again, when deponent called out that he John
son) had shot two policemen. Deponent
did not find the revolver upon his person.
On arriving at the Citadel and stating the oc-
currence, the officer In command turned the
prisoner over to dep0nent, whom he brought
down to the Main Guardh0use.
Cross questioned What sort of MIG ht was
1t, moonlight or gasllsht?
fred, which gave deponent an opportunity Of
seeing the pistol. 1t was bright one.
Q. By what mark do you recognize johnson? :?
A. By his general appearance and voice.
Egbert B. Savage, sworn, testifes that ne is
first lieutenant Of 9Th Infantry. u. s.. Army,
and was on duty as officer OF the day at the
Citadel on the night OF the 2lst; heard the re-
WV
and from the sound, thought that 1t was on
King street near Calhoun, and Immediately
went to the sallyport to ascertain the cause,
and upon getting there met Policeman Robin
son, and one other. Robinson said that u sololer
had shot two policemen on King street, ana
that they had pursued said soldier to the Cita,
del, and that he was inside at the tlme, anu
desired him to be delivered up. Upon going
back to the guardhouse, found Sergeant Jonn-
son in charge of the guard, and the policeman
Robinson identified johnson as the man VINO
fired the shot, DepOnent searched the prisoner
johnson for arms and found none, and turned
him over to Policeman Robinson BY command
Of the officer commanding the post, ana ac-
Private Miller, Company F, was the sentinel
on duty. Sergeant Smith and Corporal Mar
duet saw the prisoner come in. Corporal STAIR
was also on duty.
Robert B. Stanley, sworn, testifes that he is
clerk In the Office OF the city appraiser, and
resides on King street. west side, two doors
north Of George: On Thursday night, the 2isc
instant about about haRas5 ~ perhaSPs sIe
side of the street. The first words deponent
heard was, .sYou Cod damned son Of bitch,
you can't arrest me. I" "A short time afterwards
heard the policeman call for assistance by rap
ping. Heard another voice say, "You had
better keep away from this party" Was look
ing out of the window and heard the parties
passing, and saw thea police running. to the as
sistancs of their companions; and when about
Calhoun street heard The pistol, and few sec
onds after heard q second shot, and on going
out heard that policeman was shot, and saw
him sitting on the curb-stone by the gas lamp,
midway between Burns's Lane and Calhoun
street. 1t was clear, starlight night; did not
notice the parties; saw none Of them sufficient
ly distinct to recognize them. In few min
o., GOT
ing up, supported by some persons. Riley
was shot In the thigh, near the knee.
James w Griffin, sworn, Textiles thath he Is
q policeman; was on duty on Thursday night
on Calhoun street. from st. Philip to the
bridge near Rutledge. A little before II
o'clock deponent came to the corner of CAL
houn and St. Philip, and heard the signal
rap for assistance In King street, and started
to run up, and, when at the gate Of the Orphan
house, heard a pistol fire. The pistol was
fred below Calhoun street, and deponent saw
three men running up, and crossed the street
for the purpose OF heading them of. AS de-
ponent turned the corner, going into King
street, he heard another pistol shot little
above the old Picket Guardhouse, and. upon
Riley, shot through the knee Riley said he
was shot by soldier. then ran to the gate
leading to the Citadel; saw two soldiers COM
ing up King street; one soldier was leading
the other. 0ne appeared somewhat drunken
than the other. The small one, who had the
pistol In his hand, said that he believed that
the sergeant had killed the negro, and that he
Intended to kill policeman before he went
In. Deponent Identifies John Wesley Morgan
as the soldier who had the pistol in his hands
when deponent saw the two enter the gate,
and Identifies Bernard Lyons as the one being
led. Was not near enough to Identify who
fred the pistol. Morgan said to Lyons that he
had two shots In his pistol and was deter
mined to fire one; Lyons demonstrated, and
pushed Morgan inside the door of the building
at the southeast corner Of King and Hudson
street, when non-commissioned officer of
the police, James Harrington, came up, and
we watched them closely, when Lyons came
out and was arrested by Harrington, and i'm
medlately Lieutenant Chapman, of the City
man came up and rendered deponent his own
pistol, whom I arrested. We then brought
them down TO the Guardhouse, and on the
way down, thanked Lyons for the way he act
ed In preventing Morgan from killing depo-
nent. Upon arriving at the Guardhouse, Ly-,
ons was locked up.
T. B. Chapman, sworn, testifes that he Is o
lieutenant on the city police. On Thursday
night, about half past ten o'clock, left the sta
tiOnhouse to ride his rounds, and between
half past eleven or twelve, whilst In Beaufain
street, near King, heard the report of pistol;
galloped his horse up to the corner OF King and
wentworth streets, and stopped to listen from
what direction the shot came. Then continued
on up King street, and Immediately after heard
The second report. Ran his horse nearly up to
the corner OF Calhoun, and saw three or four
persons gathered between Burnss Lane and