Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-10
From a Staff Correspondent.


BRYAN COURT HOUSE. November S-A review
of the criminal records of the various
courts, not only of this State, but the
country generally, forcibly exemplihes
the Importance Of checking the wide
spread evil Of intemperance. Whilst
many of the crimes which entail such an ex-
pense upon communities and bring odium upon
their fair fame, may be attributed to ava
rice, cupidity, revenge and malice yet 1t will
be found that in the majority Of such onenses
against the law drunkenness is the origin OF all
trouble.
This county has to-day a striking illustration
of the disgrace, the woe, and evil resulting
from free indulgence in liquor in the case Of
| A bert Gillespie, a young man Of respectable
parentage, who has not yet reached his twenty
fifth year, who is brought to the bar Of
| Justice to answer for the highest crime
known to our laws - the murder of a
fellow-creature. This young man is,
as was developed during the trial. of good
| family in the State Of North Carolina. His
| father DR.. Gillespie, or Bladen county, is one
| of the most prominent and esteemed citizens
| of that State, and he had the benefit of careful
| training and every inducement to lead a cor
| rect and upright life, yet in a drunken spree,
he imbrues his hand in the blood of a
| fellow man. This crime was committe
| at store about a mile and a half
from the court house on Sunday evening
| where the parties had been drinking. The
| unfortunate affair created considerable sensa-
| ton throughout the county. and so aroused
we're the better class of the people that a
| movement was at once agitated to secure such
| an increase of the liquor license as would
| virtually prohibit the sale OF liquor in the
| county The result was the passage of a law
afixing the license at IS 000, which goes into eff
feet on the 1st of May next. The enforcement
of this law amounts to virtually prohibiting the
| sale of liquor within the borders OF this county,
and among the law abiding and respectable
| the day is anticipated with eager pleasure.
| When the temptation to finger around places
| where drink is sold on the Sabbath day, and
| indulge in carousing is removed. the people
feel confident that there is one potent cause OF
| turbulence, disorder and crime destroyed
The case in point has excited great interest
| in the county on account Of the efforts that
| have been made in the behalf of young Giles
| pie, and the announcement that the day had
| finally been set for trial had the effect of
| bringing to the court house an immense crowd
| from all parts OF the county, and the court
room ana surrounding grounds were filed
| with people.
The prisoner has been in Chatham county
| Jail since March, 1880. At the May term of
| 1881 of this court he was indicted for murder.
| He was subsequently brought to trial, but q
continuance was asked and obtained by the
| defense Application was then made to have
him released on bail. which was granted and
the amount fixed at $1,000 Efforts were made
| to secure this, but they were unsuccessful, and
/ il was determined to apply for g reduction Of
| this sum, tut no formal application was made
| though understand that his friends had sue
| ceeded in raising about 81 900 for this purpose
| The young man, however remained in
J Jail until brought forth at this term.
| THE TRIAL.
| At half past eight O'Clock this morning the
court convened, and, after some routine bust
ness was disposed of, the case was called. The
| State announced itself ready, through the So
licitOr General. The prisoner was represented
/ by Col. R. E Lester and r. f. g. Smith. Col
| Lester responded that the defense was not
| ready. and asked continuance Of the cau:e on
! account OF the absence Of important witnesses.
| One of these, Phillip McDermoJt, had been sub
| the court, and it was expected he
would be here to-day. He could not be
| found, however, but it was believed his attend
| auce could be secured il a continuance was
| granted. Another was Doctor DeVane, who
| was in Savannah and was expected here to-
day, but had not yet arrived Qater Doctor De-
| Vane came into COURT. very important
| witness was John A Scott, whose whereabouts
| could not be ascertained. and the defense were
unable to say whether they could ever secure
| him. Under the circumstances he felt that the
prisoner could not justly go to trial and hence he
| asked continuance. Approaching the expense
| to which the county had been put by Gilles-
| pies long Imprisonment. and being DESTROYS to
| avoid further expense, the defense would ask
| if the court concluded to grant the continu-
aDce. THAT the bail be reduced to such an
amount as was within the means of the pris-
| oner to give.
The court declined to grant the continuance,
| and ordered the prisoner to be presented and
| the trial to proceed.
At this point Sheriff Zittrouer stated that
| two or three weeks since he met McDermott,
the important Witness on a train at No. 116,
| Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, and
that McDermOtt told him he was going to
Florida, and did not intend to be here at the
trial Of Gillespie.
SECURING A JURY.
| l. =,
| securing a Jury, and that considerable time
| would be occupied 10 this work, but here ex-
pectation failed. Thirty-eight jurors were
called before the required twelve were obtain
ed Twelve were objected to by the defense,
three went of for cause" and one was OBJ
jected to by the State The jurors as sworn
were as follows:
| John Cowart, ]. G.. Newman,
| John D. Morgan, John A Elarbee,
W. A. Burnsed. LESSEE f. Ham,
Glen c. Hayman, Zachariah COwaTt,
| w w Montcreith, James IL Ellis,
| Alfred Harvey, Francis NJ. GoOdson.
The State introduced but two witnesses, DR..
Horace r. Mooney, the physician who held the
post norton examin stion and who saw the
fatal ARRAY. and Mitchell fixes. one Of the citi-
zens who intercepted and arrested Gillespie
and Dancy as they were making their escape.
A HISTORY OF THE CRIME.
as developed by the testimony of DR.. Mooney,
who swore positively to seeing the fatal shot
fired, and by the testimony OF Thomas j
Dancy, for the defense, who heard the shot,
but did not see who fred it, may be briefly
synopsized as follows:
On Sunday noon, March 21st, 1880 James A.
Scott, turpentine worker, came to Dir. VIM
| Letford's place, where Thomas J. Dancy and
| Albert Gillespie were working. Dancy and
Scott said they were going down to HeeTy's
store. the former to get some whisky and qui
| nine which had been prescribed for him by
| physician and Scott a, zed Gillespie to go with
them. Gillespie, who was Waterman on the
| place, said he did not feel well, and didn't
| think he could get back in time. Scott said
they would not stay long, and Gillespie con-
| sented to go. They reached Heery's store,
| which was about three miles off, in the after
| noon, where they met VIM. A. Dudley. The
four men had come from North Carolina and
were all engaged in turpentine work. They
went into Heery's store and took several
between Dudley and Dancy, and hard
| words were used The parties were separated
| by Scott and Gillespie, the former taxing of
| Dancy and Gillespie carrying off Dudley until
| they were quiet. The parties again met in the
| store and resumed drinking. About an hour
| after the first trouble, Dancy and his friends
saw Dudley come out. He advanced to-
wards Dancy, putting his hand be-
hind his back. Dancy said he knew
Dudley had knife, and that he
| intended to cut him. He then drew his knife,
and in few minutes Dudley retreated, fol
| lowed by Daucy At this point Dr. Mooney
drove up in his buggy, and was approached by
| Scott who told him that there was troub @ be-
tween Dudley and Dancy, and asked his inter-
| ference He got out of his buggy and went
| towards the place, anxious to preserve peace
He Dudley running, pursued by Dancy.
| Dudley ran through the gate and around the
| house Mooney called to Scott, who was near
| est to the gate, to close it, to prevent Dancy
from getting in or Dudley from getting cut.
| Scott did so and turned Dancy off. just at
| this moment Gillespie ran between Mooney
and Dancy, leveled pistol over the fence AMI
fired at Dudley, who was then about four and
half feet off, and who had momentarily
| stopped. The ball struck Dudley In the neck, who
wheeled and ran down the yard and through
an opening in the side of a shed room,
where he fell, cutting his hand and bruising
his head. DR.. Mooney rushed after him, and
! found him PROSTATE on the floor, and in a.
| tempting to raise him, found he was dead. A
post norton examination showed conclusively
| that death had been produced by the pistol
| shot. Immediately after the affair, Dancy
| and Gillespie, being warned by some parties
| present left the scene and returned to Let
| ford's. DR. Mooney considered, from Gillespies
| actions and language, that he was very drunk.
| All the parties, as stated, were more or less
| under the influence of liquor. That night the
| men provided themselves with rations and at
| tempted to escape. They were captured the
| following morning and brought back to the
| court house, and subsequently carried to Savanr
| nah At the last term of Bryan Court Dancy
was indicted for assault with intent to murder in
| this case; was convlctt and sentenced to pay
| a fine of one hundred dollars. and serve three
months on the chain gang, and, until recently,
| when his sentence expired, had been working
| in Cuyler's swamp This is a history of the
| crime in a nut SHE'LL and as stated, is based on
| the sworn testimony of DIR. Mooney, which in
| no essential part was contradicted.
THE DEFENSE.
| Dapcy asserted that Gillespie was staggering