Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-28
as LIKE as TWO PEAS.
A Man Arrested IA Wilmington for
the Murder of Mr.. N. r. COrnwells
OF Savannah-Ae IL Not the Right
Mana Striking Resemblance.

Our readers will recollect the horrible
murder Of Mr.. n. F. Cornwell, brother OF
Mr.. George Cornwell, of this city, IN De-
cember, 1877. Mr.. Cornwell, VINO nSu
formerly been in business in Savannah, was
At the time. conducting q general store al
Rartow Jefferson county, on the Central
Railroad. aud occupied apartments
- +be rear OF the store. One
cold night in December, of 1877,
he store was discovered on fire, and the
DANES spread so rapidly tha, In short time
rbe Mace ives entirely DESTROYED. 1t was
tno5yn to the neigbbOrs that Mr.. G. slept IN
the rear OF the store, and upon search being
made. part of the charred remains OF the
BODY was found in the ruins. 1t was the
general opinion that the store hal Deen
broken open and robbed, aud then set on
fire to cover the crime. Soon Afterwards
one Mcdaniel was arrested and confessed,
duplicating five others In the crime, lnclud-
ing Obadiah Ross, and all but Ross were
subsequently arrested Ross ned me
state. and nothing was heard OF
him until some few months ago,
when il was learned that man answering
his description was living in Samson coun-
II. n c., where he was married ABOUT thIee
months ago. The necessary papers for his
arrest aud detention were thereupOn lssueu
and sent to the authorities OF sampson.
Upon their receipt in that county, however
it was ascertained that the suspected lndl-
vidual had suddenly changed his quarter
to Dublin, and the papers were thereupon
transferred to the authorities Of that county
and the same instructions given. lt was
soon ascertained, however, that the "oird'
had again flown, and this time settled In
Wilmington,
The documents were then forwarded to
the Chief of Police Of that city, who placed
them in the hands Of officer 1. .. Bunting,
who at once went to work, and on the I9-n
| inst. succeeded in arrestiDg a white man
answering the description OF the alleged
murderer, and he was lodged In jail to
wait further developments. Information
was at once sent to the interested parties ID
Savannah and the authorities In Jefferson
county were notified.
The Wilmington Morning Star, of the
oath, contains the following Information IN
reference to the matter:
"Sheriff DriscOn, of jefferson county,
/ Ga, arrived mere Yesterday, in response 10
a telegram, to view the prisoner arrested by
/ Constable Bunting on suspicion OF being
| Obadiah Ross, one of the alleged murderers
| Of Mr.. COrnweil, of Georgia. He visited the
| county Jail, saw the prisoner, and, after a
| careful examination, announced that ne
was not Obadiah Ross. The resemblance
| between the two men is so close, however,
/ that the Sheriff says he does not wonder
/ that officer Bunting arrested him Tor boss;
| that he would have been readily taken for
him in the neighborhood where the crime
was committed, and that he would have ar
rested him himself had he met him In
| Georgia. The only difference between the
two men is in their height, the prisoner be-
ing little the taller. Both have scar over
| the eve, the evidence of knife or gun
| shot wound in the hip, and dyed NOUS
/ taches. And in fact the prisoner was heard
! on one occasion singing a song which had
/ formerly been a favOrite with Ross. How
/ ever, Sheriff Driscoll said he was not the
/ man, and Williams, as he designates him
/ self, was released from custody and went on
| his way rejoicing. His wife has been TO see
| him since his incarceration.
/ "Of a verify you cannot always Judge
/ from aDDearapces. ~