Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-26
SANG ARMOR HANGED.
THE STORY OF A CRIME.
A Brutal Murder AVeDged-An Old
Taie ReJOId-The Murderer Cool
and Collected-Death from SGrangu-
IaIHon.


Amos Ellington was an old ard respected
citizen OF Tsliaferro county. He had lived
there number OF years, was known among
the people as man of quiet aud unobtru-
sive habits, whose only falling was his love
for whisky. He owned laud near Crawford
vile amounting to some four hundred and
twenty-five acres. Most OF this land was
covered with wood, from the sale OF which
he mainly subsisted. He was unmarried,
and lived alone in 9 small house a short
distance from town. Some of his land he
cultivated to s small extent, and for this
purpose employed few negro hands. among
| whom was
SANG ARMoR.
This man was more liked by Mr.. Ellington
than any Of his other employees, and It was
very seldom he came to town, as he did
every Saturday,, uuless Armor accompanied
him; aud it was Mr. EllinQton's invarlable
Gus ON, upon the sale of the wood they
brought, to take Sang into some barroom
aud nbersllY treat him to whisky. Why
there should have been all this friendship
on the part of Mr.. Ellington for negro so
wholly brutal as the man was upon whom
he lavished his kindness, there has been
many reasons given. Some say Mr. Filing
ton had been on exceedingly Intimate terms
with the wife OF Armor, and, in fact, was
the father Of an illegitimste son born to the
woman. This con was, as well, much petted
| by MIR. Elliugton, and It was surmised by
some should he die his property would be
left to this negro boy. Be this as 1t may,
the Intimacy between the brutal negro and
Mr.. Ellington existed. No one thought
anything OF Il. 1t was an accepted fact
On Wednesday, the Oh day OF April of
the pTeSent year, Sang Armor drove into
| Crswfordvile with load of wood and sold
il TO Mr.. Hal Flynt. Mr.. FlyOt, III -prised
st Lot seeing Mr.. Ellington with him, ask d
! Sang where was his employer. The negro
| hesitated, and finally said that Mr. Filing
ton in the upland overseeing the re-
grOes splitting rails His rep'y was taken
as the truth, and nothing more was thought
| of the matter. Saturday came. Contrary
10 his custom, Mr.. Ellington did not come to
| CrawfordVile. 1t WAS almost an unheard Of
thing; still, not much importance was at
taebed to tt, nor was any suspicion
aroused. The following morning some
young men-thnking perhaps Mr.. Eling-
! ton might be Ill, and knowing he would
| lack for attention-walked out to his house.
| The doors and windows were shut, and the
| house bore the appearance of desertiOn
| They opened the shutters The room was
| unoccupied. the floor was cleaDly swept,
| the bed unrumpled This looked strange
| TIE crowd separated into squads ard began
| to sc our the woods. In short time a
\ hslloO was heard from one of the squads.
| 9th f. fha
| the middle OF the road leading up from the
meadows and through the woods, lay
AMOS ELLINGTON, DEAD.
A wagon and q pair of oxen stood by.
| The lines we're thrown loosely over 8 small
stump The ground around WAS trampled,
aud marked With the tracks OF the wsgon
/ wheels. MIR. Ellington lay prone upon his
/ hack His lefE hand grGsped 8 whip; his
right was lightly crossed over his breast.
HIS feet were crossed, aud his lead turned
one side. Some one raised him. The sight
revealed was a slckening one. His light
4 law was cTi sned and covered with clotfed
/ blood, his limbs were rigid, his eyes vide
\ open ami CLASSY. a tiny hole under the left
ear showed where pistol tall bad entered
A messeT ger was sent at once 10 Graz p
| foriville The Coroner, accompanied by
crowds of excited people, soon arrived. An
ipuuest was held. Two physicians held
/
i the irquest WAS that MFR. Ellington had
/ been killed by a blow from an axe aud
/ shot from pistol or gun, either of which
wounds wOuld have produced death, I'm the
| hands of some person or persons unknown.
| The excitement and indignation ran high.
! Fhat So innocent and inoff-n -ns've a man
| should have been 81 fOuliv murdered elicit
ed tut one expression from the people:
| That the murderer should be hunted down
aud made to suffer. Speculatious we're made
! but no clue could be gained a. TO who c1m-
| mittedsfha deed. Mes. rs Wesley Wright
and Sam Rhodes, of Crawfordvile. took thu
matter in hand. They traced some uu-
| known man as far as Macon, but they SION
| saw he W uld have had no Object in killing
Mr. Ellington, save money Mr. Ellington
never had any money, except some ninety
| five dollars found in his house, and this
money. he had stated only a short time be-
| fore, be intended to pay 10 Mr.. w z Gum,
on note held by him against Mr. Euiogtor.
| Tben the matter of Sang Armor came
20 light. He was arrested. To Mr.
Wright and Mr.. Rhodes he con
of Taiaferro had bribed him to dol L. B.
| fore his trial, which occurred in May, he
/ made arCfher Statements. Then he stated
that Aleck Stevens. young whit te man, and
George Jones, negro, had help d him com i
mit the crime Jones had held the oxen,
SaHG struch MIN WibD an axe, at q 3 eVeDs
had shot him. Jones aud Stevens were
arrested What gave force TO this statement
was rumcr then 10 circulation TO the effect
that William G Stevens, brother OF Aleck,
was at one fime going into business wi
Mr. julius Jordan. In the formation of the
partnership, so It was rumor-d, Stevens had
offered, as collateral a note purportiDg TO
have bef n drawn by Amos Ellington In favor
OF Aleck Stevens for eight hundred dol
lars. Il was also said that young Stevens
on the Monday subs quent to the discovery
Of the body had gone to Augusta and de-
posted some money IN an Augusta bank,
and that Mr. Ellington had received some
sime before 81 500 from some source. A
preliminary trial Of Stevens and Jones was
held. In this trial 1t was shown by the
defense that no such note as The one re-
ported ever existed, and that Mr. Ellington
never wss known TO have had 81 500 AS
for the money said to hsve been deposited
in Augusta, It was proved 10 be some which
Stevens mother had gOf from the sale of
properly. They were released.
The preliminary trial of Sang Armor then
took place. In the evidence # was shown
that he had been seen with Mr.. Ellington
last. He had carried to Branch's
mill and left With a negro woman a
bucket knoYn to be the property of Mr. W.