Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-19

ne hred again more deliberately than be-
lore, ana as the men rushed up and
/ grabbed him, wrenched himself from their
grasp and fired the third and last shot.
Inc ball penetrated the forehead of the
Vietlm; with groan she fell upon her
slde and in few moments was dead. The
men again seized Jones, who was then in
a towering fit of frenZied passion, and a
desperate struggle ensued. He was
finally oYerpOwered, but not un-
| til he had fired the fourth
snot, the ball barely grazing the forehead
OF one OF his captors. He was taken at
once before magistrate and remanded to
the county Jail. Worked up to an awful
! pitch, thwarted in his designs. and with
his stubborn self will and uncomfortable
passion aroused TO its fullest, he attempt
ed to kill himself by taking morphine. In
this design he was frustrated, and he was
taken to Lexington and there lodged in
Jail.
THE TRIAL AND CONVICTION.
The news of the dreadful deed spread
rapidly, and threats of lynching him were
so many and so open that an extra guard
OF two men was detailed to assist the
Sheriff in protecting the prisoner. While
i'll Jail Jones made q second ATTEMPT to
commit suicide, and was the second time
unsuccessful.
The trial came off at the April term of
the Superior Court, and was witnessed
by thousands of people. Owing to the
high state to which the public mind had
been wrought, the trial was exceedingly
lenlently conducted, the prisoner being
granted every possible advantage, The
best legal talent was arraYed, and the
/ night for freedom was stubborn one. The
counsel for the defense set up a plea of
insanity, and everything possible was
done to save him. The evidence was long
and interesting, consuming nearly two
days, but of the. most damning
nature. On Saturday evening, Superior
Court Judge POttle charged the iury in
a most impartial manner, and ON the fol-
lowing morning a verdict was returned of
guilty. he was sentenced to be hanged
on the 18th day of May. While the SEN
tence of death was being passed upon
him he stood unmOved, looking the Judge
In the face with an unbending and some
what defiant expression. He was re-
manded to jail to await his doom.
THE MURDERER IN PRISON.
Jones was man of medium stature, but
of slender build. He had black hair and
brown eyes, and a light mOustache with a
stunted growth of black beard. His left
eye was smaller than his right, which i'm
parted to his otherwise intelligent face,
restless, uncertain expression. The
upper row Of his front teeth were decayed,
and when he spoke there was an eX-
preston around his mouth somewhat
sinister. In conversation he spoke rather
tiuently, with passably mOdulated voice
and good pronunciation.
While IN prison he was visited by sew
eral ministers of the gospel. who eXhOrted
with him to repent. He seemed but little
impressed with the prospect of his i'm
pending doom, and up to the last held
stubbOrnly to the hope that he would
be respited. During his Imprisonment he
wrote three letters to Gov. Mcdaniel
praying for executive clemency. To all
who called on him he gave no reason for
the killing Of his wife, only that her
death was necessary to save her from a
worse fate. When brought to speak of
her at all, he would say that he always
loved her, loved her passionately and de-
vOtedly, and that had it not been for the
mother they would have lived happily to-
gether.
THE FATAL DAY.
Just two months, counting the day of
the week, from the time he committed the
murder, Jones paid the penalty of his
crime. The gallOws had been erected in
an open meadow, about mile and a half
from the court house. 1t was a strong
structure, with a drop of four and half
feet. The place where the gallOws stood
was in full view of the surrounding hill
tops, and the open space around would
accommodate fifteen or twenty thousand
people.