Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-09

country store he procured supply OF
ammunition. Armed and nerved for the
terrible crime he patiently abided a
favorable season for its perpetratiOn.
Monday August u, 1881, had been set
apart by the honest yeomanrv of
the peaceful little hamlet as
the day for preparing the neighbOring
camp meeting ground for the annual re-
NlVal. On the morning of that day Ste
vensOn smuggled his gun to a favorable
thlcket, and after telling his family that
he was going with the rest of the men to
the camp ground, left the house. AS
quickly as possible he made his way bv a
clrcultous route to the vicinity of his
aunts house and ambushed himself to
await favorable time for her
assassination. She was working in the
yard at the time, and little dreamed
OF the awful doom hanging over her. All
OIL a sudden Stevenson sprang from his
hiding place with his gun in hand and
approached her. Frightened by the dan
gerOus CLEAN in his eyes. she gave a
scream, which brought her little son to
her side. Stevenson had disappeared in
the woods before the lad caught sight of
him, and the mother, thinking that she
might possibly have been frightened with
out good cause, said nothing to the
boy about the cause of her fright, putting
EAEUSH.
lew minutes the little fellow went TO a
distant part of the farm, and the mother
entered the kitchen in the rear of her
house and engaged in making prepara-
tIOns for dinner. Stevenson creDt nm
behind a smoke house and assured him
self that his gun was in readiness. Then
advancing suddenly he. stood in the
open doorway of the kitchen. The
woman saw his shadow on
the floor, and as she raised to turn
around Stevenson fired. The ball plough
ed through the skin on her back and
lodged in the wall. Before she could
raise herself the assassin fired again, the
ball cutting her back bone nearly in two.
seYerlng the marrow and leaving pieces
Of the poisonous lead lodged among the
fragments of shattered bone. Like
hideous maniac, tiendish with frenzy,
Stevenson fired third time, and sent a
bullet right through the doomed woman's
body. The ball entered from the left side,
made its exit on the right, struck the
wall and rebOunded back, falling to the
floor with a sickening thud. With a
quick movement the murderer pressed
the rifle against his shoulder for fourth
time, and, pulling the trigger with nerv-
Gus clutch, sent final bullet through
his bleeding victims writhing body.
The firing was done with marvellous ra-
pldity, and before Mrs. Stevenson could
gain an upright position she fell back
ward to the floor, with the lower half of
her body completely paralyZed. As she
fell her large sun bonnet fell off, and with
her last despairing glance she recognized
her assassin as he turned to flee from the
yard.
The firing was heard long way off.
and crowd quickly gathered around the
house. Before she died, which occurred
eight weeks after the shooting, she eX-
posed the identity of her assassin. When
caught he coOlly denied the shooting, and
though lynching was confidently expected,
such a fate and went to trial.
There were two prominent features Incl
dent to the trial. One was the unsuc-
cessful attempt to shoulder the crime on
the murdered wOman's little son. The
other was StevensOn's assertion that an
improper intimacy had existed be-
tween his aunt and himself
for years. The only effect
of these ruses, however, was
to embitter public feeling against him.
The jury was unanimous for conviction
on the first ballot, When brought up for
Stevenson raVed like a maniac
and it took several men to hold him. When
asked if he had anything to say for him.
self he stood like mute. gazing with a
fixed stare at the ceiling. He was to
have eXpiated his crime on the 11th OF last
May, but Governor BOyntOn. who was
Just about to retire, cOInmuted the SEN
tence to to-day, June sin order that Cover
nor Mcdaniel might pass upon the case.
The present Governor a week or two ago
that he could find no grounds for
in the prisoners behalf.