Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-31
THE HAERTEL MURDER.

What One of the COrOner's Jury Says
About the Dark Tragedy.
Editor Morning Nea0S: cannot see why
the Haertel prisoners in the Haertel MUIR
der case were turned out of Jail. Since
you called attention to the anniversary of
that terrible crime, in your issue of Aug.
q, the Coroner's jury is again being CEN
sured to some extent, and /, as one of the
jurors in that celebrated case, am now
and always will be OF the opinion that the
Haertel murderers have at one time been
IN Chatham county Jail, and l know the
other members of the jury are of the same
opinion. Now, will give the public my
reasons for what l say. First of all, we,
the jury, did not know positively at
the time the mob was about to take the
jail whether the murderers were in there
or not, but under our sworn verdict,
founded on the plain evidence we had,
we thought we were right. Our verdict
was as follows: Jonas jackson and
Thomas Hamilton guilty. Our principal
witness, Willie Green, said that on the
Sunday morning on which the murder
was committed his father sent him early
in the morning to the Haertel shop for
horse feed; that he went up to the resi-
dence door and knocked, and Jonas Jack
son, one of the parties who was charged
with the murder, came to the door and
put his head out and looked up and down
the road, and told him to wait, that he
would be back directly; that jackson
then shut the door, and that he never saw
him again until he saw him in the jail.
Green said he remained on the stoOp a
little while waiting for jackson to come
back and give him the feed, but as Jack
son did not come back, he went home.
Coroner Sheftall, the COrOner's brother,
Green and myself went to the Jail one
night. We had six prisoners brought out
and placed in a line, Jackson on the far
corner from Willie. l noticed that. Jack
son, when taking his position. pulled his
hat down over his face. Willie was then
asked if he saw the man in the crowd
whom he had seen at the store. He went
directly to Jackson and put his hand on
him, and said That is the man." l asked
him SHOW do you know that is the man?'
He replied, 81 know him by his one eye,
and they call him Jack" At this moment
jackson hung his head on the mantelpiece
and wept. Now as to why we found Ham
ilton also guilty:
The statement of Thomas Hamilton's
wife to me while he was in Jail was as
follows: At first she said Hamilton was
not out of his bed all night and that he
did not leave the house, but on this par
ticular occasion she thought that she
would tell the truth after l had further
questioned her. l asked her if she knew
where she would go if she died in the
delicate condition she then was in if she
told a lie. She replied that she would tell
the truth, and she then said that Hamil-
ton never came in the house ''until day
clean," that he was out all night.
thought then something was wrong.
Both men, jackson and Hamil-
ton, had already stated that
they were both at home all night,
and were not out at all. Neither man
gave any account of their whereabouts on
that night. They commended that they
were at home. On my way out of the jail
Hamilton stopped me and said, 81 am go
ing to tell you the truth" He then told that
ON the morning of the murder jackson
told him that he Jackson had killed the
party. These are the very words he made
use of. Coroner Sheftall was present and
heard both of these statements. Had
these prisoners never been turned out of
jail my opinion is that other facts
would have been found out that
would have fastened the crime
upon the guilty PARTIES beyond
the shadow of a doubt. Cases similar to
this, with less evidence, have often been
brought to trial. Had this case been
brought to court something would have
been developed from it. There is surely
something wrong somewhere. One thing
certain, the jury did their duty, and should
not be censured. Had this thing happened
out West or in any other country but this
it wouldFhave been ferreted out long ago.
Let a suitable reward be offered, and let
sensible, shrewd men take hold of the
case, and it is probable that the guilty
parties will be found.
Z. f. CHURCHILL,
Ono Of tho iIIrU