Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-19
TELLING ABOUT HIS CRIME.
Allen Askew Describes How He Hacked
His StepsOn to Pieces-A Cool Muir
derer who is Sorry.

Allen Askew Describes How He Hacked
His StepsOn to Pieces-A Cool Muir
derer who is Sorry.
Further news from Bryan county about
the shocking murder of William Harris,
by his stepfather, Allen Askew, who is
now confined in the Chatham county JAN,
puts another aspect on the affair. AskeW
claims that he hacked the body Of the
boy to pieces as he lay upon the floor,
thinking it was Mack Lotion, his wife's
paramour. whom he had knocked down
in the scufie. 1t is learned now that
Lotion claims that il was the intention OF
Askew 70 kill him, and that for that pur-
pose he had summoned a number OF
friends to the house to surprise MIN ana
take his life. After his scuffie with As
kew IN the house. Lotion claims that he
ran out the door, and was set upon by
some parties, who were lying in wait for
him outside. One of these struck him on
the arm with an ak, infiicting an ugly
cash.
Askew is a small-sized man, with
round. regular features and a skin as
black as ebony. He talked freely Of the
murder yesterday evening TO a reporter OF
the News. and protested his innocence Of a
desire to kill either Lotion or the boy
William Harris. He is cool in manner,
and guarded in language. He says his
wife came from Newton, s. c., about two
years ago, when he married her. Lotion
has been living with him about two
months. He and his wife agreed TO sepa-
rate some time ago, but he has been llV-
ing in the same house. The family, IN
cludi1g Lotion, slept in one roOm-the
only one in the house. His bed was near
the door, his wife slept in corner Of the
room, and Lotion and the boy slept to-
| gether on a mattress, which lay on the
| floor near the window. He says he had
suspected improper relations between
Lotion and his wife, but mad said nothing
about il, and they were good friends.
/ About , o'clock in the morning his sus-
piciOns were verified. He arose and
/ called to Lotion, intending to talk to him.
! Lotion made no reply, but the next min
ute he heard some one take up the gun,
which stood near his wife's bed, and the
/ click Of the hammer as it was cooked
/ prompted him to pick up the ak which
stood beside the door.
81 don't know whether the gun was
snapped or not" says Askew, shut L
| knew he intended to kill me, and made
| at him in the dark. He struck at me with
| the gun, for / felt it come down past my
| face. and it struck the floor. Then we
scuffied a little bit, and he stumbled over
| the mattress and fell to the floor, and L
| began to let drive with the AK"
'1HOw many blows did you striker"
Il dunno, boss; ! didn't count 'em."
Twelve or fifteenW
"NO, il wasn't as many as fifteen. 1t
mOut have been ten or twelve. While
was chOpDin' the door was opened and
saw Lotion run out. When l found out
! that | had killed the boy, / run too"
s'What did you run fOr?''
"Cause | was afeerd Lotion would come
| back and Kill me. l knew if we met again
one 0. US would die. Now, want to tell
you. boss, that didn't mean to kill no.
| body. l had the ak in the house, but L
didn't bring it in intending to use it for
anything like that. didn't mean to Kill
| the boy. and 1 didn't mean to do nothing
to Lotion when l called to him. Just
meant to talk to him; that was all. But
when man cocks gun at you, what are
YOU going to do? 1 wasn't going to stand
| there and let him kill me-"
Chow did yOu feel when you found you
had killed the bOyp
"How did l feelf Well, felt sorry L
| had killed bin. He had never done moth
ing to me. didn't want to kill anybody"
Askew says that during the whole affair
| his wife made no cutlery and he hasn' I
seen her since he ran from the house. be
is sorry he did not leave her long ago.
| The boy, William Harris, was buried on
| Tuesday. He was 10 years old.