Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-06
STABBED In NINE PLACES.
FATAL AFFRAY ON THE BRIS-
TOWVnLE TRACT.

TOWVLLE TRACT.
A Negro Murders His Daughter Lover
and COnceals His Crime-The Obse-
auies of the Dead Man Interrupted Dy
the Coroner-A Jury Drawn from the
AIourners, and the Funeral Gives Place
to an Inquest-The Murderer Arrested
and Lodged in Jail.
Early Yesterday morning Coroner Shelf
tall was handed the following note:
10 the Coroner Of Chatham County:
DEAR SRA man died yesterday from
wounds inflicted with knife by the hands of
one Jerry Hagins. The body is at Hagins'
house on the BristOwville sand tract. near Mr..
Jones place. He has been trying to conceal
it. Joe Newton will give you the particulars.
''' '''' - e b. DOUGLASS"
Without delay, DR.. Sheftall, after So
liciting and obtaining the company Of
Constable WetherhOrn, left the city for
BristQWville sand tract. which is located
about miles from the city. After short
drive, he arrived at the house of Jerry
Hagins, and found a large gathering Of
cOlOred people singing. praying. shout
ing and indulging in the customs pecu-
liar to that people when engaged in the
prelminaries of cOusigning to mother
earth one of their race. Acting upon the
information conveyed in the note he had
received in the morning. the Coroner halted
the funeral proceedings, and making up
4 jury from the crowd, and including in
it the officiating clergyman, proceeded to
hold an inquest over the body of the
corpse, which was that of William Dunn.
THE FATAL QUARREL.
A week ago Saturday night William
Dunn and Jerry Hagins had quarrel
and fight. Dunn had long been intimate
. "A Jerry
Hagins, three children, the Oldest, lad
OF 10 years, being the result Of
the intimacy. His daughters hayward
| ness had been a thorn in Haglns' side for
a long time, but he Obstinately refused to
| allow her to marry her lover. The meet
| ing of the two had been in his own house.
and he had never made violent objection
| to them. \ marriage license, is
/ sued by the Ordinary on OctO-
| Der Goth, 1881, authorizing the
/ marriage of VIM. Dunn and Eliza Hagins
/ attested the fact that Dunn had meant to
i do the right thing. But in this he mad
| been constantly opposed and successfully
! thwarted by the stern parent, with whom
| he was continually quarreling and often
| times fighting. The fight on the day men,
/ toned grew out of the usual cause, but
| resulted differently from any of the
| preceding ones. Dunn had gone. to
| Hagins' house, and in the fight
which occurred there Dunn was
w0rsted. He acknowledged defeat,
and started to leave. After getting
about thirty feet outside Hagins' premises
he leaned against tree and
SHOUTED FOR HELP.
some colOred people living in the vicinity
responded to the call, and when a light
was produced it was found that the man
had tainted, his bloody clothing indicat-
I q IL
| wound. He was taken back into Haglns'
| house and a slight cut in the breast
| was all that the cOlOred people saw, and,
! as he shortly after rallied, he was left by
! his Samaritans to the care and nursing Of
| Hagins and his daughter. He remained
| here for a week, nothing being heard from
him save that he was i'll with pneumonia.
RESULT OF THE QUARREL.
Tuesday he died, and Hagins, success
! fully disarming suspicion by spread
ing the report that the cause
was pneumonia, had brought matters to
the point where DIR. Sheftall, the con-
stable and the jury entered upon the
scene.
The shrOud was taken from the careful
ly dressed corpse and
NINE KNIFE CUTS
on different portions of the body showed
| clearly the cause of his death. With
the exception of the wound in the breast
all the cuts were in the back, ranging
from the shoulders to the hips. The
! Coroner stated that either one of three OF
| these wounds We're fatal.
Three witnesses were examined, and
their ties timOny left no doubt in the minds
of the Coroner and the jury as to the affair
This was apparent to Hagins, and he
| virtually acknowledged the killing IN the
following statement:
HIGGINS STATEMENT.
mo one was here when the fuss begun. ]
| went to show some men the right road over
| heard Bill quarreling. l went into the
| house and took seat. said
70 Bin What is the matter tier u H (
nv business. for this is my home. l do not
want any fuss here" Bill said You fling
your house up into my face. What in the -
| is your house" At that time he took up a
chair to strike my daughter. | caught him
around the waist and called for help. Bill
said III kill Liza if she will come out of the
house. TBn me lOOsen said i will not
until until F fSe get crowd CAM Of m eGla oa a
and then let him loose. Some time afterwards
he and | went to the door. He asked me to
let him loose: that he wanted to get his watch
and 90 home. | said: 4 will turn you loose
if You viii 90 home When he got into the
room he took up a box and flung 1t at my
daughter and struck her IN the SIDE. Al
that time / got into a passion.
got hold of Bill and pushed
him out of the door. He cut ut me with q
knife, and satd. YOU old - -, will Kill
you before day | do not know what | did
| but / cut him.
THE FATAL KNIFE.
The knife with which the wounds on
Dunn's person were said to have been in
flicted was produced. 1t is large-siZed,
hOrn-handled twO-bladed knife. The
larger blade was opened by the Coroner
and was found to correspond to the size
of the stab wounds.
THE VERDICT.
There being no doubt in the minds Of
the jury, verdict accusing Hagins with
the murder was quickly rendered, and
the murderer was arrested by Constable
WeatherhOrn and brought to the city and
lodged in Jail.
EXPRESSMEN ENTERTAINED.