Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-19
row. A large majority of the best people wish
a respite until a petition and testimony can
reach you asking a Communication.
ID

l.. IL. HALL.
J. c. RAwLINs, Clerk.
}. j. ROGER, Ordinary.
l.. NJ. PEACOCK, Mayor.
To this telegram the Governor replied:
j.. T. Raaoiins and Others:
A sense of duty constrains me to decline to
grant respite to Willis Hodges without an
explanation Of the grounds for the respite.
LSignedl HENRY ID. MCDANIEL.
Although the answer was wired about
$3.50 O'Clock this morning, nothing has
been heard from it, and the presumption
at the Executive office is that Hodges was
hung to-day at the appointed hour.
THE CRIME.
AT the turpentine works of A. Peacock &
Co., near the little town of Chauncey, in
Dodge county, there worked a short, black,
wild d-eyed young negro man named Willis
Hodges. Willis was not a married man de
lare, but he had sweetheart named Lizzie
Jones. who lived with him as his paramour
and wife de JactO. AS is usual in such cases,
Lizzie became weary of the mOnotony of hav-
ing but one man upon whom to bestow the af-
fectlons of her generous heart. Like many 9TH
efS Ot nef dusky mates she could not be happy
without an occasional change of husbands
So she left Willis and eonsorted with another
feli0W. Her quOndam iege-iOrd felt this
slight keenly, and such behavior on the part
of Lizzie caused the green eyed monster to
take an uppermOst seat in the heart Of Willis,
which was not large enough to supply place
both Tor Lizzie image and the jealousy born
OF her unfaithful conduct. 1t was evident
therefore that the pleasant relations of this
couple were seriously disturbed by these
rival claims Willis upbraided Lizzie for her
faithlessness. A quarrel ensued. 1t was on
Christmas Day, December 25th, 1888; jealousy
was stimulated and matters were made the
more lively by reason of an admiXture
Of the usual Christmas dram; Willis
and Lizzie were together at the house
of another man who lived on the premises.
As their quarrel WaXed warmer concerning
the absent rival and sutor, Willis began to
QVnpFlPpca a morbid dasipa 70 Ii nod.
lie declared that he would shoot the man
who had supplanted him and stood between
nm and the undivided affections of his
paramOur. At the same time he
started off Ostensibly for that purpose
Lizzie called to him to come
back and not to kill anybody on her account.
lie came back towards the house, but present
~ again turned as if to so away in search of
his rival with murderOus intent. A second
time Lizzie called him back and begged him
not to hurt any one. WhereupOn he returned
to her and said; cd d-n you, l will kill
youw And without further warning, being
within few feet of her, he drew his
pistol and fired at her, the ball en-
tering the left side, ranging downward
through the bowels and lodging in her stom-
ach. Willis left at once, and it is said ne
loitered around Eastman for few days. until
Lizzie died. and then he fed to parts un-
known. About the 9th or 10th of January
Sheriff Rawlins received a telegram from
Gordon, Ca, stating that Hodges was there
under arrest. The Sheriff Immediately sent
bNpuAi AOA iihls AL'A VII tliG lliU Ol JdUUdIN
the prisoner was brought to Eastman and
lodged in jail. He had his commitment trial
before Justice {. j. Jones January l5 and
was remanded to Jail to await the action of
the grand jury. On the assembling of the
November, 1888, adjourned term of Dodge
Superior Court in February the grand jury
brought in an Indictment against Willis
Hodges for murder. He was tried February
q, convicted and sentenced to be publicly
executed in Eastman on the 18th Of April,
1894.
The prisoner did not have a single witness
to testify in his behalfeither in the committing
court or in the Superior Court. The States
witnesses who testified against him were all
of his own color, except the physicians, who
testified only as to the nature of the wound
which they said was the cause of the death of
the murdered woman. There was no Justify
ing or eNtenuating circumstance, but the evil
dence showed the murder to be cold-blooded
and unprOvOked. Since his conviction Hodges
himself admits the shooting, but says he dip
not intend to kill the woman. He was ably
represented by Col. ID. NJ. Roberts under the
appointment of the court, and his counsel
says he knew that under the facts of the case
nothing could have been accomplished by a
motion for new trial except perhaps to gain
little time and give the prisoner a few weeks
longer lease of life.