Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-15
K1LLED nr A NEGRO wo MAS.

The COroner's Investigation into the
Death of w w. Smith-The Post Nor
tenn Examination and Inquest Con
Quoted Under Guard Of a Posse of Citi-
zens-The Jury Find a Verdict OF Man
slaughter.
Coroner Sheftall returned from Bryan
county Yesterday. where he held an in
quest on Tuesday over the remains OF w.
w. Smith, who died some TWO weeks ago
about 1e miles from the city under cir
eumstances which gave rise to the sus-
nicion that he had been the victim Of foul
nIav. and that his death was the result of
Injuries received in an alteration with
a negro woman named Doll Floyd,
near Buffers bridge on the Ogeechee
river. The inquest showed that the facts
connected with the case were substan-
tiailv as follows:
Smith left the store, in which himself
and a negro named Monroe Derden were
partners, on Christmas eve. He was
under the influence Of liquor, and Derden
did not see him again alive. After leav-
ing Derden he appears to have gone
to the house where the woman Floyd
was. as she stated at the in
quest that Smith came there
that night with his clothing wet, and that
the following morning he sent her TO
Laimus Paris, living in the neighbOrhoOd,
to ask the latter to come and see him, as
he was very sick and wished to go home
to his brother. The woman also stated
that tho deceased did not complain of
being hurt.
The testimony of w. K. Burnside, how
ever. showed that the deceased told him
that he had been beaten sat house over
there" without stating what house or
who did the beating, and that the party
or parties who did it first beat HIM on one
side and then turned him over and beat
him on the other.
DR.. G, r. MiIlen's testimony showed
that he was called to make professional
visit to the deceased on the night of Dec.
y at the house of j. b. Smith, and found
him suffering from bodily injuries, but
that the wounds were so much infiamed
that he could not make a correct diagnO-
sis, and he accordingly called on Smith
the next morning and discovered that
his left shoulder had been either frac-
tured or dislOcated. The injured man
complained of terrible pains, and told the
doctor that be had been beaten at the
house of Doll Floyd, and that he had been
drinking, but he thought the beating had
been done by Doll Floyd and her mother,
Elsie FLOYD. In making the statement to
the doctor, Smith said: ''The old - had
as much to do with 1t as the other had,
but / cannot tell you all now; have much
to tell you some other time" The patient
was not again seen alive by the doctor,
and was buried when the latter
was absent from home. At the
post mOrtem examination made
bv Drs. Millen and Sheftall, during lthe
inquest, the LETT shoulder was found
to be dislOcated, ami the sew
enth rib on the left side frac-
tura6. The body was so much decom-
posed, however, that the surgeons failed
10 discover any other marks OF violence.
Dr. Millen was of the opinion that his
death was the result OF bodily and inter-
nal injuries, from the fact that the de-
ceased, when he last visited him, COM
planned of nothing else and was otherwise
IN perfect health.
Elsie Floyq, the mother of Doll, testified
that she knew nothing VI the clrcAm
stances connected with the affair, as she
was in Bryan county
J.B. Smith identined the remains as
those of his brother, W. w. Smith, and
stated that he was 50 years of age and a
native of Screyen county. he had been
married, but his wife was dead. He had
one child living.
Coroner Sheftall stated to reporter OF
the NEWS that after leaving the train on
Tuesday morning, he rode in buggy 10
miles In Chatham county, and then cross
ed the Ggeeciiee river end rode Il miles.
when he found Coroner isaac BUSH, or
Bryan county. A posse of ltlEens was
summoned and the remains eXhumed and
brought over into Chatham county, to
Doll FIOyd's house. The posse was then
sworn as Jurors. Coroner Bush testified
that he heard of the homicide
some time after the body was buried, but
thai under the law he had no authority to
hold an inquest, as thu crime had been
committed in Chatham county.
The jury attributed death to wounds
inflicted by Doll Floyd, and considered
ine crime manslaughter. The woman
was arrested ana tGrned over to Justice
Mcleod King, who was instructed TO have
her imprisoned for saFe-keeping ia CHAT
ham county jail, in the event she could
not give bail in the sum Of $1,000 for her
appearance for trial. The prisoner had
not arrived at the Jail late last night.