Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-15
SLAIN WITH0UTWARNING
JACK WALSH KILLS W. II. DAW-
son ATTHE MARSHALL.

with a Bullet in His Bratn-Death
Follows in an Hour-Fllght OF the
Murderer-His Unaccoun table Return
TO the Scene and Capture-Identified
ia the Lobby Threats OF LynchinG
The Prisoner Protests Innocence p
Finding OF the Revolver--A Verdict OF
Murder.
W. II. Dawson, the night clerk at the
Marshall House, was the victim Of most
shocking and unproYoked murder al go
O'Clock last night. No tragedy for a long
time has created more excitement in
this city. a moment or two
before the hour, John Walsh.
well-known young man around
town. entered the hotel. Walking up TO
the counter, on which the register was
Iyin open. be glanced over the page, and
inquired Of Mr Epson, the day clerk,
IL some one, whose name Mr. Epson
did MOI catch, was stopping
at 1a hotel. Just then Mir. Dawson came
out of tbe back Office and stepped up TO
fhe counter 20 see what W alsh wanted.
The latter again asked il the party was
stopping at the Marshall house. Walsh
was drunk, and his words were not plain
Iy spoken. BE seemed mad. and tried 70
spell toe name OF the man he wanted to
see. " hen Mr.. Dawson went 20 tue c0un-
ter, the day CLERK stepped 20 the desk and
began writing, Walsh was boister0us
and threatening, declaring that
HE WOULD KILL TIE MAN
be was asking ter. Evidently the night
CLERK did NOT think Walsh was talking Sc
riOuslv, for ne uaid little attention % what
the drunken man was saving until be be-
came noisy. Walsh's 'oud talk ana pro-
family attracted the attention OF the pro-
prietor Of The ho'ei, Dir. George D.
Hodges, 81 ho was sitting To The back Of
fee. Getting up from his clair, MIR.
Hodges $3.50 BED out 10 the counter and
spoke so " alsh. telling BIN 90 behave
himse'f. Nr. Dawson was talking 10 the
drunken man aUd UFIag tO quiet him.
This seemed 20 enrage Walsh, and adj
Crl-sll- the night clerk he said. u on
Ciriy uup-."
"Dan't address me in that way" re-
piled Nr. Dawson. who was IA very
sensitive man. T offensive remark was
repeated and the Old gentlemen advanced
a step. The same instant W alsl
THRUST THE POINT OF PISTOL
almost against the face OF the aged night
CLERK ana ured, The words and the action
OF the Two were SO rapid that eye-wit-
nesses did not have time to strike the
pisl9. away. Mr.. HEDGES. WHO was stand
ing bes ide ana 10 the left Of Walsh's victim,
was almost within reach OF the murderer.
The witnesses do not agree BIS 20 MIR. Daw-
sons action. Some one claimed that he
struck Walsh IN the mouth with bis fist,
but Mr.. Hodges SAYS that Dawson did not
strike his auuser Mr.. q. A. DeLamOtta,
woo boards az the hotel and who wa
standing against the counter on the east
side and Onlt i've feet from the two men,
saws that Da .snn extended his open hand
acrO-s the counter to push Walsh away.
TIE hotel was full Of guests. and half
hundred people were around the billiard
and smoking rooms. Toe report OF the
pistol drew a large crowd, and in few
minutes the corridor and the street were
tnronged with an excited mass OF friends
q the wounded man. The ball entered
the forehead at the inner point OF the right
eyebrow, only fractional part Of an inch
from the base Of the nose. With only a
grOan Dawson
THREW Up HIS HANDS
and fell back heavily. The blood spurted
from the wound and trickled over the
floor. The spectators We're hOrrided for
the instant. The flash. and the sharp,
quick crack OF pistol and the puf oil
smoke Tor a moment unueryed the few
witnesses. Turning. with the smoke
curling from the weapons mouth, Walsh
sprang towards the front door on Brough-
Ton street.
Mr. DeLamOtta ran up from behind to
catch ~ alsh. Pointing his pistol at Della
motto, w al-h held MIN at bay for an in
slant Turning asain b. rar through the
open door and diagonaily out across the
street toward AbercOrn. Turning into
the latter street be ran north half a block
to Congress street lane and
DISAPPEARED n THE DARKNESS.
Meantime the greatest excitement pre-
Vailed 10 and around the hotel. The
stricken man was hastily laid on a mat
tress, and Or. Mcfarland was summoned
When the pay stefan arrived, be found the
blood aud brain 00Zing from the hole The
pillow was saturated with blood,
aud the unconscious man was
gasping couyu 'sIvely. A glance
t0id the experienced eye that death was
only question 81 moments, and a very
few at thar. Nearly every one in the
great crowd knew the quiet. inotiensige
man who was lying on the mattress. aud
they pressed and elbowed each other TO
get ght Of the nearly ifeless body. Al
least four persons saw the shot fired. but
not one OF taem knew the murderer's
name Messrs. Hodges. Epson, DeLamotta
and Jones, and a cOlored porter, were all
standing within dozen feet OF the shot.
TIE face Of the man who fired the fatal
shot was familiar 70 the most of them.
but none Of them knew his name. Those
wnO bad seen him enter the hotel and
leave 1t described him a hundred times in
response % the Inquiries. one az least in
the crowd thought it was Walsh. For
bali an nour there were heard
MUIrERINGs AND CURSES
loud and deep against the slayer For
holiness and lack Of provocatiOn toe deed
could not have been more conspicuous.
IN cold blood a peac able. law-abidIng
citizen was Shutdown for resenting merely
With pac dc words the abuse OF drunken
man The whole affair, from the obnOx-
ious epithets 10 the successful g cape. was
80 bold aud open, and 50 without attempt
on the part OF the murderer % screen
MS identity, that the full
sense OF the utter insecurity Of human life
was dnuhly Impressed upon the throng
While the wounded man was dying the
report was circulated that the murderer
was a travelling man, and it, was supposed
that he would endeayor 90 leave the city
by rail After wing IN fhe back Office for
an hour, The almost lltel Sc body was car
ried 40 stairs and placed on TIE floor ola
room on the second story. A stream OF
blood gusbed airesh from the wound as
the body was borne by a dozen able hands
up the airs.
Hardly had the body been laid gently on
the floor when bell b v rushed up stairs
with the Information that
THE SLAYER WAS IN CUSTODY.