Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-05

sued were lost to signt IN the swamp.
The witness heard "A gun or pistol shot
and stopped. In the pursuit Furlong
carried double-barreled gun. In rev
minutes be returned without the gun,
and said to witness: ali YOU breathe a
word about this l will kill you" He
afterwards told witness: ''If you mention
a word OF this affair to a living being, j
know three men that will swear you did
the shooting, and your neck will pop"
Tuesday night Furlong, Tom Sharon and
y. VI. Lotion took simmons down to
where the wounded man lay. They
were all armed with double barreled
guns. When they reached the wounded
man they told Simmons to assist
sharon In getting the handouts OF him.
Wnile they were thus engaged Fur ong
drew his knife and tried to cut the
wounded mans throat. Simmons caught
his arm and begged him not TO kill the
man. He then made lunge at SimmOns
throat with the knife and barely missed
1t. Simmons started TO run, but Furlong
| drew his gun on HIM and would
nave shot MIN had not one OF
the white men stopped him. Wednesday
morning Simmons took the wounded man
bottle Of water. The man begged MIN
10 take HIM 10 one OF the shanties. Fur
long refused to let him bring him. Later
that day ne told Lotion the man ought to
| nave something To eat. ne was helpless,
! but could talk, The witness did not see
! the wounded man after W ednesday night.
Thur sday night Furlong sent for Sim
mons and told him he wanted him to go
with him that night. Simmons told him
| ne was too sick to 90,
Several other witnesses were examined.
but we have only space for the most i'm
| portant.
Mr. James Gross, white, testified that
be came at night Tuesday, Sept. Z, and
that Furlong asked him to 20 and stay at
his house that night, al his wife was
frightened about something. He did so.
About O'Clock Furlong came in, but re-
manned only minute. Wednesday night
| FurlOnE, Lotion and Sharon staId out
nearly all night. Thursday night they
lett about O'Clock, returned about 8
O'CLOCK, changed clothes, putting on their
| worst clothes and old shoes, and left
| again. They were absent until 3 O'Clock.
| Witness did not see them mat night. Saw
them ext morning. Their pants we're wet
! and muddy to the knees, and 5baron's
coat was wet to the pockets. lie ques-
toned then, but they would not tell
wnere they mad been or what they had
| done.
None of the witnesses saw the man
after he died, nor were any of them will
ing 20 say that he had been killed, al
| though they felt satisfied that such was
the case. The main actors in this brutal
tragedy were absent, one in his grave
aud the other two had fed.
Alter hearing tae testimony the COro-
! ner, the jury and a number of white and
! colored men secured the woods ana bays
! and branches for miles. in search of the
| missing man, but without success. Not
! trace was found as TO where his body
had been hidden.
When the party returned to the mill it
was given as rumOr that the man had
| been buried in the horse lot, Just back OF
| the commissary. Several men with iron
rods went to the lot and probed it. At
| one place the rod went down several
| teet In loose earth, but 1t was not thought
! at the time it could be a mans grave. 1t
being late in the afternoon the jury adj
| jOurned to Saturday TO await the arrival
| OF important witnesses. Just as Alapaha
was reached Mr.. James Cross came gal
Looping in and announced that the body
bad been found in the horse lot where the
| iron rod had sunk in the ground. Several
coored men We're sent back to guard the
body till Thursday morning.
| Thursday, about 8 O'Clock, the Coroner
| and jury returned to FGrlong's mill. The
| jury at once repaired TO the horse lot and
| were soon at work eXhuming the body OF
! Jesse Webb, this being the name by which
the murdered man was said TO be known.
| or three feet, in the northeast corner of
the lot, between the mule shed and the
| forage house the latter stands near the
| railroad track }, the body was reached.
| The man was lying on his back. withsh
| LANDS folded on mis- breast, ahd 1t seemed
that care was taken tO lay him Out proper
| ly. Decomposition had SET in. and his flesh
would peel off al touch. With tue aid
of crocus sacks, which were placed un-
| If ~ yyfa III
on either side, he was lifted out OF the
grave and placed in box. On eXxmina-
ton tho skull was found crushed in on
the left side just above the ear, seemingly
with a large hammer, perhaps a siedge
hammer. On the right side, a short dis.
lance from the forehead, and about an
inch from the centre OF tue head, the
skull was also crushed in. the hole being
fully an inch aud halt in circumference.
In the mans mouth was a roll of waste,
sucn as Is used for packing the boxes OF
car wheels. The evidence showed that
Furlong, Lotion and Sharon were at the
commlssary about midnight Thursday
nil ut, when Furlnng asked first GAM
mage and then simmons to 90 with him
thai night. What they did after that is
left to conjecture, but the presumptive
evidence is thatthey prepared themselves
and proceeded 10 wher5 the wounded ne
gro Law, rammed the waste into his
mouth and down bis throat, so that he
could not cry out when struck. and then
crushed in his skull, dragged him a hum
dred yards through the woods to the
buggy, hauled him to the lot and buried
him. All this was done inside OF three
| hours.
This is, beyond doubt, the most brutal
murder that has ever darkened the annals
OF our county. This unoffending negro
was handcutfed, and when he made an
effort 10 regain his freedom " as pursued
and shot after be was caught. Paralyzed
In every limb, he lay In a dense swamp
! from about an hour before shutdown,
! Tuesday evening, Sept. /, until the fol-
| owing Thursday nIght at l. O'Clock. Dur
lHg all this time he mad one drink OF
water and one meal, notwithstanding he
was less than 400 yards from several
! houses. Thur sdaY night at midnight
three white demons, braced with whisky,
which was the real cause OF the crime,
advanced through the gloomy swamp TO
whore the he p ess man lay and murdered
him in the manner already stated.