Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-21
DEANE ROADS TRAGEDY.
CLUES THAT May LEAD TO The
NfURDERERS ARREST

WAS Crazy John Graham the slayer o
the Two Little Negro BOys-suspicioI
POinta 70 Another Negro as the Ferpe
traitor of the Brutal Crime-scraps o.
Pnper Furnish an Important cue
The bodies of the two little negro boyt
who were found near the six mile post on
the Central railroad on Friday, were
identified Yesterday by their mother,
Olive Porter. Clues were also ootaineu
,ubi.b seem TO fasten the brutal murder
unon an entirely diderentparty from the
crazy John Graham, who was first sus-
pected. ~,
About noon Yesterday, Magistrate Mat
tbews. OF the Fifth district, who had read
the account OF the murder in the NEW >,
called upon Coroner Dixon and tolu MN
that colOred woman named OilVe Or
ter. living on the Waters ROAD hau lVsl
two children. The Porter woman ana
negro named Henderson vaughn, nave
been living as man and VIE uhti iecSIr
Iv. Vaughn lived in cabin owned by ar.
Y. r. Lee, the Magistrate stated
Cant. d xon believed that he had struck
Z fresh cine and at once went TO work to
follow IL UP. Before the Coroner got TO
the scene OF the murder on Friday, Mr..
W. A. Jones had picked up NUMBER Oh
BITS OF PAPER
among the leaves around the bodies.
These were given to the Coroner and early
Yesterday morning he pa 'ted them TO-
eetber on q sheei OF papsf There were
about twenty ;, the lit "e scraps ana
when nut tng .saer they made note
four inches Wild an fv inches long. IL
had been a blank 70 "a the Central rail.
road. such az con ignees sign when they
receive f,eig frAfl the Central railroad
river front. on thu blank the following
JANUARY, Is, 1886.
Rsrgain to for Henry
Jones House room and garden.
In consideration Of his service to Drive an
stock of Of the BLgce, and Tepare the fences
aud protect everything For failure or neg
leot be forhts this agreement. \. X. LEE.
A few words were missing, but enough
were found TO afford
CLUB,
Mr. Lee is a farmer. and when he was
asked about the Porter woman he said
that she lived on his farm with a man
named Henry J mes. Before being shown
the paper M. Lee described IL, and said
that be had written it and given 1t to
Jones at bis request. Jones told Mr..
Lee at the time that he wanted something
10 show the conditions on which be Occu-
pied the house. Jones was really en-
ployed as a Waterman, as MIR. Lee does
not live on his farm, but IN the CITY.
At the Coroner's request Mr.. Lee visited
the morgue. He at once identified the
children as Olive POrter's. She got there
Just about the same time, and, forcing her
way through hundred women VINO were
standing around, she also identified the
BOYS as her sons. Jones also went by the
name Of He dersOn Vaughn, she said.
Upon the Identification OF the bodies
EVIDENCE ACCUMULATED
gapidly against Jones, or Vaughn. Mr..
Lee identified the pieces of rope with
which the boys were bound as part of
his we'll rope, which was cut and carried
OF Monday night, Feb. S. or Tuesday
morning, Feb. 9.
The pieces Of muslin which were used
as gags were identified by the mother as
part of a sheet which was on the boys
bed. She also recognized the tin Kettle
picked up near the bodies.
The last time she saw the boys alive
was on Monday afternoon. Feb. 8. The
Saturday before she had a qnarrel
with Jones because he beat the elder boy
Cornelius, who was Q years old. The
smaller boy, named William, was years
younger than his brother. The mother
left the place after the quarrel and did not
go back until Monday afternoon. She
wanted to take the boys away, but Vaughn
would not let them 90 with her, and he
made them 90 into the house, That was
the last time she
SAW THEM ALIVE.
Mr.. Lee also saw the boys and Vaughn
Monday afternoon when Olive Porter
went after them. Tuesday morning when
Mr.. Lee went - water a horse be found
that his we'll rope had been cut. Jones was
rot seen that day about the place and he
has not been seen there since. "Wednesday
the Porter woman went back after the
boys, but could not find them. she has
been looking for them ever since until
yesterday noon. IN a sworn statement
made 10 the Coroner she said that she
was afraid OF Vaughn. and bad tried to
drive him away. lie had threatened to
have revenge before going away. The
theory now is that Jones. or Vaughn, as
he is known, took the boys away from
home Monday night. Feb. 8, or early the
next morning He must have
CONTEMPLATED HANGING
or tying the children up IN some way. as
he carried OF piece OF rope. In the ket-
he be perhaps put something TO eat. He
also took of several pieces OF Mr.. Lees
clothing which tn owner had lett at the
cabin o. be laundried by olive Porter.
The note torn in fragments by the side
oftte murdered children probably drop
ped from bis pocket IN taking out the rope
or a knife, for some OF the branches, with
which the bodies were covered, had been
cut, while others bad been broken. II
Jones committed the murder it seems
strange that he DID not have more sense
than 10 tear up the note beside the bodies
IL is quite likely that he could not read
and no doubt did not apprehend any dam
ger would arise from the nrue when torn
up in so many pieces. The probability
that Jones did the killing
INCREASES THE MYSTERY
surrounding the time. II does not seem
probable that the bodies would have de-
composed so little ia eleven days. And
yet II Is not likely that Jones would have
kept the boys out In the woods alive TOR
Two or three days or longer. They evil
IDENTIFY did not live long after being gagged
and bound AS they were found, tor IL is be-
lieved mat death resulted from strangula-
ton in quarter Of an hour after their
mouths were filled with dirt ana leaves.
10 is possible that Jones knew that
Graham lived near the scene OF the tnur.
der, and II be selected the spot in order
that suspicion would fall upon the crazy
negro 1t shows
sHREwD PLOT.
II is probable, too, that Jones did
know that Graham lived near for Ora.
ham used 10 live and work In the city. II
Jones did not know that Graham lived An
the locality II is striking feature Of the