Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-27
sANDERsvILLE,s TRAGEDY.
A Full Account of the Fatal En-
counter on the Streets.

gilmore: FIVE minutes before Ine dHsI
occurred the town was quiet. At the Bap-
list church n large crowd had assembled,
in attendance upon religious services. AT
| Watkins Hall an audience was gather
~ TO witness an amateur concert lor the
! Benefit of the Catholic church, when sud
denly the report of two pistol shots, In
quick succession, was heard. lC was
! quickly discovered that Oscar A. Rough
ton mad been shot. The wounded man
was carried first to the drug store OF A.
! Mathis, and from thence to the residence
Of bis brother, b. e. Roughton, dying,
| however, about the time he reached there:
| At noon Wednesday the Coroner held
an inquest. The following is synopsis
OF the testimony:
Ed Price, colored, said: | was walking
up the street last night with o. A.
| RoughtOn. / had him by the arm. was
on the inside Of the walk. Opposite Mr..
Browns store we met Mr.. Harper Gill
more and, in passing, L brushed against
Mr.. Gilmore, who hailed and asked:
who is that?" | replied, at is me, Mr..
Harper" He said: ''By God! don't run
over me-" l told him l meant no harm;
L never tried to run over anybody. he
said: by God when | give anybody half
of the sidewalk l want them to give me
the other halt" told him he
was right, and if l had insulted him
begged his pardon. He said: "Well,
that's all right" Mr.. Roughton
said: SPY God! Harper.
don't think he was doing any
harm by walking along here with me-"
Roushton then turned and approached
Gilmore. Gilmore asked him if he took
it up. Roughton asked what harm L had
done. Roughton continued to approach
Gilmore, who said oscar, don't come to
me-" RoughtOn said: Here, let me tell
you" Gilmore said: Don't come to
me-" Roughton approached farther
when Gilmore shot twice. AT the sec
ond shot Roughton grabbed his stomach
with both hands and grunted. Did not
see Roughton do anything but walk to-
ward Gilmore. His left hand was up as
If wiping his mouth. | saw no knife or
pistol about Mr.. Roughton.
A. 5. Sparks said: | don't know public
opinion OF Gilmore. | regard him very
quick tempered. l don't know whether
he generally carried pistol or not. |
think Roughton was considered danger
Gus when drinking, and troublesome. like
many men are. Whom sober he was quiet
and peaceable.
j. w. Newman said: / saw the shoot
ing. l was at Gilmore's store. Gilmore
said he had an engagement for the con-
cert. l went to the drug store and came
back with bottle of medicine. L did not
stop at his store. but passed on toward
homo. About opposite the post between
his store and Newman's he met Ed. Price
and o. A. RoughtOn. Price was on the
inside of the walk. Gilmore next steps
UP. In passing Ed. pushed against him.
Gilmore said: "What do you mean by
knocking me off the walk? l gave you
more than half, but it seems you
want to knock me off. ! respect
you as colored man and want you to
respect me as gentleman. II you don't
know your place Pll teach you" Ed.
ap0logized. Gilmore said, "All right,
then" ROughtOn had gone on some eight
or ten steps, but after the conversation of
Gilmore and Ed. he returned, pushed Ed.
aside and said: Spy God l Will take Ed.
Prices place. If you have anything to
say to Ed. say it to me-" Gilmore
replied, 81 don't want anything to
do with you. but if you choose
to take negroes part all right"
approached them. AS Roughton step
ped up he fumbled in his right vestpo
ct. Gilmore said: ''Oscar RoughtOn, don't
draw your knife on me. l said, "Hold on
Oscar; you are wrong here" and told
Gilmore to keep quiet. Roughton pulled
out his knife, opened it, clasped it in his
right hand. l said, oscar, stand back,
and put up your knife" l pushed him
back, and Gilmore said, Oscar, if you
stick that knife in me | will kill YOU" l
said, "Hold up Harper, don't shoot"
He had his pistol presented and
dropped it to his side when | spoke, Os-
car pushed against me ali the time. Gill
more said, oscar, il you stick that knife
at me Phi drop you right here, by Godn'
Gilmore retreated a step or two, which
placed them tour or five feet apart. |
again told RoughtOn to stop. He showed
against me and said, by God, that's all
right" and went toward Gilmore, who
SAID, "By God, told you to STOP" and he
then shot. said, Harp, don't shoot any
MORE" and jumped to one side. The Sec
ond shot was then fired. Roughton had
knife. | saw it. The street lamps and
store lamps shone brightly.
Maurice COhn said: l saw only the be-
| ginning. Gilmore went to the drug store
He came back with bottle of medicine,
went into his store, took money from the
drawer, put 1T in his pocket, and then
came out and started home. Alex. Evans,
Rogers Boutwell,, lsadOre Newman and
were there. Gilmore met Ed Price and
| Ronghton very near Newman's store. Ed
| Price brushed against Gilmore, who said,
"What do you mean by running against
me?" l did not understand Eds reply,
| but Gilmore said, "lD future I'll give you
| halt the sidewalk. | treat you gentle
manly, and must be treated as a
! gentleman" Roughton walked back and
said: Harper. if you have anything to
to say, say it to me; Pll take Ed PrIcs's
part" Gilmore | think said: "All right,
if you want to take a negro's part 60
ahead" | walked off up the street and
heard Gilmore say, Oscar, don't you cut
me with that knife" In about half a
minute l heard two pistol shots in quick
succession. never heard Gilmore saw
Don't cut me with that knife" but one
time. l never saw Gilmore any more. I
did not see any knife in Roughton's hand
NV back was to them as l went up the
street.
c. Henry Mitchell said: Iexamined the
| clothing of deceased to-day. There is a
hole through both sides OF the left coat
sleeve entering on the outside and the
lower part of the sleeve below the elbow,
one hole through the lett side Of the coat
and one through the left side OF vest II
the left arm was bent at the elbow and
raised toward the chin one ball would
! have made all the holes, and appearances
indicate this TO be true, as only the outer
hole in the sleeve shows the grease and
soil from the first entrance of a leaden
ball. n
TIE VERDICT.
In about forty-hve minutes the Coro-
ner's jury brought in the following ver-
dict: 1--WE, the jurors aforesaid. upon our
oaths say that Oscar AROughton came TO
his death from pistol shot in the hands