Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-10
DIED FROM BRUTAL KICKS
HORRIBLE MU DER OF A Me-
GRO IN TATTNALL COUNTY.

sam Hubbard Beaten With Leather
Traces and Stamped to Death by His
Comp"n ons Who Believe Him to Have
sto'en Their Wages-His Body Buried
In a swamp - Seven Men Charged
With His Murder
The particulars OF a brutal murder
which occurred in Tattnall county more
than three weeks ago were just received
mere yesterday. Sam Hubbard, negro,
employed by Mr.. X. A. Hanewaker, a
shlngle manufacturer, was the victim.
Mr.. Hanewaker is working q tract of
land on the Altamaha river, twenty miles
north of Johnston's station, on the Sa-
Vannah, Florida and Western railway.
Usually he employs thirty or more men.
The country is thinly settled, and mostly
by turpentine and lumbermen, who have
a great many desperate characters in
their employ.
A reliable cOlored man named II. K.
weaver was Mr.. Hanewaker's foreman.
All of the hands had confidence in Weaver
ana deposited their savings with him.
weaver kept the money in his trunk.
THEIR WAGES STOLEN.
On Monday, Nov. 10, he reported to his
money had been stolen. The trunk was
at Hubbard's house and he was suspected.
Mr.. Hanewaker accused him OF steal
Ing the money and ordered him to give it
up. Hubbard denied knowing anything
OF 1t. The other wOrkmen then caught
him and threatened to whip him if he did
not tell where the money was. Hubbard
told them that they would find it under
log in a certain place. They made him
Or a tn nAC al rnh
and finding nothing they again threatened
him.
BEATEN WITH LEATHER TRACE.
Hubbard fooled them once or twice
more, and then the enraged negroes car
ried MIN into the swamp, tied a rope
around his neck, and whipped him with
leather trace. Hubbard then made
confession, in which be implicated two
other negroes. one Of whom, Tom CraW-
ford, worked Tor Mr. n9newaker, and the
other worked on neighborlng turpen-
tine farm.
Crawford stoutly denied all knowledge
OF the theft. Finally Hubbard told bow
the money was secreted in the trunk, and
from his description Weaver said that
Hubbard had undoubtedly taken it. Once
Hubbard said that he put the money in
bucket, fastened a cham to it and dropped
1t into creek. The men made him W ade
out into the creek and try to find the cash.
WHIPPED ALMOST TO DEATH.
His efforts to fool them eI asperated his
captors, and they whipped him severely.
Mr.. Hanewaker urged them not to take
the law in their own hands, but to have
Hubbard legally prosecuted. The work
men would not listen to him, and at night
took Hubbard to a church wnere meet
ing was to be held. While there some
one in the crowd kicked the prisoner, and
he was badly used up. He did not live
long after the beating.
BURIED IN SWAMP.
Early in the night, soon after he was
dead, the crowd took the body to the
swamp and buried it under q pile of shaw
ings.
Mr.. Hanewaker, who was in Savannah
yesterday, gave the above facts. He
could not do anything with the crowd, he
stated, aud did not think that Hubbard
would be seriously hurt. 1t was several
days before the authorities heard of what
had happened. Early one morning a
number of cOnstables surrounded his
place, Mr.. Hanewaker says, and arrested
him and six others for murder. Eight
others for whom the officers had warrants
got away.
CHARGED WITH HUBBARD'S MURDER.
Last Friday, Dec. 3, Mr.. Hanewaker
was given a preliminary hearing at
TisOn. He was defended by Col. Beasely.
One OF the prisoners who became a wit
ness Tor the State and other witnesses
gave evidence which exonerated Mr..
Hanewaker, and he was discharged. Two
of the prisoners were also discharged. 1t
is believed now that Crawford got the
money, for he displayed a large amount
at different places after he left Mr.. Hane-
walkers place.
MIR. Hanewaker is an intelligent m an f
good address, and his character is vouched
for by the first-class grocers and factors
OF Savannah. He says that the charge
against him was pushed by some neigh
bors with whom he is not on good terms.
His home is at Fair Bluff, Columbus
county, N. G.