The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-18
WAS IT A MANS soULP
a Mysterious Incident by the Death
bed of Chattanooga Man.

From the PHILADELPHIA Press,
CHATTANOOGA, Feb. 1.-THE killing of
7ovis Owens by James NJ. Barnes on Jan.
N last will be recalled. But there is one
recnlar feature of the case, or rather a
fsature that grew out of the case, that has
INST come to the surface, and that is as yet
Srown to but few Chattanoogans.
few months ago young Barnes came
here from Georgia and formed partnership
With NJ. j. Nix to engage in the boot and
sboe trade After a few weeks Barnes sold
out TO Lewis Owens, one of the wealthiest
and best-known men in Tennessee. 1t APP
,,ears that Barnes and Owens quarreled over
The settlement, and, after being struck in
the face, Barnes drew his revolver and shot
Owens three times, the third shot being
fatal, though potinstantly.
The wounded man was carried to his
house. where everything possible was done,
Int nothing could save him However, he
fought desperately to beat back the rider of
the pale horse, and so CALAMITY did he strug-
ole that he lived several days. Saturday,
Ian a. came, and Barnes was for the
second time taken before the Magistrate,
and. after a stubbornly fought trial. he was
released on bail, the Mag, strate holding
that inasmuch as the victim of his shooting
was still alive murder was not yet COM
mitted. The next day Owens grew worse,
and toward evening sank into stupor.
Those who had been watching by the bed
side knew the end was not far off.
Among those who remained through the
night was ex Mayor Sharp. A little after 4
O'Clock Monday morning Mr.. Sharp left the
room in which the wounded man was lying
for moment, and circumstance that soon
occurred is the feature referred to in the he
ginning of this story. Mr.. Sharp does not
like to talk of the matter, but he consented
10 tell it to your correspondent, and his own
words are used.
II was standing" he said, with my
elbow resting upon the mantelpiece, locking
down into the fire. The Goals were nearly
consumed, and the apparent efforts of the
embers to burst again into flames again re-
minded me OF the heroic efforts of my
friend to get fresh and stronger hold upon
the soul that was surely, though slowly
slipping away from him. And | was run
ming over in my mind the vicisstudes of
hfe-how feet of foot misfortunes are; how
sorrow comes across our path at the
meridian hour of the brightest day, leaving
a shadow by us-when the lines of Horace
came to me: Pale death with equal tread
knocks at the cottage of the poor and the
palace of the rich. The thought was still
lingering in my mind when | was aroused by
tap on my shoulder. Surprising some one
had entered while | was absorbed in
thought | turned to answer, but no one
was there. and tire door was still closed. L
was startled, and Immediately returned to
the wounded mans side where / found the
watchers as pale as the watched, and trem-
bling like aspe a leaves, They asked me if |
had been making any noise, and on assuring
them to the contrary they looked at each
other in amazement. They said that just
befc re | entered the room a sound as of the
moaning of the wind seemed to pervade
the room, and peculiarly appalling sounds
not loud, but ominous-were distinctly
heard; and that for an instant the
lamp, which had been turned low, almost
went out and the little light left seemed
10 shine as though through a fog.
What it was know not, but it couldn't
have been fancy on the part of us all. There
were two othec watchers besides myself.
Besides, w1s in separate ROOM with the
door closed, aid had said nothing to them
of the tapping on my shoulder If l were
a Spiritualist 1 would believe that the soul
of Lewis Owens, just starting on its journey
home, stopped to say good-by to me, for
when we went to look at our charge he was
still in death"
Mr. Sharp is one of the best-known citi-
gems of Chattanooga, a member of the bar,
ex-Mayor of the city, intelligent and fear
less. He is SO well known and his word is
so trustworthy that those who have heard
the story cannot but believe that something
supernatural attended the fight of Lewis
Owens spirit from its prison home of clay.