The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-09
BIRD OUTTHE MAN
AsTENING JOE GILLS MURDER
ON FRED ROLAND.


The Assailant of Mannigo Corcivich
and the Perpetrator of the Robbery
at Five Mile Bend Thought to be the
Author OF the Pooler Tragedy-Rafe
Bird Identifies Roland as the Man He
Saw on the Railroad Track with q
Musket the Day of the Murder-Cf1-
Ger McDermott's Theory.
The negro Fred Roland, who was arrested
in Alendale, S. c., last mouth for the
brutal assault upon Mannigo Corcivich
and the robbery of John Cincavich's store,
at the Five Mile Bend, on the Augusta road,
on the night Of Sept IT, is thought to be
the murderer of Joe Gill; who was killed
near Pooler last spring. Roland answers
the desert ption in every particular, and
Officer McDermott, who is working up the
case. is confident that Roland is the man
who killed Gill. There have heen half n
dozen arrests of parties believed 10 have
been connected with the killing, but for
lack Of evidence they were discharged by
the grand Jury. Rafe Bird, who was in
the employ of Marion Gill, Joe CLIPS
brother, made the following statement
while confined in jail here:
RATE BIRDS STORY.
81 had been out the afternoon before
the killing hunting some cows. When |
reached the Central railroad | saw two COL
ored men on the track. One Of them was
leaning on q musket and the other was
standing by him talking. knew their
faces and recognized them as belonging in
Savannah, but l could not recall their
names. 1t is not strange that | should fail
bar THAR fOr | haVp met
two or three men in Jail to-day whom
knew and who knew me, and we had to ask
each other our names. asked the men
where they were going. They re-
piled that they were going TO Savannah.
They said that they had been up the road
TO a turpentine camp, where they had been
offered 81 per day il they would come up,
bu. when they got there they found differ
emily, and were on their way back home.
We walked down the road. and part OF the
time they walked behind me and talked low
to themselves. After going with them
about a mile / turned Off TO go home and
left them. About o'clock that night,
when l was at home, heard one shot, then
heard hollering, then heard three shots all
in a lump. /, in company with others who
were in the house, went toward the shoot
ing, where we met the posse. ! asked who
was that, and Marion Gill caught my voice
and told me To come, that his brother was
killed.
IDENTIFIED THE MUSKET.
Bird recognized the musker, which was
found the next morning at the place whers
the beef was slaughtered, as the one that
the man he met on the railroad carried
Bird said that he had worked with the man
handling cotton here, and while he could
not recall his name, he thought that he
could identify him if he ever saw him
again. he said that he had not seen the
man since leaving him on the railroad track,
the afternoon of the murder. He describes
the man as a large and tall man, not black,
nor yet bright, but between the two.
Officer McDermott, being familiar with
Birds statement as published in the MORN
ING News at the time of the murder, and
also his statement at the coroners inquest,
took Bird to the Jail where Roland is con-
fined, and upon being informed that he was
there for the purpose of identifying ellis
murderer, he said that he could 40 SO, or at
least he could identify the man whom he
saw with the musket which was found at
the place where the murder was committed.
OATS DE MAN"
When Roland was brought out of his cell
Bird looked at him and spoke to him. Then
turning to the officer lie said: "Dats de
man: | can swear ter it."
"Didn't we work tgether at de wharfr'
Bird asked Roland.
Eyes" was the reply.
Didn't yo' work fur Ryalsr'
'Yes"
'tDats de man, boss"
Are you certainF' asked Officer McDer-
mott.
Oats de man. If it amt, den I'm bline
an don know whut SEES"
Roland stoutly denied that he killed Gill;
He acknowledged TO Officer McDermott,
however, that he had served twelve months
on the chain-gang for cattle stealing at
Sandersville, and tnat his brother is serving
a term of several years for the same offense
in this county. He said that he was the
principal in an organized band here which
had been stealing brass from the Central
railroad.
Officer McDermott is working the case up,
and is confident he will have evidence
enough TO convict Roland Of the murder.
Marion Gill, the brother of the murdered
man, and also B. Rothwlll of Pooler, are
positive that Roland is the man from the
evidence Of Bird and young Butler, who
saw the men the afternoon of the killing.
Young Corcivich, whom Roland assaulted
at the Five Mile Bend, recovered conscious
ness day or two ago and said that Roland
is the man that struck him. There was
party with Roland, he said, at the time,
but he did not interfere. Corcivich saws
that Roland assaulted him when he stopped
down 70 draw a glass of whisky