The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-30
SHOT TWICE THROUGH.
c. b. WESTCOTT KILLS HENRY
DEvANTz, ALIAS "VICKEY.'

Attack Upon @. s. McAlpin - The
Coroner's Jury Says That the Deco
Was Involuntary Manslaughter IN
the Commission of Lawful Act
Westcott Released on Eeil-Circum
stances of the Shooting.
Henry Devantz alias "Vickeyn mulatto
about "A or % years of age, hailing from
Charleston, and well known as an all round
crook, was shot and killed about o'clock
yesterday afternoon by Charles B. West
colt. A coroner's inquest was held last
night. and the verdict was involuntary
manslaughter in the commission of a lawful
actn Coroner Dixon held Westcott under a
$1,000 bond, which YVES promptly given,
and the prisoner was discharged
The circumstances connected with the
killing, as brought out at the inquest, are
about as follows: Yesterday afternoon
Devantz and another negro visited the gun
store Of George S. McAlpin, where Mr..
Westcott is employed as salesman, and the
unknown negro asked TO SEQ some muzzle-
loading guns Mr. WoStcott had to leave
the storeroom proper and 60 into another
room to show the guns. the negro following
him and Devantz remaining IN the front
room.
STOLE A REVOLVER.
No sooner had the two left the room than
Devantz approached the counter, and,
reaching around it, letting down the door
of the show case, sbppet out revolver,
and putting it in the right hand pocket of
his coat, closed the door Of tue show case
noiselessy L. w. O'Connor, who was in
a.other part Of the storr, saw the theft. A
t. 4 I,.;- 81
fro o dinner, and as be Stepped inside the
door O'Connor gave him the wink, and
asked him in an undertoDe to stand where
he was for while,
When DevaatG started to leave the store,
O'Counor grab. ed INN and demanded that
he surrender the t's'o.. This Deyantz did,
Offering 10 pay for 1t. MIR. McA!pin seeing
that OConnor had released the negro upon
the surrender OF the stolen property took
hold OF him, and said that he was not will
ing to compromise crime in any such man
ner. Devant2 struggled violently, and Nc
Alpin haniing the empty weapon to West
colt, told him 20 load it, and hand it TO him,
thinking, as he said, that Devantz would
submit quietly when LIE was confronted
with loaded pistol
SENDING FOR AN OFFICER.
McAlpin told his porter TO go for an
officer and as the other negro then came for
ward, Westcott picked upa Colts 45-caliber
revolver and loading it quickly covered the
unknown negro and ordered him to halt
In the meantime McAlpin, finding that he
could not hold Devanrz with one hand,
handed the revolver to O'Connor and struck
Devantz about the LETT eye with his fist,
thinking, he said, if he could knock him
down he could hold him better The blow
only staggered Devantz, who, recovering
quickly, tried TO draw q weapon, and
l.. 81. L
Being strong and active, he succeeded in
pulling McAlpin out on the sidewalk and
around the corner of the building, where
McAlpin again tried TO strike him, but
missed his aim, and as Devautz caught Nc
Alpin's thumb in his mouth, he says he
cried out, He has bit me-" or "He is biting
me, p he could not remember which By a
jerk he succeeded in loosing his hold, and
staggered head foremost against the build
ing.
wEsTCoTT TO THE RESCUE.
Mr.. J. III. Furber and Mr.. Westcott had
misunderstood the cry of McAlpiu to be ''he
has cut me" and when they saw him stagger
against the building thought he was cut by
DevantZ, who had freed his hand; il was
then that WeStcoCt, VINO had been called to
cover Devantz, thought that the latter was
cutting HcAlpin, and opened fire on
DevantZ as he ran. Westcott had warned
the negro not to take his hand from his
pocket. and as Wescott had not seen
McAlpin give up the revolver to
O'Connor, he said that he thought that the
negro had not only cut McAlpin, but had
got the revolver In the scuffie and would
use it On Westcott or Mr.. Furber. After
the first shot Westcott said that he could
only see Devantz's outline through the
smoke, but he pursued him, calling upon
him TO halt. The negro ran, pursued by
1afP
street, when he sank down stoop, aud
directly he got up and reeled and fell on the
sidewalk, where DIR. Sheftall was called
and had the wounded man conveyed to his
room in a house occupied by Mills Lodkins :,
in Coopershop lane.
DIED IN CooPERSHoP LANE.
Devantz died in half an hour from TIE
time of the shooting He was shot in two
places, one ball striking him in the right
shoulder, fracturing it and passing ont in
front. The mortal wound entered the right
side in the rear, and, passing through the
liver, severed an artery and came out OF
the right breast, having passed between the
fourth and fifth rib DR.. Sheftal. who
made post-mortem examination, said that
it was the wound the liver that caused
death.
A jury was subpenaed by Constable
Wetherhorn which. with the coroner.
visited the Lodkins cabin in Coopershop
lane, where the body lay upon the floor.
rigid in death, and was viewed by the Jury
and the wounds probed and explained by
Or. Sheftall, after which the jury proceeded
to Justice Molinas Office to hear the testi-
mony.
Messrs. O'Connor, McAlpin and Furber
testified substantially to the details OF tue
trouble as given above and a written state
ment of the post mortem by DIR. Sheftall
was read TO the jury showing the cause of
death.
DEvANTz A DESPERATE CHARACTER.
Officer Wetherhorn testified that he
knew Devantz. alias Vickey, and arrested
him on Aug. 26, 1887, for completely in
thefts from W. NJ Mills, Charles Coleman,
Hart Bros, Adolph Sack. and one or two
other firms. At the time Devantz, who was
desperate fellow, had first started to run,
and when overtakea showed fight. He
learned after the arrest that Devantz was
an escaped convict from Columbia, s. c.,
and with the consent of the solicitor general
Deyantz was turned over to the South
Carolina authorities, and taken back to
serve out bis time.
The jury was not out more than fifteen
minutes in considering the testimony which,
as has been seen, was corroborative, and
the offense was therefore considered by
tnem as simply mlsdemeanor. There was
considerable feeling among the negroes in
Cooper shop lane and Gamacraw who