The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-11
AN EDITOR PUT ON TRIAL.
A POLICE CAPTAIN CHARGES MA
IICIOUS DEFAMATION.


Atlanta's Working World SAID he
Flayed Boys on Their Bare Back
An Inquiry into the Sanity Of De-
serter from the United States Army.
ATLANTA. GA. Feb. 1O-The trial Of G.
K. Woodward, editor of the Working
World, newspaper published in this city
in the interests of the Knights of Labor,
was begun in the City Court this morning.
The indictment charges that April % Wood
ward published in the Working World a
false and malicious defamation Of Capt.
E. F. Couch, Of the police force. The
article accused Couch of whipping two
little negro boys on the day named, and
that thew were thrashed with strap
fastened to a broom handle 1t further
accused him of whipping them on their
naked bodies Capt. Couch was the first
witness He testified that he had not
whipped the boys, never had whipped
anyone nor witnessed a whipping
SEEN THROUGH TIE KEYHoLE.
Clarence Langston, white boy who was
at the station house on the day mentioned,
engaged in plumbing stated that he heard
some screaming in a room where Capt.
Couch was, ana that the door was shut. He
looked through the keyhole and saw the
whipping of boy on his naked body. lie
said that Capt Couch was in the room, but
he could not say that he was doing the
whipping.
Robert Mitchell, a negro man, testified
that he was passing along the street at the
time mentioned and heard terrible crying.
He went in and looked through the kevhole
and saw two boys being whipped, but he
could not say that Capt Couch was adj
ministering the whipping. The case will
probably lie continued tomorrow.
AN ARMY DEsERTER ARRESTED.
Capt. Manly this morning arrested Law
renee Hawkins, a deserter from the United
States army, at a boarding house on Deca-
tur street and conducted him 10 police head
quarters, where he will await orders from
the Federal officers. Hawkins joined the
army Jan. -, and Immediately obtained
leave Of absence to visit Greeuville, S G..
He returned ~ atlanta about ten days ago
and has been hiding Capt W. B. Kennedy,
a recruiting oliic r, says Atlanta is the
poorest place he ever saw to get recruits.
because almost as soon as they enter they
are ready to desert.
A party of prominent New England CAPT
talists will arrive here from Birmingham
tomorrow morning. They will be met by
a committee of the Chamber of Commerce
and City Council. In the morning the par
~ will be driven over the city ana from 4
to o'clock in the afternoon a reception
will be given at the kimball House. At
O'Clock they will leave for Rome
WEIGHING THE MAILS.
The Superintendent of the Railway Mail
Service of this district has ordered the
postal clerks on the railroads in tho States
of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama,
Florida and Mississippi, beginning Feb. 20
and continuing thirty consecutive working
days, to weigh all the mails daily. The
total weight is TO be taken as basis upon
which the compensation of railroads carry
ing mails shall be fixed, beginning this
year and continuing until 1892.
John Osborne. the deserter from the
United States Army who was arrested at
Conyers last week and brought to Atlanta,
where he was turned over to Capt. Ken
nedy, was tried before Ordinary Calhoun
today on a writ or habeas corpus. The
writ charges that Osborne is of unsound
mind and was so at the time of his enlist
Dent in the army. DR.. Stewart, of Con
yers. and a number of citizens #
Rockdale county testified that they
believed Osborne to be insane, and that he
had been so all his life, and was unable to
conduct business matters. II was testified
that OsDOrneS mother was insane when be
was born, add that she had been in the in
sane asylum for seventeen years, and that
his sister was an inmate of the
same institution. AS the conclusion of
the argument Ordinary Calhoun rendered
decision remanding Osborne to the custody
of the Federal officers He thought
the government would make an investiga-
tion of the case and if the deserter was in
sane steps would be taken to care for him.
If Osborne had been released he would have
been Immediately arrested by the authori-
ties on a charge of desertion. He will be
taken back to the station at Fort Barrancas.