The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-25
M'D0W PUT In THE DOCK.
SEVEN NEGROES ON THE JURY TO
DECIDE HIS FATE.

| Printed.
CHARLESTON, June 24.-The first day of the
Mellow Murder trial was Just such an one
as that on which the victim Of that awful
tragedy was laid to rest under the oaks Of
st. Lawrence. A cold east wind, blowing
half gale, murky skies and drenching
showers of rain ushered the day in, and
during the entire trial there was not a
break in the skies. Long before 10 o'clock
the lobbies of the court house and the side
walks in the vicinity were thronged with
people anxious to get in. A battalion Of
deputy sheriffs and policemen kept some
thing like semblance of order, although
there were occasional breaks when the court
room doors were opened to admit attorneys,
reporters, jurymen, witnesses or others pro-
vided with the entire. At 10 o'clock the
| room was packed, about one-third of the
crowd being negroes.
M'Dow IN THE DOCK.
Mellow was placed in the dock, but at a
later stage Of the proceedings was given a
seat by his counsel, Judge Magrath and
Asher d. Cohen. The prisoner looked we'll
In health, but his face was without a trace
| of color He twiddled with his gold wauch
and chain occasionally. and while seated in
| the dock kept moving his head in every di-
| rection, occasionally, but rarely, bowling to
| an acquaintance. Only two men ap.
preached him in the dock-Simeon Hyde, a
| lawyer, and Judge Twiggs, Of Augusta,
| who is down here In another murder case
Each Of these shook hands with him. His
| father-in-law, G. d. Ahrens, was in court,
but was seated near the attorney Among
| those in the bar were most of the local
lawyers and several ministers of the
gospel.
THE PROCEEDINGS BEGUN.
AT 10o'clock Judge Kershaw directed the
proceedings to begin, both sides having
announced their readiness to go on. Solicit
tor Jervey called out the names Of the
states witnesses, about thirty-five in num-
ber OF whom about one-half answered, and
the drawing OF the jury commenced. The
panels contained the names of thirty-six
| men, of whom seventeen we're negroes and
mulattoes. Each Juror was sworn upon his
oui Dire and he came to the book and was
challenged or rejected after answering the
questions. The state exhausted its two
peremptory challenges on two mulattoes.
THE JURY.
There were nine challenges by the de-
fense, most Of them of white men, and the
jury was finally organized as follows: Ar
thuA NAlAOANDOug VI ACAnllcos I6 il.
Prince, r. McCohb, Jr., aud George But
Ter white, and r. II. Aston, A. McKen-
zie, j. NJ. Bing, F.. Scanlon, Alex Sims, w.
ID Burgess and q. 9. Leslie colored). Mr.
Middleton was appointed foreman, and the
witnesses having been excluded from
the court room. the testimony
was commenced. John II. Flicker
and Augustus Fitc1, both white, were first
put up. Their evidence was that they had
ridIap nm fba ut1 S1a, nit Ca1N
on the day Of the murder. They had con-
versed with him on ordinary topics, and
they did not perceive any signs of irritation
about him. Mr.. Fitch thinks Dawson got
off o car at his regular getting Off place.
at the corner of Bull and Rutledge streets
Mr. Dawson lived on Bull one door from
Rutledge street, and Mellow on Rutledge
street, one door from Bull.
THE ooLoRED POLICEMAN.
s. G.. Gordon, the colored policeman to
whom Mellow subsequently surrendered
himself, told his story, the most of which
has been printed in these columns. In sub
stance he said that he was on Rutledge
street on the afternoon Of March H. About
$3.50 o'clock a coachman told him a mau had
been shot up the street. Officer Gordon
went TO McDow's and saw Mrs. Mellow
with her child rush out Of the gate to the
premises and go down town McDow's cook
was standing in the gate, and in reply to
question as to what was the matter, replied
tAat il was none OF her business Officer
Gordon then went to McDow's office, which
is ia the basement of the house, and raped
at the door. Somebody just barely opened
the door, peeped out, and then fastened it
without answering. It was a man, but
Officer Gordon could not identify him.
DRAGGING THE BODY.
Before he left the Office he heard noise
inside that sounded like a man dragging a
bag of corn or something else over the
floor. Officer Gordon then went up to the
corner of Bull and Rutlege streets, and
some time afterward saw Mellow come cut
of his Office. His hat was dented in and
marked with whitewash, and his coat was
dusty. He didn't speak to him. Officer
Gordon then went down town. Returning
to the scene of the murder about o'clock,
he saw Mellow drive out of the yard in his
buggy, where he was met by q
short woman in black. 1t was
then that Mellow surrendered himself.
WHAT M'Dow SAID.
Officer Gordon got in the buggy with him
and drove to Judge Mc(frath'5 house. On
the way Officer Gordon asked him what
was the trouble. McDow said that Capt
Dawson came into his Office and com
menced Gaming him, and he was sorry he
iA1cDOWI was 30 QUICK. OUcer GOruOn
asked him why he didn't call for assist
ance. He replied that he didn't know the
shot was so fatal and was trying to do the
best for him capt. Dawson.)
SHOT IN THE BACK.
DR.. Michel, the physician who made the
post mortem examina ion, was the next
witness. He said that the shot which killed
Capt. Dawson must have been fired from
the rear. He had a section of the human
frame on the stand showing the path of the
bullet and the location of the wound
Edward Lafitts testified to seeing Mellow
come out of his Office with his hat dented
and his coat so led.
Coroner Devaux and Deputy Coroner
Rivers were both examined as to the cloth
ing, and other evidences Of the crime
which were put ia evidence, and were sub
jected to close cross-examinaJion, rs were
oil the other witnesses. Their evidence
developed nothing new in relation to the
killing, nor did Police Lieutenant Fordham.
THE BLOODY TOWEL.
Lieut.. Fordham identified blood-stained
towel which was found in the room in the
rear Of McDow's office, and McDow's hat,
which he Lieut. Fordham) had been sent
to the jail TO get from Mellow The court
then adjourned till tomorrow morning.
The jurymen were allowed to 60 TO their
homes, but were warned not 90 allow any
one to approach them. The general inn
preston since she defense succeeded in get
ting seven negroes on the jury is that there
tfofsl a