The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-26
ECHOES OF THE TRAGEDY
THEORY THAT BARCLAY WAS TIE
FIRST TO OPEN FIRE.

I hOLA ~ 40 800
FIRST TO OPEN FIRE.
Claims Made That Barclay Was in
Liquor aud Provoked the Fight,
Urged on By Outside Psrties-The
Prisoner Released on $4,000 Bond
and Returns HONS With dis Father
Closer Examination Reveals Another
Wound In the Arm ofthe Dead Man.
The Body OF Mr.. Respess Sent to
GAINESVILLE for Interment-
The body OF j. E. Respess, who was shot
by Frank Barclay Sunday night, was for
warded to his home in Barnesville by the
$40 train on the Central railroad yesterday
morning, and Frank Barclay left with his
father last night for their home in Gordon.
Barclay was remanded 10 the county Jail
yesterday morning by Mayor SchwarZ on
warrant issued by the coroner, charging
Barclay with mauslaughter in the killing Of
]. e. Respess, in accordance with the YER
dict Of the coroners jury. Francis
S. Barclay, the father Of the
accused, came down to Savannah
yesterday morning and retained Chisholm,
Erwin & duBignOn as counsel for his son,
and w. s. Chisholm took active charge of
| the case.
REFUSED TO BE INTERVIEWED.
In accordance with instructions of coun-
| sci the prisoner refused 10 talk about the
affair when a MORNING News reporter
| called at the Jail yesterday afternoon.
AS soon as the corouer had complied with
| the law Mr.. Chisholm began preparations
for securing the release Of his client. A
preliminary examin tion was waived and
bond of 80 600 was given for Barclays APP
pearance to answer at the December term Of
the superior court. The prisoner was re-
leased late in the afternoon, and in company
with his father took the $40 o'clock train
for home last night
ONLY SLIGHT WOUNDS.
Frank Barclays wounds are slight. The
skin was grazed on the left side of his head,
as he thinks, by bullet The skin for sew
eral inches on top of the right arm. above
and below his elbow, was abraded by
bullet, and the same bullet, in all probable
ity, made the slight flesh wound between
the thumb and forehnger of his right hand.
Barclay looked very well. with the
exception of being rather pale. He is said
to be only II years old, and bears good
reputation. His friends confidently predict
his acQuittal at the trial.
The killing of Respess was ali the talk of
| the city yesterday, and the affair was dis
cussed in all is details. Nothing else was
talked Of at the Central depot, both men
being in the employ Of the road and we'll
| known to the employees.
The discussion brought out several things
not brought out at the inquest. 1t was
| freely stated that some Of the witnesses at
| the inquest knew great deal more than
1 t.Axr A.II a AI..N G--l,N IL
| been urged on by outside parties and that
the second encounter would never have
| taken place had it not been for that
| fact. Respess' friends took his death very
hard. and said that the killing was entirely
unnecessary.
| THE DUEL URGED ON REsPEss.
! sit was urged on Respess, and the truth
has not all been told about it, said one.
| "a more honorable. upright gentleman
never entered this depot. He was raised a
gentleman" said one of the employees of the
| Central.
| An acquaintance of Barclay, who was with
him nearly all the afternoon, said that
Barclay was under the influence of liquor
and continued to make threats against Res
| pesS all the afternoon after the difficulty at
| the boarding house, and declared that he
would have it out with Respess, and that
| Barclay was determined to be revenged on
Respess for the blow struck by the latter
Barclay seemed to have a large number
of friends among the employees of the road,
who take his side of the case and assert that
| he was justIhable in the killing.
DID BARCLAY SHOOT FIRST?
A new theory of the killing was advanced
yesterday by several parties who witnessed
the tragedy. They say that it was the first
shot fired by Barclay which killed. Respess,
and that Respess fired at Barclay after he
had already been shot. and that Bar
clay ran between the trains and Respess
fired at him as he ran. This is
difficult to reconcile with the testimony
before the coroners jury, which was almost
unanimous on the point that Respess fired
first. Two of the witnesses who testified
before the coroner's jury did not know the
men personally, and the one who saw the
| last shot fired did not know the man who
fired it, and said that he would not be able
to recognize him again.
Considering the great excitement and
confusion at the time of the shooting, it is ar
gued that there is reasonable ground for the
second theory. Respess' wound did not seem
to be OF such nature as to produce i'm
mediate death, and he might hove con-
tinued firing after receiving it.
Three pistol balls of q thirty-eight calber
size were found in the depot one of them
having gone through the window of
Manager Gabbett's private car. which was
on the middle track
DISAPPEARANCE OF THE PISTOLS.
Neither of the pistols used in the shooting
has been und. Barclay probably carried
his to the house with him, and Respess' pis-
toll must have dropped in the shed and been
pocketed by some one.
In preparing the body of the deceased for
shipment Coroner Dixon discovered another
wound 1t was in the left arm, a bullet
having entered on the inside of the arm
and lodged at the elbow.
THE RIVER AND HARBOR.