The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-16
SAUNDERS TRAGIC DEATH.
An Editorial Denouncing it as q cow
ardly Murder.

tunes ChtOn says editorlallY this morning:
The people OF Florida, without regard to
party. arc unanimously deplorlng and de-
nouncing the brutal and cowardly assassination
OF Deputy Marshal Saunders at Quincy. For
such vic murder no right thinking man
can offer the least excuse or palia-
ton There Is nothing TO be suggested
IN mitigation or the crime. The cold, cruel,
premeditated manner OF its execution takes its
perpetrators beyond the pale Of public sympa-
| my Ihey must suffer the consequences OF the
deed, SO foul taat its very atrocity relieves GadS-
den county and the people of Florida and the
south OF any suspicion OF sympathy or com
pllclty. What the motive for such a vllainous
purpose could any mind, one degree removed
from idiocy or insanity, suggestG Organized
resistance 20 wrong would be thousand fold
more honorable. The sudden bandin together Of
men who feel the sting of persecution, the kill
ing OF an officer In the face of open resis ance
and defiance OF legalized wrong, might excite
measure OF puolc resp sct-but to entice an un-
susp 'ctins man into some secluded spot aud
colily and cruelty assa sinate him, divests the
act of every element of heroism. We know the
people OF Middle Florida. They are brave,
rights In an open and honorable manner.
The public will not visit upon the n
the con equences of an act which
no honorable community can couptenance.
This killing was hedge about by mere personal
motive, aud no honorable man will seek to In
met upon any community the responsibility for
such an outrage in the vengeance OF personal
wrong. What could be expected Of murdsring
one man in sixty millionS2 What principle is
estab!ishedS What public wrong Is righteds
One man is but drop in the ocean of human
affairs, vital as his being may be to
his family and friends. In this critical
1uncture we should do nothing to second the
call for United States troops: nothing to justify
Judicial proceedings which have been con
demned everywhere throughout the country
This murder Is a wound which no patriotic,
honorable, public spirited citizen would inhict
upon his people. We still maintain that this
United States court was organized to promote
partisan purposes, and partisan persecution,
and law abiding men everywhere would keep
1t on the defensive. Passive resist
ance TO wrong is more potent than i'll
advised spasmodic resistance of a physical
character which inflicts deeper wound upon
the state than could be inflicted on any in
dvidusL Netherlands consprator Mitchell,
was promptly arrested by the local authorities
aad lodged In Jail. Gadsden county should ex-
haust all its resources for the arrest OF the
guilty parties. The murder was no doubt in
stlgated by personal enmity, and the ass lssins
must not be permitted TO throw any of the re-
spOnsibility for the crime upon tn people to
whom they have done such grievous wrong.
GOV. FLEMING AT WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, FeD. l5.-Gov. Fleming of
Florida and the attorney general of that
state, who are in this city on official busi-
ness, called at the white house to-day and
had conference with the President. One
OF the matters was the recent as iassination
of Deputy Marshal Saunders at Quincy.
The governor assured the President that the
state authorities would certainly assist in
bringing the guilty persons to Justice. The
President suggested that they SEQ the attor-
| ney general, and they subsequently, had an
interview with that gentleman. 1t Is not
| likely that the authorities here viii take an y
| action In this matter until the report of
Marshal Mi2ell is received. The document
will probably arrive in Mondays mall
A QUINCY ACCOUNT OF THE CRIME.
The Quincy Herald this morning con-
tains the following account OF the murder:
Last Thursday morning Deputy United States
| Marshal w b. B.SaundersArrved here on the early
| morning train and stopped at the Love house
| Tor breakfast. He came ostensby for the
| purpose of taking to Pensacola a colored man
who wasin Jail here charged with having forged
| Sheriff Mitchell, and made arrangements flor
| the trsnsfer of the prisoner, and as no train
| went west until late in the afternoon, no pro-
! ceeded TO take In the barrooms Of the town and
| soon became intoxicated. He met few persons
| with whom he was acquainted and was intro
| duced to few more, and he invited everyone
| he met to drink with him. About O'Clock in
| the afternoon he saw George w. Shepard In
| buggy and Induced him to take him to look over
| the tobacco plantations, and in company with
| William Mcfarland and Shepard, started out
| toward the Santa Clara plantation
WANTED TO DIE BY MS BABY.
They had proceeded about mile when
| Shepard heard three shots, and at the second
shot Saunders threw his right arm around
Ouephfl anu bdll. i Whnb TO 1ie Dy my DADY.
| He then put his right hand into his hip
| pocket as II TO draw his pistol, but soon fell
across Shepard's knees repeating his remark
| that he wanted to die by his baby, aud in
| few minutes he was dead. Shepard testified
| before the coroner's jury that he saw no one
| shoot, and did not know who did the shooting.
| In his excitement Shepard drove on to the resi-
| dence or Mr. Carry, and, finding no one there
| but some ladies' drove to the Residence OF r. j.
| Cornwall, who advised him TO bring Saunders TO
town, which he did, delivering his body to
| Sheriff Thom4s Mitchell, who took charge Of IL
and summoned jury of inquest.
WORK OF THE JURY.
| The jury met and adjourned until Friday
morning, when several witnesses we're exam
| ined, but nothing more than has been above
stated was learned The jury then adjourned
until more witness could be brought in, and
| summonses for them were ordered, At present
| II IL not known VINO did the killing or what
| caused it, but Ii Is hoped that some light may
| be thrown upon the matter when the witnesses
| sent for give in their evidence Some persons
| think that perhaps It was on account OF some
previous difficulty, and as Saunders had been
| drinking heavily during the day 10 was most
| likely to have been from that cause. AT tho
time he was killed Saunders was not In the p r
| formance OF any official duty, but was sim ply
| riding out for pleasure. TIE coroner's jury Is
still awaiting the arrival Of witnesses and IL Is
| not probable that the inquest will end to-day.
This killing is greatly dep.ored by all good
citizens, and we hope such q thing may never
occur again in our county. ST srday the
body was pre- Jared for burial by d. II. wills n,
duu thkfu W LuS uSIJDb, WueEo ~ was IltL Uy
the wife and daughter of the deceased,
who accompanied it 10 DeFuniak Springs.
A CARD FROM MIZELL
Marshal Mizell to-day prepared the fol-
lowing card for publications:
JACKSONVILLE, FLA, Feb. Is, 1890.
| To the Editor Of the Times linton!
The account OF the assassination of Deputy
| Marshal w. b. Saunders which appeared In III
| Times Union this morning. as a dispatch fro n
| Quincy, is false in all particulars Saunders was
| not in Quincy during the morning except for an
| hour or so after his arrival, but was absent la
| the country with Deputy Marshal Landlord,
and did not return to town until nearly O'Clock
in the afternoon. He was then perfectly
sober, and so far from having been
| drinking from bar to bar" he had been quietly
attending to his duties. Under pretense Of
| friendship he was soon after his return TO
| town, decoyed into the country, and about 4
| o'clock his dead body was brought back aud
! coolly delivered to the sheriff. The man who
| did this was not arrested or even detained by
the sheriff JOHN r. MIZELL.
United States Marshal.
CLAIMS THERE WAS A PLOT.
| Marshal MlZel further says that there
| was plot TO kill him and both his deputies
| by dec Jying them in 0 the country. He re-
| fused to go. and warned Saunders against
the suspected plot. No arrests have yet
been made. Mcfarland is still missing.
The coroner's jury has not brought in
verdict yet.