The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-01


the girl. He identified it as that of his
daughter Nav. When asked TO ex-
plain he said that he had gotten
divorce from his wife, given her money
and she had gone to her people at Lock
port, Y. Y. He claimed further that he
had carried his two daughters-Aay. aged
- years, and Irene, aged 9, to a convent in
Mobile Mear6 lille the cOroner's investi-
CATION was going on.
FANNIE BRYANT, A NEGRO WOMAN,
who seemed to know more about Halves
and the case in general then anybody else.
vsas arrested and placed in Jail, as was also
e negro named Albert Patterson who lived
with Fannie. Much important evidence
was brought out before the corouer's jury,
but the mystery was not solved:
MRS. HALVES BODY FOUND.
The second chapter in this great volume
of crime and horror began Saturday. Dec.
with the finding of the body of Mrs. Emma
Halves, wife Of Richard K. Halves, and the
terrible riot which took place that night at
the county Jail. The further the investiga-
ton went the deeper the mystery became.
However, il began to clear up on Saturday
morning. 1t was resolved to begin a search
for Mrs Halves and the missing child
Irene. An idea from a combination of
circumstances gained belief that Mrsf
Hawes' body and that of the other child
was in the lake at Lakeview. A force Of
men set TO work dragging the lake, and it
was not long before body was found, IL
was drawn from the bottom and placed in
boat and carried ashore. 1t was identi-
fed as that of Mrs. Emma Halves. The
body had been weighted down with heavy
pieces of railroad iron, and a deep wound
in the back Of the head evidenced murder.
GATHERING OF TIRE LYNCHERs.
When the news of the finding of the body
became current excitement ran high. In
the afternoon of that memorable Saturday
great crowds of excited men began collect
ing in groups all over the city, discussing
the brutal murder and threatening TO storm
the jail and bring out Halves and lynch
him. Cooler heads advised the excited
mobs to dispense, 60 home and let the law
take its course. Toward night things began
TO look more serious, but the authorities
did not deem it necessary to call on the
governor for military aid. Sheriff Smith
and his deputies feared no trouble and felt
fully able to defend the Jail in case there
was any. Each hour that passed in the
early part of that night added more fuel to
the crowds flame Of rage and by mid
night a mob of several thousand had sur
rounded the jail They were crying for
HAw ES' BLOOD.
Sheriff j. S. Smith had posted a big de-
tachment of deputies and policemen in the
second story of both the old and new JAIL
and in the new court house. They were all
armed with Winchester rifles. As the mob
approached the mouth Of the alley leading
to the Jail the sheriff ordered them back
and warned them to advance no further.
The warning was not needed. AS the
angry horde of men rushed up the alley, the
sheriff ordered his deputies to fire on them.
The officers opened fire, nor did they cease
shooting until every man had emptied his
gun and many had reloaded and fired
second round. The result was terrible in
the extreme. The true situation of that hour
Of ,1xv h..
now by those who were there and witnessed
the awful reality. The crowd retreated at
the first volley, but ten mangled corpses
were left lying on the ground, and eleven
men lay groaning from desperate wounds.
THE LIST OF THE KILLED
Maurice B. Throckmorton, postmaster;
j. r. Mccoy, A B. Tarrant, A. d. Bryant,
c. c. Tate, Charles Jenkins, Colbert Smith,
Deputy Sheriff Bremen of Gadsden, Charles
Bailey and an unknown negro.
The wounded were: Matt Kennedy,
John II. Merritt, J. w. Owen, j. W. Gil
more, Albert Smith, W. A. Bird, K Reich
vein, Lawrence S. Fitzhugh, A. j. Schide,
J. W. Montgomery, and Mr.. Berkeley.
Many Others were hurt.
TERROR REIGNED SUPREME,
but Dick Halves was not lynched. AS is
well known all the militia in the state was
In Birmingham after the riot, by the gov
ernor's order, and surrounded the jail for
week 1t was clear, however, that no
further effort would be made to lynch
Halves. After the riot more interest was
certered in Sheriff Smith, who was held re-
sponslble for the shooting, than in the pris-
oner. During all the shooting at the jail
Halves was the coolest man in town. When
he heard the trouble on the outside, wen
knowing what it meant and thinking his
time had come, he arose from his cot in his
cell, dressed himself and waited quietly for
xfaan 60 af-
IRENE's BODY FOUND
The third chapter of the Halves affair
was the finding of the body of little Irene,
the youngest child. After Mrs. Hawes'
body had been dragged up from the depths
of the lake at Lakeview, the search was
continued for the body of little Irene The
lake was drained and force of men wa
kept at work looking for the body. 1t was
found on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 10,
1883, weighted to the bottom of the lake by
heavy irons, which had been tied around
the body. The child had been dressed
schntily. The body was removed to the
undertaker's shop and buried two days
later.
HALVES INDICTED.
Meanwhile the coroner's juries in the
cases of May Halves and Mrs. Halves had
returned verdicts, and in each case Richard
X. Halves was charged with the killing In
interviews with newspaper men and others
Halves all along denied his guilt.
In the case of little Irene, the coroner's
jury again charged Halves with the
killing, and In the other cases Fannie
Bryant and Albert Patterson as accessories.
On Jan. % of last year Halves was in
dicted by the grand jury for murder.
THE MEMORABLE TRIAL.
The trial Of Halves began Monday, April
% last, and lasted eleven days Halves had
among his attorneys some of the ablest
lawyers at the Birmingham bar, including
Col. E. T. Taliaferro, Mcintosh & Altman.
and Others. The state was well represented.
A motion for a new trial was overrued, as
was also motion to quash the indictment.
1t required two days in which to impanel
jury.
The trial of Halves in that case was for
the murder of his daughter May. The
strongest evidence introduced against him
was that of a conductor and other persons
on the East Lake dummy line, who testified
that they saw HAYES going out to East
Lake accompanied by May, and that they
got off the train at the pavilion and went
toward the lake. In an hour or two Halves
was seen to board the dummy at the lake
and return to the city. The girl was not