The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-25

Mr.. Billiard was questioned about the
colored cook referred to in yesterdays
MORNING NEWS, and he said that George
Maxwell was scharged Saturday night
week ago. "He had been cooking for me-"
the witness said. II had him arrested last
Saturday. He came to my house two
weeks ago and raised riot with my wife
about some remarks she had made. She
sent for a policeman, but could not get
one. She then called on Mr.. Robbins,
boarder in the house, 70 put him out of
the yard. MIR. Robbins put him out. Max
well threatened tlat ne would have revenge
on my wife, myself and the colored boy
had in the yard. Saturday night Maxwell
came to my front door and began 70 talk
about remark my wife had made that he
was a filthy cook. looked at h.- watch
pocket and saw he had al open knife. |
asked him what he was going to do with it.
He said he would use it.
MAxwELL'S ARREST.
Gas soon as be went away sent for
policeman to have him arrested. | went to
the market to look for him, and could not
find him. went again to do my market
ing and he tackled me there, and got
policeman and had him taken to tie bar
racks. On the way to the barracks he
cursed me and made his threats, and said:
You may send me to the chain-gang, Tut L
will have my revenge on you paid him
the balance due him (s3 so at the barracks
that night"
To questions by juror, Mr.. Billiard said:
THE boarders opened the front door by
lifting the night latch. The negro cook
knew how to open the door. He mad been
with me five or six weeks. was doing
at the time Of the explosion. 1t didn't
seem like a crash. 1t sounded like
cannon and then the crash came
There were two distinct sounds. The first
sounded like q cannon, and Immediately
the crash came before | could get out of bed.
my room was crushed out toward the lane.
The front part of the house went out on
Congress street. | cannot tell how | got out.
| heard my wife struggling. The windows
OF our room were open to get all the breeze
possible, but can't say as to the windows of
the other rooms"
A PoLICEMAN's STORY.
S. Grower, a Central railroad policeman,
was next called. Mr.. Grower said 81
was on Montgomery street between Bay
and Bryan at the time Of the noise. The
first heard was q noise like cannon in the
park"
When asked if he meant if the noise
sounded as if AT that distance, the witness
explained that he meant It sounded as a
cannon does in the park to one near by at
the time of the firing.
The witness, resuming, said: "After
that, then came o rulnbling noise, which
Immediately followed the report. | didn't
locate it just at the time, but when | did
ran in that direction, and about the time
got there Chief Puder reached there too.
All was in ruins. There was a peculiar
smell, but l couldn't say it smelled
like gunpowder. l couldn't see for
the dust and smoke. | have heard brick
buildings fall and they never made that
kind of a noise. 1t wasn't the sound Of
falling walls. The only other sounds had
heard was the City of Birmingham, which
had just blown her whistle"
CHIEF PUDER's STATEMENT.
Chief Puder was next called. He said:
81 am chief fireman. and live at III West
Broad street, about 300 yards away from
the building l couldn't tell what awakened
me. | don't know what it was. | was
awake when heard the crash | do not
know whether my wife awakened me or
not. There was not a particle fire
about the building when l got there,
but about an hour afterward,
one of the gaspipes inside the building
which had been broken off by falling walls
was leaking some, and the gas was ignited
by one of the firemen with lantern, but it
was blown out and the pipe plugged up.
think the walls of the house are as well
built as any around there. l see nothing
wrong about the construction of the build
ing"
MIR. Puder was recalled and testified that
from the total absence of any part of the
front hall floor of the first story, he was
convinced that the wreck was the result of
an explosion.
SOUNDED LIKE A CANNON.
F. ]. burden testified that he was sitting
IN his window on Orange street, three doors
from West Broad, when the building went
down. He said: 81 heard the report. 1t
sounded like can OF powder had exploded
or the firing of a cannon. | then heard
the sound of falling timbers. There
was an explosion before the
crash. came down to the building, as
thought there would be a fire after the
explosion. 1t was more like the sound of a
keg OF powder exploding; a kind of dull
sound. lsmelled nothing like powder. 1t
was fifteen minutes before | got there.
have heard tue explosion of a keg of gun
powder before. | saw pieces of the building
lying out in the square, Tut don't II they
were blown out there or carried out"
At this point Coroner Dixon stated that
he had visited every one injured by the
falling walls and had interviewed them all,
and had learned nothing more than had
been developed at the inquest thus far
The little colored boy was suffering with a
dislocated shoulder, and his statement was
somewhat conflicting. 1t was, the coroner
added, mixed-up statement He had said
he was sleeping in Mr.. Billiards. room,
when it was in Mr.. Pages room, as a mat
ter OF fact, the open door between the
rooms misleading the boy, and the sound
which awakened the boy he had evidently
mistaken for the sound of guns
THE CoLoRED BOYS STATEMENT.
The coroner then submitted the statement
of the colored boy, Nelder G. Haywood,
aged IL years, which is as follows:
II slept in the room of MIR. Billiard. Mrs
Billiard and Mrs. Page also sleep in the
same room. was walked up by fuss in
the room over US occupied by Mr.. Lockline
and a strange man. 1t this room there were
two guns and a small box of powder. Mrs
Billiard had told me not to handle the guns,
as they were loaded. While l lay awake a
loud report like cannon took place and
the room was full Of smoke. | jumped
up. but no one seemed to move, so l
lay down again and was about to go to
sleep again when the house fell. No one in
the room got up. l then found myself in a
hole, and some one came and took me out
My right arm is broke about the shoulder.
We used lamps in the room. think the
people upstairs were fussing, as they were
curslng.
THREATENED BY MAXWELL
'George used to cook for Mrs. Billiard
He was at the house last night about supper
time. No one saw him but me- He said