The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-15
SHOT DOWN IN HIS BOAT.
THE INQUEST IN THE FOaTRESS
MONROE TRAGEDY.

A Negro the Only Witness to Claim
That Haines Struck flanagan Be-
fore he Was Shot-The Fatal Shot
Fired in the Presence Of Several
Witnesses.
FoRTREss MONROE. VA, June 14.-Col.
Porter G. Haines, engineer corps. and Mr..
flanagan arrived from Washington this
morning. After. breakfast they drove to
Hampton and called on Coroner Phillips,
and requested him to hold the inquest to-
day. The jury assembled at the court house
shortly after noon. Col. Charles Blrd,
quartermaster, who occupies a cottage
adjoining the lighthouse, In front Of which,
the shooting occurred, was sworn and testi%
fed substantially as follows; Last Friday
about 40 o'clock p. m. saw two men ous
in sail boat in front of my house. One
man was sculling and the other rowing
The storm was coming up. | watched the
men, heard two shots and saw two puffs OF
smoke. The man near the mast fell over
and then rose up. / heard a voice but could
not tell what It said.
FELL BACK INTO THE BOAT.
"He then fell back into the boat and
saw him no more. The boat drifted out
short distance. The boat was then sailed
into shore. Soon after saw young Haines.
| don't know that 1t was he In the boat
not very far from the lighthouse wharf. This
man shot was the one rowing. / did not see
him rise until after the shots were fired. Ths
boat was an ordinary canoe. The boat was
about $50 feet from the shore / cannot tell
whether any effort was made by the man
rowing to raise an oar to strike the man
sculling. was Watching the boat three or
fnttp inn afRc haf ha hot fraA md
was anxious to see IL it got in out of tha
storm that was rising. The sails were up,
but were slack, il being then calm, the
storm not having commenced"
THE QUARREL IN THE BOAT.
Commander Robley d. Evans, who re.
sides just east of the lighthouse, deposed az
follows: about $50 o'clock p. M, last
Friday. was in boat with my son. saw
black storm coming on, aud saw o small
boat near the first jetty. Two msq were
In the boat. My son said they were Haines
and flanagan. Haines was s0cndine
in the stern of the boat, Watching
the squall. flanagan was pulling the port
oar. Hainss unshipped the rudder and went
TO sculling. heard their voices. ! heard
their conversation in respect to getting out
Of the squalL One said: i don't care II
from me.
"Haines then turned and fred two shots
at HannaRan in quick succession. He then
resumed his soulling. flanagan then fell
slowly back into the boat IL seemed as
though he pulled one or two strokes after he
was shot. flanagan raised himself up
with his arm on the gunwale Of the boat and
called, Help, help, on shore there; this
man has shot and killed me'
he held ON amoment, then slowly fell back
into the boat. / thought at first they were
playing some prank. My son. who had
gone on shore, came running to me and
said that Haines had shot flanagan.
Haines sculled the boat out some 200 yards.
then shipped his rudder and took down his
Jib. BE then got down in the boat.
COOL PAIR.
~ told my son they were the coolest men
gan to blow. II also began to rain and I
walked 70 my house. Haines then put his
helm down and ran his boat on shore. Ny
son said: Here comes Hannagan' A
moment later he said: No, it is Haines.'
Haines then walked TO the hotel.
The body was afterward taken to the
hospital. / knew Hannagnn, but was
not we'll acquainted with him. / recognized
the corpse before the jury as that Of Ned
flanagan. / was about a hundred feet
from the boat when the shooting took place.
flanagan was pulling the boat with both
hands on the oar when shot. did not heau
any dispute, and know of no trouble be-
tween them"
THOUGHT THEY WERE POOLING.
John Gray was sworn. He said: about
6:30 or O'clock we were tying up our
barge. / saw a sail boat coming. When
the boat was about $50 yards from us two
shots were fired. The man shot saidf
Bring small boat. am shot,
The ebb tide swept the boat out.
Two men were In the boat. One man
stood In the stern soulling. The othsr was
In the csnter rowing. They were about $50
feet from shore. little east of the light
my side. thought the men In the boat
were fooliDg.n
NEW POINT.
Sinclair Smith (colored) was sworn and
said: II was Ia an oar boat saw the men
sitting down raise an oar to strike the man
standing with the oar. l saw no rowing.
The man picked the oar up out of the boat
when he struck the other one, who was
standing. After being struck the man
with no one on the subject since the shoots
ing. Pm sure the man standing was struck
with the oar"
NO MARK ON HAINEs.
DIR. Peake swore: ~ have made an ex,
animation Of the body of flanagan. Saw
evidence Of a gunshOt wound on the out
side opened the body and found that
ball had passed into tie heart and was neces-
sarily fatal. found another gunshot
wound near the bend Of the right elbow
This was not fatal one. The wound thaa
produced death was In the heart. | have
examined the body of the accued. looked
him all over carefully and found no bruises,
not even a scratch"
The verdict was that said Edward A.
flanagan came to his death by gunsho1
wound, and that the fatal shot was fired by
Thornton ]. Haines, who was In the boat
with him at the time
Mr.. flanagan carried the remains Of his
son to Washington tonight.