The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-14
KNITTED AND THEN SHOT.
THE sTORY OF TaE KILLING OF
DAWSON TOLD BY BIS SLAYER

ne Statement Made b Robert How
ard On TIE Former Trial Admitted
b t.e Court - Witnesses for the
Defense Cain That Dawson Fired
the First shot
CoLCNBCs. GA, Nov. 15.-This morning
Il tie EoEzrd-Bicksrsssf murder case.
after co1sidsrsbis discussion, ths co1rt 3D.
uiscsd IS svi5sncs for the state tie state
us1t q Robert Howard, made q tie
fornr trial The important part OF the
statement Is - follows: At the tsrmina-
t.oa q the rsess Xr. Flsechsr came cut first
with Er. Dawson little behind he drove
undsr TIE wire. checked his horse, TUNED
hin, drove 20 TIE judges stand and saluts5
the Judgsz- He Immediately turned his
horss and went down the track, Soma If
ten O. tEenty feet, would say, probably.
and got ou1 Of his sulkT very hurrladly.
De cane Immediately under the railing,
worked his way around through some We
hicles until he cleared the vehicles and came
facing my orotber Richard and myself.
Ny brothsr vas little 70 ny right
ZEE KILLING
Dawson cana with his hand IN that posi-
tion In the right hand hip pocket. He
=
In few feet. would say within slI OF eight
feet Ny brother remarked. Look out,
B1ddie Bob drew ny knife and plunged
1t. as / thought, MP 20 the hiit Thinking
that my knife fziled 70 do the work that /
thought IL would GO, drew my pistol and
commsncsd pursuing and fired until had
not shot left" The stats here rested lis
case and the court took q recess TIL the
afternoon
LINE OF IEZ DEFENSE
Judge Mcneil gave out the line Of what
tbs defense intended 70 prove. The de-
fense did not deny the killing, but did deny
being guilty OF murder, msnslaughter or
any crime whatever. He said the testi-
mo1y Of the defense would explain the in
coas5stencies Of the testimony Of the state.
he said the defense intended to show that
Dawson fred the first shot and had pistol
IN his hand when De passed under the rail-
ing. and that what tie defendants did was
tustifable and In self-defsnse: that Dawson
had two pistols at tbs tine Of the difficulty
and fired at Bickerstaf before Bickerstah
fired az him; thar the defendants did what
any ether honorable man would have done
under the circumstances.
TESTIMONY FOB TIE DEFENSE
number Of witnesses for the defense
were examined this afternoon George
Findlater testified that be saw Dawson
Jump Out OF MS cart nurrleQ4y ana come
under the railing, with his hand on his hip.
The Towards were standing ten feet from
the judges stand, AID walked of toward
the bicycle track. Dawson walked around
the carriage, and the witness said just at
this time he heard Richard Howard ex-
claim: Look ont, Buddie Bob" Robert
Howard then struck Dawson with his left
hand, and three pistol shots were fred In
rapid succession. Dawson fred one and
Bob Howard two. The witness testi-
fed that he saw the smoke from
Dawson's pistol first Dawson ran
about seventy-fve feet and fell on his back.
The Towards followed thirty feet. Several
witnesses swore that Dawson fired at Bick-
erstaff first and that the latter returned the
fire.
CONFLICTING TESTIMONY.
J. J. Daniel swore that Dawson pursued
Robert Howard and fred two shots at him.
This corhicted the testimony Of the other
witnesses. Mcdonald, q blacksmith at
Granville, Ala, swore that Dawson bor-
rowed q pistol from him on the morning Of
the killing, and that W. r. Logan told him
going 10 the grounds that Dawson had two
pistols on him.
The court at this point adjourned.