The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-30
ROBBERS DEADLY WORK
JAMES WILLIS ALMOST HACKED
TO PIECES.


Burglars Enter a Lovers Lane House
and One of Them When Captured
Outs His Way to Liberty With a
Razor-W Willis Wounds Pronounced
Fatal-No Clew to the Murdsrous
Marauders. Except the Tracks They
Left in a Field-The Wounded Mans
Clock the Only Article Stolen.
James Willis, an aged colored man, was
fatally cut by burglar al his home, No. SO
Lovers lane, yesterday morning about 4
o'clock. His throat was cut almost from
ear to ear, his head gashed into the skull his
face laid open from the nose to the forehead
his left arm almost hacked of and his back
cur, several inches deep, in half dozen
places.
Willis clothes were literally cut to shreds.
The murderous burglar had a companion.
They forced an entrance through the rear
door, and by their noise awakened Willis
wife. She jumped out Of bed to find out
what had caused the noise. aud heard some
body jumping from the windo
Of the bedroom adjoining that occupied
by herself and husband. She ran out into
the front room aud noticing that the clock
had been taken awakened her husband.
She told him robbers had been In the house
and jumped through the window into the
yard.
FOLLOWED TIE BURGLARS.
Without waiting to put on any other
clotoing except that he wore In his sleep.
Willis ran into the room where his wife
said the burglars had gone. He found the
window open and quickly closing it he told
his wife he would run around into the alley
way and see IL be could find any one. Suit
ing his action 20 word the old man hurried
QUE into the yard and into the alleyway
without any kind OF weapon in his hand
A moment later Willis called out to his
wife, "i've got him. and she heard sounds
of struggle. She waited about two min
utes and then groans reached her ears and
the sound OF somebody getting over the
fence.
FELL WHERE HE WAS STRUCK.
Willis wife hurried out and found her
husband lying directly under the window
from which the burglars had jumped.
Blood was squirting from him in every
direction. She gave the alarm and several
OF her oolored neighbors responded and took
Wins into his house. Home remedies
were applied and messengers were
hurried into the city to secure physicians.
1t was o'clock before thsy succeeded and
then Drs. Snelson, Smalls, Riggs and
McKane, colored physicians, responded
They at once pronounced Willis wounds
fatal, but proceeded to dress them. During
the ordeal the victim had to he put under
the influence # morphine, aud it was
O'Clock before Willis was able to make any
statement to Detective Morgan about the
deadly assault upon him. He was SO weak
then that the effort was a labored one and
IL came out in disconnected sentences.
THE ENCOUNTER.
Willis told Detective Morgan that when
he got into the allsYway he saw a black
man crouching behind a barrel and he
stopped down quickly and grabbed him.
The burglar proved to be stronger, and,
throwing him off, whipped out a razor and
began cutting him. He tried as best he
could to ward of the blows, but be soon
went down under the terceness OF the at
tack.
Detective Morgan found the tracks Of two
men leading from Willis house through
Mumm's field. One was that OF barefooted
man and the other wore heavy shoes. He
took the measure of both for future ref
erence &1
The detective has suspicious of two ne
groes whom he Is oadeavoring to locate
They were seen loafing around Lovers lane
for several days up to yesterday. when they
disappeared from their stamping grounds
The only thing the burglars got was Willis
clock, and this they carried of. It may
lead to their detection.
Last night Willis was sinking rapidly and
the indications pointed to bis death being a
question of only few hours.