The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-15
A FATAL FIGHT At TYBEE.
Joe Black Killed by Mach LILLY in
the NaylOT House Laundry.

A Blow in Ltlly'B Face heneWs an
Old Quarrel Of a Years Standing.
Black Follows 1t with an Attempt
20 Use a Cleaver and Meets His
Death From ShotRun-Lilly Sur
renders and Claims self-defense-An
Inquest to Be Held To-day.
Joe Black, cook at the Naylor house at
! Tybee was shot and almost instantly
killed in the laundry of the hotel yester-
day afternoon between and o'clock by
Mack Lilly. Both parties are colored.
The stories of all the witnesses to the
tragedy seem to indicate that Lilly acted
in self-defense. The latter has been en-
ployed by Mr.. Naylor for five years and
has always borne the reputation of being
peaceable and quiet man Since Mr..
Naylor began the construction of his new
house Lilly has been watching it at
night. He carried a double-barreled
shotgun in this capacity and
stored the gun in the daytime in the
corner of the laundry room The gun
was the weapon which hurried Black into
eternity.
DEFINING OF BAD BLOOD.
About a year ago Black and Lilly quar-
relied about some trifling affair, and since
that time, the hotel walters say, has
tried repeatedly to get into personal
encounter with Lilly, but the latter
always declined to fight.
Yesterday Black was drinking and in
ugly humor with all the colored en-
plOyes around the Naylor house. While
the walters were eating dinner in
the kitchen Lilly walked in
to speak to one of them.
On seeing his enemy Black became wrathy
and ordered him out with an OATH Lilly
complied, but after getting outside began
talking to the waiter through a window.
This enraged Black to high degree and
with the remark, You - black -
-- -, told you to 60 away from
here" he rushed to the window and
struck Lilly singing blow in the face.
START OF THE FATAL FIGHT.
Lilly replied things had gone far enough
and started in at the cook telling him he
had to fight Some others interfered at
this point and persuaded Lilly
not to go back into the
kitchen and he went on into the laundry
Blacks temper, sharpened by liquor,
however, got the better of his Judgment,
and he announced that since Lilly said he
wanted to fight he would get more than
he bargained for.
81 am going to kill the - -
- -" was the announcement the
cook made, at the same time picking up
meat cleaver and starting toward the
laundry. Several of the walters tried
to pull him back, but Black pulled loose
from them and rushed to his death.
SHOT DOWN IN THE DOOR.
As he opened the door, with the cleaver
uplifted in his hand, Lilly saw him and
grabbed his gun from the corner. The
nyyf ont f.ls G,,,I j
Black, with the full charge in his stom-
ach, sank to the floor and died in few
minutes.
The report of the gun attracted every
body in the hotel to the laundry, and
when they reached there Lilly announced
that he had killed Black in self-defense
and wanted to surrender. A messenger
was at once dispatched for Chief of Police
Higgins and when that officer arrived at
the Naylor house he found Lilly waiting
to be arrested. Chief Higgins locked up
Blacks slayer in the guard house and sent
Q telephone announcement of the tragedy
to Sheriff Roman, who sent Deputy
Nathans to the island after Lilly on the
6:10 o'clock train, He brought the pris-
oner to the city at 8 o'clock and lodged
him in jail
THE PRISONERS STORY.
To a MORNING News representative
l4llly ldlhGu freely dDOub bu6 duuT. i
killed Black, said he, because he in
tended to kill me with the cleaver He
had been trying to get me into fight for
some time just to kill me, and if l hadn't
had my gun close when he ran into the
laundry would have been dead now in
stead of him. I'm sorry 1 had to kill
Black, but had to save myself l took
no aim, but fired at random to keep him
from getting at me-
Acting Coroner Naughtin went down
to the island and gave permission to
allow Blacks body to come up to the city.
1t was brought up on the 930 o'clock.
train last night and carried to Coroner
Dixons Undertaking rooms, from
where it will be removed to the
| dead mans home on Minis street this
| morning. An inquest will be held at IL
O'Clock to-day.
Black was formerly cook at Freid &
| Hicks restaurant. He had the reputa-
| tion among his own race of being of
| quarrelsome and ugly nature and given
| much to drink.