The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-15
HACKED NTH A RATCHET
One Negro Cat Up by Another in An
Early Morning FTlClS,

Doc. Wright, the Crazy Negro Who
Escaped from the Georgia Indrmary
on Thursday, the Victim Of the Row
Ezekiel clifford Says he Made the
Assault With a Piece of Straight
Edge-The Assailant in Jau-The
Wounded Man May Die.
There was general row and cutting
scrape between two negroes. out on the
Oreechee road, at an early hour yester-
day morniuE which may result in the
death OF one and punishment for theo other.
Ezekiel Clifford and Abraham Jenkins,
alias DR. Wright were the parties to the
fracas. as a result of which jenkins
skull was fractured in three places, his
face badly hacked up, and his neck and
arms fearfuly gashed.
Clifford lives ont on the Oceechee road,
about half mile beyond Battery park,
on the left hand side of the road, and,
back of his house, which is the property
of Mr. JAS Baker, he had a watermelon
patch. According to his story, Jenkins
entered upon his watermelon patch yes
terday morning, between l and , o'clock,
for the purposeor committing some depre-
dations.
On going out to see if everything was
all right ne discovered Jenkins, who, he
says, wrenched his gun out of his hand,
but that he again took il away from him
and went towards his house.
BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT
When he got ia the door Jenkins had
followed him, and as he turned struck
him in the side with plank. With that
he knocked Jenkins down with his fist.
Jenkins then got up and began throwing
sticks, rocks and various other articles at
Clifford. who ran out, and, as he says,
struck him several blows over the head
with a piece of straight edge. How many
times he struck him he says he don't
know, but he thinks he struck him six
times with the board and that he hit him
on the head.
With that Clifford left the other negro
lying half dead in his yard, near the
house, and came in the city to get a war
rant for Jenkins arrest for entering his
watermelon patch. He got his warrant
from Justice Reynolds who dcputlzed
him 70 60 and arrest Jenkins and bring
him In before his court.
Clifford returned about S o'clock yester-
day morning and tried TO get Justice Ne
Leod King 10 serve it and arrest this
negro who was at the time lying uncon-
sciOus in his yard.
CLIFFORD ARRESTED.
In the meantime the police ambulance
was sent for and jenkins more dead than
alive, was brought into the Office of DR..
NJ T. Davis, where his wounds were
dressed and he was sent to the Georgia
mhrmary to be taken care Of
Instead of arrgsting Jenkins as Clifford
81 8. I
son 10 arrest Clifford ON a charge of as
sault with intent to murder and he was
brought into the Gity and placed in Chat
ham county jail
Clifford says he had asked Jenkins to
get out of his watermelon patch and Jen-
kins refused. He says that he only struck
Jenkins with the plank when the attack
was made first upon him, and did it then
TO defend himself, He denies having
struck him with an axe, Ratchet, or any
sharp edged instrument.
The attending physician however, SAYS
that the Negroes wounds were quite seri-
Gus, that his skull has three fractures,
that he was cut up worse than any man
he had ever seen in that condition, and
that in all probability he would not live
long. The wounds, he says. were evil
IDENTIFY made with a Ratchet or some
sharp instrument of the kind, as from
their nature, they could not have been
made otherwise.
JENKINS MAY DIE.
The negro was pretty badly wounded
and it is a wonder that he lived as long as
he has, but a telephone message from the
Georgia lnhrmary last night stated that
he was still alive and doing we'll How
long this may last, however, is not known
as the nature of his wound is so serious
that he may die at any time
Very little is known about jenkins, ex-
cept that he is a crazy negro who had
been confined in the Georgia In
Urinary some time previous
to his row with Clifford.
He is said to have been so violent at
times that he had to be put in a strpight
jacket to prevent him doing any damage
or hurting anyone. On Thursday he es-
capped from his confinement at the infirm-
airy and nothing more was heard of him
until he was brought into the city this
morning hacked TO pieces and sent back 20
the inhrmary. lie was put in the
straight jacket last night and tied down
for fear That he might become violent.
Clifford is a negro of about IS or 80
years and does not look like a man of bad
blood or one who would try to murder
his fallgtr man