The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-18
EOCLEW TO THE MURDERER
Stephen Williams Death Caused BY
an Unknown Hand.

The Coroner's Investigation of We'd
nesday Nights Tragedy Develops no
New Facts-The Murdered Mans
Wife Released from Custody-The
Stories Of Those Who Saw the Pistol
Flashes.
The murder of Stephen Williams west
of the city night before last, is as deep
mystery as ever. 1t is undoubtedly one
of the most mysterious crimes ever com
mitted in the county.
The strongest part of it is that several
people saw the pistol flashes and immedi-
ately ran up and found the victim dying,
but did not see the murderer The shoot
ing was done in the dark, and so quickly
did the murderer make his escape that to
discover his identity will prove a difficult
task. Suspicion seemed to point in a
slight way to the dead mans wife as an
accessory to the crime, but from the evil
dence she seems to be innocent She told
very straight story at the inquest yester-
day morning and Notwithstanding rig
i'd cross examination, conducted by Acting
Coroner Sheftan and members Of the jury,
Sic ull nOb Inter AOA NLAehLA50 A%SA obC-
ry in the slightest
THE CORONER's INVESTIGATION.
Coroner Sheftall held the inquest at
his Office yesterday morning. The jury
was composed of L. r. Robinson, fore
man S. Silverfeld, Chas. E. Mallette,
H Kravitz, Edward Coleman, f. +.
Watts, Geo w Titcomb, W. G. Sutlive,
James NJ. Humphreys, J. e. CampOs, j.
i Cine and Harry Palmer
Policeman Lysaught, of the Ocean
steamship police, was the first witness
examined. He simply testified
as to hearing the shots . and
finding the dead man, and after
wards arresting Elidia Williams, the
murdered mans wife.
G. Moore an employee of the Central,
testified that few moments before the
shooting he saw a couple of men scuffling
in the road. He did not know who they
were at the time. A few minutes after
the scuffling there were two pistol shots.
The two negroes ran One fell about
twenty feet from the track and
his hand He did not know the
negro with the pistol A short
time before the shooting a man and
two women had been skylarking around
for an hour or 50. He did not see them
after the shooting. He was between
forty and fifty yards from the man who
fred the pistol Both shots came from
the same pistol about the same time.
''Is STEVE DEAD2"
The woman who claimed to have been
the wife of the dead man came up imme-
diately and asked, as Steve dead7"
Moore told her he was not dead, but in
sensible.
G. E. Burdette testified that few
minutes before II o'clock he was going
home from the city He boards with Po-
hceman Joues on Bay street, and passed
a woman standing on the track at Bay
street, and passed on and crossed the
road at the next crossing. He had gone
a few steps when he heard two pistol
shots. Turning to see what caused the
shots, he heard wOman's cry, "Stop
him" He saw two men coming.
AS one passed under the electric
light he saw he had q pistol
in his hand He called to him to halt.
He did not stop and Burdette turned to
see where the other man was. He had
fallen in the road, and BurdeJte ran back
to him. He was lying on his face in the
wagon rut. Burdette, Moore and Mr.
Lamon turned him over. He was yet
breathing. The woman who calls him
her husband, came up and asked il he
was dead. Burdette replied that he was
not, but would be in few minutes. She
turned and started toward the city
screaming. The dying man when turned
over had a one-bladed Barlow knife open
in his right hand.
THE WIDOWS STORY.
Elidia the dead mans wife, testified in
substance the same as her statement
made to a MORNING News reporter at
the barracks and published yesterday
morning.
The coroner's jury found the following
verdict
1--WE the jury find that the deceased
came to his death from a gunshot wound
IN the hands of party or parties un-
known to US, and we consider it murder"
No arrests have been made, but the
detectives are at work on the case
Elidia Williams was released from Gus
tody, as there was no evidence on which
TO hold her.