The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-16
JONES HELD FOR MURDER.
He Was Acquitted Of a Charge in
the Superior Court.

|
Asking That He Be Held For Murder.
Sheriff Miller Will Come UP For Him
To-day-Declared Not Guilty of As
saulting Detective Bosseu With In
tent to Murder-A Batch of Criminals
In the Superior Court,
Thomas Jones, the negro who shot at
Detective Geo. Bossell on the morning of
July %, was on trial yesterday in the su-
perior court, charged with assault with
intent to murder, and on his acquittal of
that charge he was held on telegram
from Sheriff Miller of Ware county, say
ing that he was wanted there for murder.
| Jones' case was a peculiar one. Sunday
morning, July %, some one told Detective
Bossel that he was down in Yamacraw
trying to shoot woman. The detective
and viii Stevenson, one of his men, went
down to capture him. They ran him out
of the house, several shots were exchang-
ed in the pursuit, and Jones was finally
arrested by Detective Morgan, running
around the corner right into his arms.
There was great deal of conflicting
testimony in the case and it was hard for
the jury to tell whom to believe. Willie
Stevenson and Jones did the shooting,
one at another, Detective Bossell having
been unable to discharge his pistol in the
| pursuit. One of the witnesses swore that
Bossell handed the pistol to Stevenson
and told him to pursue Jones, and another
Swore that Stevenson asked the detective
to give him the pistol for that purpose.
Lee Paige, negro who was shot during
the fray by stray ball, swore positively
that he was there and saw it all and that
Stevenson had fired the first shot. Waiter
Davis, who was supposed to have been
assisting in the capture, was equally as
positive that Jones had fired the first
shot.
SOME AMUSING TESTIMONY.
Davis was asked by Mr.. T. S. Morgan,
counsel for the defense, if he associated
with Stevenson.
No" he replied, work for my bread. :"
| Davis said on cross examination that
the prisoner had been struck by Detec-
tive Bossell while Detective Morgan had
| him under arrest and that blood had been
drawn from his head by the blow which
was struck him with billy. Stevenson,
he said, also struck the negro. When
asked whereabouts in the street he lived
Davis replied:
'I live on the left hand side going up
and on the right hand side going down"
Davis gave very graphic description of
the appearance of the locality where the
shooting occurred.
1.-THE street was decorated with peo-
pie, f." he said, "There were about as many
there as the street would hold All the
colored people make for a thing like that
the same as they do when the red maria
| comes along.
Attorney Morgan asked some questions
about Jones running from the pistol and
a man named Denmark replied by asking
him in very vociferous terms if he would
stand up in front of cannon. He then
walked down to the solicitors desk, pro-
ceeded to pick up the pistol used
by the prisoner which was
laying there and was going
to give Mr.. Morgan graphic picture of the
situation as it appeared to him when the
shots were being fired. He was stopped,
however, and the court and its audience
missed what might have been an amusing
!, illustration.
Denmark, it seemed. saw very little of
the fracas, and didn't know much
about it,
'You don't know anything about it,
then, - said Mr. Morgan, concluding.
Il know what l know and have said,
Mr.. Morgan" replied Denmark, land l
don't care whether you consider that any
thing or not"
HELD FOR MURDER.
Stevenson, the spotter, got some
pretty hard raps from the crowd in the
|
negroes were all down on him, and it
seemed that he was suspected of making
the assault instead of Jones'
The important question was as to who
fired the first shot Detective Bossen, it
appeared from his own evidence, had tried
to shoot Jones, but his pistol failed to fire.
! He then gave it to Stevenson, who ran af-
ter Jones and the shooting began. Jones
claimed that he did not fire the first shot,
but only fired in self defense. Detective
Bossell admitted that he struck Jones
with his billy afer Morgan had him, but
said he did it because he thought Jones
was resisting arrest and trying to escape
Stevenson, it seems, left the city just
after the shooting, and Detective BosselI
said that he had gone up to Columbia, S.
! c., to work up a case for 81 Basch.
The speeches in the case were brief and
the Judge charged the jury that the main
points in the case were as to who fired
the first shot, as to whether Jones fred
/ in self defense, and as to whether the
prisoner had been sufficiently notified
whether the men after him were officers
of the law.
The jury came back within few min
utes with verdict of not guilty and the
gallery gods Immediately set up such a
deafening cheer that the court officials had
to order silence.
Solicitor Fraser then read a telegram
from Sheriff S. F. Miller of Ware county
asking if Thomas Jones, alias Columbus
Newkirk, was acquitted. that he be held
for Identification as muir
| derer who was wanted at Way
cross. Judge Falligant decided that this
was sufficient to warrant holding him,
and he was sent back to Jail
Sheriff Roman wired Sheriff Miller last
} night that Jones had been acquitted and
: told him to send an officer up at once to
identify him. Sheriff Miller will send up
for Jones this morning and if he is the
man wanted he will be taken back to
Waycross tonight. Jones left the court
persisting that he knew nothing about
the case and that he was the wrong man.
This case has been talked about for some
time, but none Of the officers at the iail
know anything about the crime for which
Jones is wanted at Waycross.
Other Superior Court Criminals.
John Brown, who cut up CHRISTOPHER
Stewart in a Sunday fracas on Aug 6.