The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-26
THE CHAIN OF EVIDENCE.
10 Witness Found Who Saw SChWaTz
Shoot Agnes Mcknight.

Evidences Strong Enough to Justify a
Verdict of Murder-Statements of
Threats Which Schwarz Is Said to
Have Made Against the Woman.
As the result OF his rash act. according
10 the testimony given at the coroner
inquest over the body Of Agnes Mcknight
yesterday morning. held at a house in
Indian street lane. near West Boundary
street. William Schwarz is now behind
the bars of prison cell. charged with
the crime Of murder.
The evidence seems TO show that the
crime was premeditated one. though It
IS probable that the influence Of liquor
and the wandering of a crazed brain had
something TO do with it. Schwarz. 1t
seems. had been intimate with the woman.
they had had several quarrels. and in a
last fit OF Jealousy, coupled with the raw
ings of a brain under the influence of
liquor, he sought her out and fired the
fatal shot
Coroner Dixon summoned a jury Of in
quest yesterday morning at 10 O'Clock. at
the house of the woman's sister. in Indian
street lane. three doors west of West
Boundary. in the very worst part Of Yam
acraw. where the body was lying The
jury was composed OF George W. Drum
mond, foreman, a. D'Antignac, c. F.
Pritchard, John r. Martin. H. L. Bennett
and c. z. Marmelstein. The first evidence
heard was that of Dan Rivers, eolored.
Rivers statement was TO the effect that
he knew the woman, Agnes Mcknight
and that she lived in that neighborhood.
lie said he was sitting in Dick Genken's
bar about 1880 O'Clock on Monday night
Among those he mentioned as being in
the bar were Otto and John Genken and
William Schwarz. schwarz, be said was
talking to a white man named Robinson,
and had a drink on the bar. Rivers said
he went TO him and touched him on the
shoulder. In reply TO a question, he said
Schwarz made the remark: Yes, this is
it" and pointed to the pistol which he
then took and put in his right hip pocket
Rivers said Schwarz told him he had given
Agnes a watch and chain, the chain cost
ing SO but he did not remember what the
cost of the watch was. Schwarz then told
him that he went TO the woman's house
and saw her hugging a negro man,
A part Of Schwartz statement, as Riv-
ers gave it, is as follows: u told her /
did not like that, and she threw
a piece of zinc a me, and told me I could
go She gave me my things, and Ibid
not have my pistol, but / went home
and got it, and I'm going to stay here
if it's till o'clock in the morning, and
shoot her in the foot, or leg, or some
thing"
Rivers said Schwarz then left the bar.
and in about fifteen minutes he himself
went out and saw Schwarz standing at
the corner of Indian street lane. Rivers
went into the woman's house, according
10 his statement, being called by the sis
ter of the woman who was killed, and
sat down and began 10 talk. He asked
where Agnes was, and within few min
utes he heard three pistol shots. lie ran
out of the house and went to West Bound
airy, near Mill street where he found the
woman lying on the ground. as he believed,
dead. 1t was reported all around, he said,
that schwarz shot her, but Rivers did
not see it done What was said between
him and Schwarz In the bar, Rivers said,
was loud enough for any one who was
inside to hear.
Dick Genken. proprietor of the place,
said he was up town and got back about
1880 o'clock. He heard some shooting
had been done, but he had forgotten what
had been said.
Otto Geffken described the bar and gro
Gerry and said that John Geffl1en and John
Schlattenberg. a clerk, were in the place.
and that several colored and white people
We're there. He heard Schwarz called,
but did not speak to him. He sad he did
not see Schwarz drinking. He saw moth
ing in Schwarz's hand, he said but he
heard three shots fired outside and then
heard woman cry out He went across
the street and saw a woman lying there,
apparently dead. He heard it stated that
white man shot her.
John Gehken said he worked in Geff-
ken's store. He stated that Otto and
Henry Geffken We're there during the
evening. Schwarz, he said, was slightly
drunk about O'Clock, when he saw him.
He said he had been up town. but when he
returned he saw body on the ground
near Mill street He was told that Schwarz
shot the woman.
John Schnackenberg, a clerk in the bar
room, said he went up town at ITO clock
with John Geffken, and al that time
Boss Dick and Henry Geffken We're in the
store He said several colored men were
IN the bar, but he did not see Schwarz.
Mabel Stevens was the next witness.
and an important one. as she was with
Agnes Mcknight just before the shooting
took place. She said she went up town
with Agnes at II o'clock and they re-
turned within a few minutes. Before
they went up town, about 10 O'Clock she
said Schwarz went into Agnes house and
said to her: You black - -, you
made me pay for a SO watch and chain
for you, and when l come home l catch
you standing on the corner talking to
some man. -- you, I'm going to Kill
--os-."
1t was after this that the two women
went up town. When they returned, she
said Agnes stopped on the corner of In
dian street lane and she told her to come
on as Schwarz had said he was going to
kin her, but the woman would not
come, and the Stevens woman
Went to her own home and left Agnes on
the corner. She said that Schwarz passed
her door and asked where Agnes was.
She replied she did not know and went in.
= few minutes later she said she heard
three pistol shots and went out to find
what the other witnesses had found
The Stevens woman stated that a week
ago Schwarz was in the house just east
of hers and she heard him at that time
threaten Agnes life. Last Saturday night
week ago she heard a pistol shot and
shortly afterward Schwarz went by and
said he had fired the shot at Agnes.
Mary Mcknight, the sister of the dead