The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-20
SHINALL BADLY WANTED.
His Arrest REEVES an Old Sensation
in Legal and Political Circles.

He Was the States Main Witness
Against Justice Thomas J. Sheftal,
Who Was Indicted for Malpractice
in Office in 1sSs-Detective Bossell
Says That the Case Against Justice
sheftall Will Be Revived and Shin
all Reid as a Witness.
The arrest of William Shinall in the
raid on Chasserow's place Saturday
night revives an old sensation in Chatham
county, which is already being discussed
by those who remembered Shinans con-
nection with the case.
Shlnall was the principal witness
against Justice Thomas j. Sheftall in 1888.
when the latter was charged with NAL
practice and the extortion of money by
illegal arrests. Justice Sheftall was in
dicted by the grand jury in February of
that year Shinall was one of the
men upon whom it was charged that
eXtOrtion had been practiced. He was
running a gaming house in Savannah at
that time. 1t developed in some way that
he had been arrested on the charge of
gambling, on warrant sworn out by
Justice SheftaIl, and that the charge had
been dismissed and no return of the case
made to the clerk of the court
INDICTED AND SKIPPED OUT.
1t was said at the time that Shinan
squealed because he thought he was be-
ing hit too heavy by the justice Shinall
was subsequently indicted for gambling
and skipped out to South Carolina. An
effort was made to extradite him. but
g. a
tradition papers. Hon. +. G. duBignon was
solicitor general at the time, and he
evinced determination to push the case
against Justice Sheftall for all it was
worth. 1t was charged that Sheftall
was being paid by County Treasurer
Waring Russell to remain away from
Savannah, and certain correspond
ence purporting to have passed between
Shinall and Mr.. Russell was published
Mr. Russell denied the charge and
asserted that Shinall had endeavored to
blackmail him on the threat of returning
to Savannah to testify against bis
nephew.
Mr.. duDignon succeeded in securing
Shinals voluntary return to Sa-
vannah in July, 1888, for the
purpose of testifying against Jus
tice Sheftall, the solicitor general Civ
ing him guarantee that he should not be
| arrested while here upon the other
charges against him.
sHINALL RELEASED.
The late Judge Adams, who was then
on the bench, set the case for trial for
| Aug. 2, and when that date arrived
! Justice Sheftall was not to be found He
| had left the city, and was said to have
| gone to Alabama. Under the law
! Shinall could not be detained in custody
until the next term of the court, and he
was released upon his promise to return
and testify al that time. He left the
city and has not been here since, so far
as known, until his arrest Saturday
night. Justice Sheftall returned to the
city after the affair had blown over and
resumed his duties as magistrate.
Mr. duBignon furnished the MORNING
News for publication the correspon-
dence which Shanall had received from
| Mr. Ruessell. One letter signed "W r. -
and directing Shinall to address all his
letters to Warning Russell, Savannah,
Ga, stated that the writer
had sent loan of 5000 bv
i Taylor. Shinall, in statement to a
| MORNING News reporter said that Mr..
Russell had paid him $500 at Bath, S. c.,
and that he had received $500 more from
Nez Taylor at Columbia, S. c., which he
believed TO have been sent him by Mr.
| Russell.
Detective Bossell called attention to the
story last night, and stated that ne would
request the recorder TO place Shinall un-
der a heavy bond TO appear as witness in
the case against Justice Sheftall, which
Is still upon the docket and which, he
says, will be pushed at the next term of
! COurt