The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-02
DAILY si0 YEAR 4
( 5 CENTS A COPY
I WEEKLY. 2-TIMES-A-WEER. YEAR 4
HIGHHANDED MURDER.
Six Chained and DelenCGleSS Negro
Prisoners ButCheTed.

Accused Of Arson, They Were on the
Way to the MaEistrf te's When
Brutality Shot Down-one of Them
Threw His Arms Around the Drivers
Neck and Begged for Llfe-The Guard
Protested Against Their Murder Un-
availingly.
Memphis, Tenn, Sept six negro
barn burners were taken from the Gus
tody Of officers at Millington last night
and shot to death by mob of unknown
men. Millington is a village in the north
ern part of Shelby county, on the Chesa-
peake, Ohio and Southwestern railroad.
Recently there have been number OF
fires in the vicinity Of Millington under
such circumstances as TO indicate that
they were the work of an organized gang
of incendiaries. Cotton gins, numerous
barns and other outhouses and one or two
dwellings have been burned, and the dia-
bolical work eliminated in the destruc-
tiou Of the buildings on the fair grounds
at Millington.
Several negroes were charged with
completely in these deeds of arson, and
yesterday evening Deputy Sheriff Rich
ardson arrested Dan Hawkins, Glenn
White, Warner Williams, John Hughes.
Ed Hall and Robert Haines, all colored,
on warrants charging them with the
crime. The arrests were made at Kee-
vile, which is a station on the Ches.
apeake and Ohio and Southwestern rail.
road below Millington. The prisoners
were to have had preliminary hearing
before justice of the peace at Millington
to-day. The deputy and one guard, a
white man named Atkins, started for that
point, carrying the prisoners, who were
chained together in a wagon.
As the party neared the Big creek
bridge, very lonely spot in dense for
est and cane brake, almost a Jungle. n
voice from out the thioket was heard to
say;
"Turn to the right-the bridge 10
down"
The deputy who was on horseback,
ordered Atkins, who drove the wagon
containing the prisoners, to turn into a
narrow road leading TO the fork. AS ha
did so a band Of about fifty armed men
appeared and demanded the prisoners.
The deputy demonstrated with those who
seemed to be the leaders of the mob, and
protested against any violence, but to no
purpose. While the officer was being
held under cover of revolvers, the
rest Of the mob drew their weapons, and
opened a murderous fire on the defense
less prisoners. One of the prisoners,
Hawkins, threw his arms about the
white driver imploring protection, when
one of the mob placing revolver close to
his head blew the top Of his skull off. The
men were not masked, but neither the
deputy nor the driver, Atkins, recognized
any OF them. None Of them live In that
community, and 1t was quite dark where
the murderous work was done. Deputy
Richardson Immediately apprised the
Justice of the peace of what had been
done. The jury was summoned, consist
ing OF four negroes and eight white men.
and an inquest held. The verdict was in
accordance with the facts as detailed by
the only witnesses
CLOSELY QUESTIONED.
Judge Cooper OF the criminal court
summoned Deputy Sheriff Richardson be-
fore him to-day and questioned him
closely concerning the lynching.
The Judge is prepared to issue bench
warrants for the arrest of all the parties
reasonably suspected OF being concerned
in the crime. Az ] 80 o'clock this after
noon Detective Richardson was arrested
on bench warrant issued by Judge
Cooper, charged with being an accessory.