The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-05
TO PLEAD SELF-DEFENSE.
Williams Tells His Story Of the Kill
ing Of Eliza Martin.

Lawrence NlllldmS, the slayer OF EdlLd
Martin, colored. in Savannah, on Dec.
last. is now behind the bars Of Chatham
county Jail He arrived from Augusta
last night in charge of Detective Morgan.
The train was late. and it was after
O'Clock when Detective Morgan arrived
at the Jail with his prisoner. A Morning
News reporter was in waiting when he
arrived Il is a rule at the Jail that no
newspaper reporter shall be allowed to
talk with prisoner, unless the latter has
first stated his willingness to see him.
When Jailer Kinchley informed Will
Jams that a MORNING News reporter was
there and inquired if he wished to see
him. Williams replied very readily in the
affirmative. He is tall, slender young
fellow, with blue eyes and dark auburn
hair. and is not the hard
looking customer he has been
pictured to be- He has a slight growth of
beard at the chin, which appears to be re-
cent He had a downcast appearance,
but talked in calm and unconcerned
manner. He was cautious and reserved
in his statements and appeared to desire
not TO say anything that might prejudice
his case.
NOT ALL TRUE.
Gan these statements which have been
published in Augusta as coming from
me" he said, ARE not true. l did not
say all the things that they reported /
said. had a short talk with a reporter
there, in which l acknowledged the kill
ing, but that was all. ~
Williams then made a statement Of the
killing and the incidents that led up to it,
but not a very clear one. This woman"
he said, had been logging me
for months and worrying the life
out of me. | did not like her
and l don't know how | came TO get
mixed up with her l had been intimate
with her about year and a half. She
was very jealous and was continually
worrying me about other women and
making threats against me if | did not
stop going with them. She would come
up TO me on the streets, and one day al
most pulled me of the street car on
which was running. This caused me
TO resign my position with the railway
company, and l determined to leave the
city TO get rid of her"
SAYS HE WASN'T DRINKING.
1t is not true that l was drinking or
that made any threats against her, the
day | killed her | had made threats
against her before in the hope of brighten
ing her off. ] had been around her house
more or less that day. When / went
there that evening she attacked
me about having been somewhere else.
denied it, and she got mad and drew a
pistol out of her stocking. | thought she
was about to shoot me and drew knife
which | always carried with me and at
tackled her"
Il don't know how many times l struck
her or where | struck her" continued
Williams u left her in the room.
floor when l attacked her and
picked it up and carried it away with
me- IL was 3S-caliber Richards & Car
rington revolver, and was the one found
on me when ! surrendered TO the police in
Augusta. When examined it after got
out OF town found that it had only three
cartridges in it,"
where did you go after leaving the
housel' Williams was asked.
II went right out home after leaving
the house, he replied. Il got $40 from
my mother, and only remained there a
few minutes l started to 90 TO
Charleston, and walked out to
Monteith, where l camped for
the night. The next morning / read the
account of the killing in the MORNING
NEWS, and stayed at Montieth until Sun
day night when | came back to Savannah
on the Charleston and Savannah railroad.
/ got here about o'clock in the morning.
and walked all over the town, but met no
one knew, | then went out home, where
remained until Tuesday night, when [
LETT, going TO Spartanburg, S. c., where
spent most of the time"
WENT TO AUGUSTA
Were you in Augusta at any time be-
fore you gave yourself up}" he was asked.
II was there for a short while, only one
day. he replied.
Did you 80 to Martha Martins house
In Augusta and shoot into the door be-
cause she would not let you in?"
mo, was not in Augusta when that
shooting was SAID to have taken place"
Where else did you go after leaving
Savannah
Il went to Charleston once. went
where l pleased, and Travelled about on
the trains in open daylight. / did not try
to conceal myself. No one ever molested
me, and ! never heard Of any officers or
detectives being after me. They did not
trouble me at all"
What made YOU give yourself up?"
Williams was asked.
Il thought it would be the best thing to
do, he said. Il wanted to have my trial
and have it over with"
From the manner in which Williams
spoke, he does not appear to have any
great apprehension as to the results of
his trial.
WILL MAKE DEFENSE.
u shall get a lawyer" he said, land
make as good a defense as possible /
thought the woman was going to shoot
me when / attacked her, and | acted in
self-defense.'
Williams said that he will not be 20
years old until next September
Il was born at Monteith near Savan-
nah, in 1874, " he said, land have lived in
and near Savannah all my life | did car
penter work for a while until l got a
place on the Belt Line road. worked there
until the strike last summer when / quit,
but afterwards went back to work
worked for the Electric railway for a
while after it bought the Belt Line, but
quit because / had to 20 to work
at o'clock in the morning. ! afterwards
got Mr.. Mcfarland to put me back on. but
resigned month before the killing, as |
intended to leave Savannah to get away
from that woman and Williams state
ment last night is very similar to thatpub-
lished in the Augusta Herald of Saturday.
but does not tally in all particulars.
He IS quoted as follows: ION the dav
OF the killing, Dec. Sth, about o'clock
in the afternoon, Eliza and had a quar-
rel. then made up my mind that
would kill her | stayed in the house un-
til about o'clock and then taking
up butcher knife that ! carried
with me, walked up to her right side
while she was sitting on a chair l then