The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-26
CHARGED WITH MURDER.
F. F. SChaTf Arrested in Savannah on
Suspicion by Detective Wooster.

NNeNN-s
He is Charged With Being the Princi-
pal in the Murder of John Jackson at
oliver Six Weeks Ago-A Strong
Combination of Evidence Against
Him-Three Negroes Under Arrest
at oliver as His Accomplices-Henry
Archer Swears That Scharf Gave
Him Jackson's Pistol to Keep His
Mouth Shuttle Be Taken to Oliver
To-day.
The MORNING News announced yester-
day morning that it was believed that
the murderers of !. A. Jackson, the
young merchant Of Oliver had been dis
covered and that all but one of them were
under arrest, the missing party being a
white man who was believed to be the
principal in the crime.
This one was arrested in Savannah
yesterday morning by Detective G. A
Wooster, of Atlanta, who has been search
ing for him for three weeks. His name
ST. L. Scharf and this is the third time
he has been arrested for the crime He
had Just arrived in Savannah and 50 had
the detective. The latter met his man
on Drayton street in front of the Mer-
chants National Bank and put him under
arrest Scharf was taken to the bar
racks and locked up for safe keeping. He
will be taken to Oliver by Detective
Wooster this morning for preliminary
examination.
Scharf is an itinerant piano tuner, and
has been working throughout South
Georgia and Florida for several months.
He was at Oliver on the night of the N ur-
der, and was arrested a day or two after
on suspicion There was no evidence
against him, however, and he was re-
leased. He was arrested again several
days later on the statement of a negro
woman that he had given her a bloody
shirt to wash a day or two after the muir
der. He was taken before the grand
jury of Scriven county, which was then
in session at Sylvania The womans
testimony was very conflicting, however,
and besides it was shown that Scharf had
no white shirt, and that the only shirt he
had was the one on his back. He was re-
leased again and came to Savannah.
STORY OF THE PISTOL.
Last Fridays MORNING News CON
tanned a dispatch from Oliver which
stated that a MIR Hill, a gunsmith OF
Bulloch county, had brought there MIR
Jackson's pistol, which, he stated, had
been brought to him for repairs by ne
gro named J. s. Johnson. Johnson
was arrested and stated that he
had bought the pistol from Henry Archer,
a negro of Oliver Archer was arrested
and at first denied all knowledge of the
pistol, besides making an unsuccessful
attempt 10 escape. He afterward de-
clared that the pistol had been given TO
him by Scharf. Archer continued to let
out the story by piecemeal, resulting in
the arrest Of two other negroes and re-
newal of the efforts 10 apprehend Scharf
Archers story was to the effect that on
the night of the murder he went to the
house of Henry Butler, who lives almost
in the rear of Jacksons store.
George Jenkins, who had just escaped
from the chain gang, was with Butler,
and the two men were drinking
Presently Butler sent Jenkins of after
something, and when he returned he
broughtswith him a hammer which was
the hammer he declared jackson was
killed with. While he was there Scharf
came up and began talking and drinking
with the negroes. Scharf, he said, made
him leave, telling him that when he
was out of trouble he had better
stay out, and not be mixing up where
he was not wanted. Archer declared
that he then left and that he knew no
more about the doings Of the men until
two or three night afterward, when
Scharf called him OF in the dark and
gave him present, telling him at the
same time to keep his mouth shut The
present proved to be Jackson's pistol.
Archer was shrewd enough to dispose of
the pistol TO Bulloch county negro. but
his shrewdness was not quite far reach
ing enough, and led to his arrest.
sCHARF THE MISSING LINK.
Henry Butler, at whose house Archer
claimed TO have met the men, was
arrested in Oliver. George jenkins, the
negro who had escaped from the chain
gang in Bulloch county, had been recap
tured and was back on the gang He was
secured on a warrant for murder and
was brought TO Oliver. Scharf was the
only man missing then and there was
little hope of finding him, as he had not
been heard of since being released from
custody at Sylvania. Circumstantial
evidence had developed shortly after his
release which made the authorities more
anxious to secure him than ever, in spite
Of the fact that he had been twice ar
rested and twice released.
jackson was murdered Tuesday night,
June TO- Scharf, had been in the
neighborhood about two week. On the
night OF the murder he stopped at the
house Of DR.. s. J. Lanier, not far from
Jackson's store. There was another
young man in the room with
him named Barnwell who had
come TO DR.. Lanier for treatment
He got up twice in the night and went
out. When he got up the second time,
about 2o'clock in the morning, he found
that his roommate was missing When
he came back he found Scharf undressing
He asked him where he had been, and
Scharf replied that he had not been able
10 sleep and had gone out for a walk. He
also remarked that he was satisfied some
thing terrible was going to happen The
young man took no particular notice of
this at the time, and in the excitement
consequent upon the discovery of the
murder the incident passed out of his
mind until he heard afterward of the sus-
picion that had attached TO Scharf
AT THE SCENE OF THE MURDER.
Scharf was up very early the next
morning, and was one of the first to reach
the scene of the murder. He was very
active in his efforts to apprehend the
murderers, going so far as to scour the
country with his hired horse and buggy.
He was one of the party that arrested the
white boy, Samuel Edmonson, of Macon,
and the three negro tramps, who came
1.-fw. L. L.