The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-28
THE COUNCIL BELIEVED THEM.
The Madison square Boys Acquitted

! The eight Madison square boys who were
fined 50 each by Recorder Wilson on the
charge OF assaulting and beating Patience
Simmons, a colored nurse. Friday after
noon, June II. were unanimously acquitted
by the city council yesterday afternoon.
The council chose to believe the stories
of tho seven boys. all Of whom gave
! straightforward and evidently truthful ac-
counts of the affair rather than the stories
told by the two negro nurses, Patience
Simmons and Josie Bell.
The council met TO hear the appeal cases
of the boys at o'clock. The following
members were present:
Mayor Myers. Aldermen Falligant, Wat
son. Carolan, Willink. Screven, Bacon.
Tiedeman, Lamotte. Garrard
The boys interested were Dan Hull. Dick
! Charlton, Tattnall Pritchard, Percy HUI
ger. Steele White, Rex White, Langdon
! Viewer and Berren Glover The boys were
| all present, accompanied by their fathers
/ and a number of their playmates.
Mr.. Walter G. Charlton, Mr.. w. c. Hart
| ridge, and Col. j. l.. Whatlcy were present
/ as council for the boys.
| Lieut.. O. h. Reilly was the first witness
| called for the city. He was in Madison
square just after the row. He was riding
| down Bull street on the afternoon of June
IA, when he noticed a large crowd gathered
| in the square. He went there to investi-
| gate and met the woman, Patience Sim
| mons who began to tell him of the attack
on her by the boys. Dan Hull had come up
! before the woman, and she pointed him
out as one of her assailants. Percy Huger
and Dick Charlton came up, and she also
charged them with being in the party
Patience told her story of the affair She
said that 1t began by the boys chunking
china berries at her. One of them hit the
child she had in her arms. She asked them
TO stop, and one of them cursed her for a
- black -" She was sitting on a stool
and threatened to throw 1t at the boys
one of them tried to take it away from
her, and she hit him with it. Then the stool
was jerlled away from her and she was
struck several ticks from all sides.
Patience was rather uncertain in her
identification of the boys, but managed to
make out that all the boys had taken some
part in the row except Dan Hull. She said
that Steele White, Dick Charlton and Rex
| White were three of the boys who hit her
She acknowledged catching Rex White in
| the collar and choking him. Patience said
there were several chairs and stools in the
| square used by nurses which were used on
| her by the boys.
1t was brought out Of Patience by ques-
| tioning that when the boys would not stop
| throwing berries at her she threw her stool
at Tat Pritchard. She also cursed another
| boy for 60 cracker
| Sappho Mongin, colored, testified to hav-
ing her attention attracted by a row in the
| square She saw Tat Pritchard throwing
| berries at Patience and the latter pick up
| her stool to throw it. Then a crowd of boys
| rushed up to Patience and closed in on
her. She could not tell what happened af-
| forwards.
Josie Bell, eolored, the nurse who
was with Patience, said that Tat
| Pritchard started the row by throw
1 ing china berries at Patience. She told
| him If he didn't stop she would lick him.
| He threw another berry and then she
| threw her stool at him. She missed Pritch-
ard, and hit Rex White who ran up and
| asked her If she meant to hit him. She
| said no at first, but when he hit her on the
| arm with his hand she said yes, and caught
him in the collar, and commenced beating
him with her fist Dick Charlton was one of
| those who ran up and struck Patience
with a STOOL she said.
| Rex White told the story of the row on
| the part of the boys. He said that 615
| o'clock, on the afternoon of the row the
boys were playing in the square throwing
| china berries at each other. One of them
| struck this woman. She got up and COM
menced cursing. one of the boys told her
to stop. cursing, that there were some girls
| on the other side of the monument She
said mo, wont, I'll kill you" The boys
| walked off and commenced throwing her
ries at each other again. Presently anoth-
| or berry struck the woman. She 1umped
up and threw her stool, striking him on the
leg He ran up and asked her If she meant
| to hit him with the stool. She replied
Yes, and I'll kill you" He hit her with
chair and she caught hold of him and
choked him and threw him over a baby
carriage. His brother Steele ran up and
pulled him out and then they walked off to-
gether. He was just out of a sick bed at
the time.
Steele White corrOborated his brothers
statement. When his brother called for
help he went to his assistance When he
ran up he received a blow in the head
from a stool. There were a number of girls
in the square at the time, he said:
Tat Pritchard said that three boys were
throwing berries in the square when one of
them hit the woman and she commenced
cursing and threw a stool at the bows
Rex White ran up and she caught hold
of him and commenced choking him.
Rex was black in the face. He called
for help and ran in with Steele White to
help the latters brother. The witness de-
MED positively that he threw any berries
at the woman. The boys were throwing
berries a the girls, he said
Langdon Weaver said that all the bows
were in the square at the time, some of
them throwing berries, and one of them
hit Patience and she began cursing and
refused to stop when asked. Then another
berry struck her and she threw a stool
striking Rex White on the leg When Rex
called for assistance. he ran up to help
him. Josie Bell struck him with a stool
He then got hold of the stool and struck
back, hitting her, and the blow glancing off
struck Patience Simmons on the head.
Dick Charlton corroborated the story Of
the other boys. He said he was not in
the fight at all; neither were Dan Hull nor
Percy Huger.
Percy Huger said he had nothing to do
with the fight. Dan Hull said the same
thing. He asked Patience to stop cursina
She said she wouldn't, and he walked off
Mr.. Charlton said that the bows bad
had no trial until they were brought he
fore council. They had been in the court
he said, but, as a matter of fact. had had
no trial Mr. Charlton said h -