The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-22
FOUR SMALL BOYS WITH A GUN
ar SEE. FOOLED WITH THE Pts
TOL, AND THEN THERE WE'RE
THREE.

rock and Bull story That the Kill
tns. Was Done by White Men First
ToId by the Survivors, But After
ard ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Put
Them Through, Get the Truth and
Lock Them Up-CIaimed TO Have
Reen an Accident.
Augusta, Ga, July 21.-Hamburg. the
,,.te old town across the river, which,
.,sr since the famous Hamburg riot Of
,s-s has been furnishing crimes and SEN
cations, added a mysterious killing to
che list to-day. Four negro boys went
s,v,n the railroad track walking this
evening. and when they returned three
Of them were bearing the dead body Of
the fourth.
According to the story told by the ne
gro boys, a white man or boy did the
t,uing. and then ran off. They say that
all four of them had gone for a walk
down the South Carolina and Georgia
-ailroad track and sat down on the cross
,iss of a trestle, not far from Deadfall,
which is about one mile from Augusta.
,.ort Of a pistol in a clump of trees in
front of them, and an instant later Simp-
kins put his hand to his breast and
called out: Il am killed.
The three boys rushed to him, and his
cousin Guilford Simpkins, tore open his
shirt and discovered that he had been
shot. as blood was slowly oozing from
a small bullet hole in the boys
right breast. They got water
for him and in little while
started TO carry him to his home, which
is about three-quarters of a mile from the
scene of the shooting. Before they reach
ell the boys home he died.
simpkins was about Is years old, but
rather large for his age. His father is
named John Simpkins and is a respecta-
bic colored citizen of Hamburg.
Shortly after the boys started home with
Smpkins they met a white man on the
railroad track. He asked them how the
boy was wounded, and they told him that
a white man had done the shooting. Their
story was the same as they afterwards
told at the house. All three of, the boys
swore that just after Simpkins was shot
they saw three or four white men in the
bushes opposite, and as soon as the boy
gave signs of being seriously hurt these
men ran in the direction of the river.
It was believed, however, that one Of
the three boys did the deed, perhaps by
accident, and that they are afraid to ac-
knowledge how the killing was done.
On that showing the three boys, Gull
ford Simpkins, Henry Campfield and
Willie James were arrested and
locked up until further
examination can be had. Several
officers did all in their power to shake
the boys in their story, but they stuck
to IL.
At the scene of the killing which was
visited by the officers, an empty pistol
cartridge was picked up on the railroad
track, and when again the boys were
confronted with this clew. and closely
Questioned, they broke down in their
story and admitted that they had done
the killing, but claim it was purely an
accident. Campheld stated that he was
playing with the pistol and that it "some-
how went off. After that they say that
they were so thoroughly frightened that
they did not know what to do, so they
decided to make up the story that they
told at first about the white man.
After telling the facts as to the shoot
ing, Guilford Simpkins carried Mr.. But
Ter to place in the woods where he had
hidden the pistol The boys are in jail,
and the hiding of the pistol and concoct-
ing story about the killing raises a
doubt about whether it was accidental.
The coroner will sift the evidence obtain
able as fully as possible tomorrow.