The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-20
IHE VERDICT HANGS EIRE.
THE CORONER's JURY PROVES To
he An INHARMONIOUS ONE.

the Immediate Cause of Harris
Death Was 9IaIariaI Fever aud
That His Death Was Not Caused ny
the WhiPpings He Received-SOme
Of the Jury Charge Brutal Treat
ment ON the Part of the Guards
and Want TO Condemn the state Of
Affairs There Nothing New
brought ont by the Evidence.
The coroner's jury on the inquiry into
the cause Of the death of Joe Harris at
convict camp No 1 failed 10 bring in a
verdict last night
After spending over two hours in wran-
CLING. the jury stood to 8 on the verdict.
Jurors Theus. Kennedy and Hoyle being
one way and Jurors O'Keefe. Alulligau ami
McNany the other way.
All Of the jurors were Of the opinion that
the immediate cause Of Harris death was
malarial fever. and that his death was
not caused by the whippinss that he re-
oeved from the guards. After much dis
cussion it was agreed to add that his treat
ment at the hands OF the guards was
unnecessarily severe and brutal. When IL
was proposed to bring in this verdict.
Jurors O'Keefe. McNauy and AIulligan
insisted upon fixing the negligence ana
culpability for Harris death, TO which
Jurors Theus. Kennedy and Hoyle would
not agree. AT $50 o'clock Coroner Goatte
acceded TO the request of the jurors who
were hungry and worn out, to recess un,
I'll 10 O'Clock this morning.
The several witnesses who were ex-
amined yesterday morning added nothing
new to the information already in the
jurys hands. -Four convicts named by
Rad Fisher in his testimony the day be-
fore as Witnesses to the repeated whip
pings given Harris on the canal were
before the jury. They contradicted Fish
er's testimony in every particular, and
corroborated the statements made by the
convicts who had preceded them.
1t was 1870 O'Clock when the inquest
was resumed. County Commissioner he,
hoe was the first witness. Mr.. Kehoe
said:
friday preceding the beating Of Harris
was out on the works. and ny attention
was called TO the boy by the captain Of the
gang speaking to the engineer about him.
He said he didn't know what to do with
Harris. that he would not work. Mai
Blandford said: Did you whip him?' lie
said. Yes. but it didn't seem to do any
good. Maj. Blandford asked the CAPTAIN
where Harris was and he was pointed out |
some nifty or sixty feet down the canal |
] walked down there to see him He was
picking up some small chips and roots
] noticed he did not appear to be willing
% work, or was unable to work He
was moving very slowly. picking up small !
chips That's about all / saw Of him. The |
boy vas some thirty or forty feet from !
me-
Mr.. Kehoe has charge Of the poor farm. |
On being asked as TO sentences to the |
poor farm, he said that prisoners could |
not be sentenced TO the farm There are |
no provisions for taking care of prisoners |
there They are sent TO tho camp, and are |
distributed by the engineer to the canal, |
the poor farm and other work
i think the engineer has the right to |
move prisoners recommended to the poor |
farm The work which Harris was doing |
was lighter than anything that
could have been given him on
the farm. The intention of the |
court, as l understand it, is that the pris-
oners sent to the poor farm should he |
given light work. and the intention of |
the sentence would be carried out if the |
prisoners We're put at light work else |
where. The engineer certainly has ne |
right 10 make transfers."
FRED Washington, white convict, was |
sworn. He said he saw Harris whipped on |
the canal gang and given between ten
and fourteen licks each time common
hcks, such as were given any one.
He was whipped once each day for
two days" said Washington IF he had
been whipped more than that 1 would
have known it, He wouldn't work.
never heard him say he was sick The
first night he came there he told us that
he had twelve months sentence. tbat
he wouldn't work, and that he didn't in
tend to-"
The witness denied that he and William
Campbell took Harris out of the canal
and carried him up the bank to the guard
TO be whipped, as stated by Rad Fisher
the ex-convict.
Alfred Holmes, otherwise Jockey" said
he saw Harris whipped on the canal
twice. he did not see any one hold hin,
when he was whipped. Harris did not
eat anything at all while he was at tho
camp. ne said. He heard him say once
that he wasn't going to work after he
had been there one or two DAYS. He sail
that Harris told him Wednesday nigbt
that he was sick
John, the cook" was brought I'm. bu,
knew nothing
John Green, another convict. said he
canal
once Thursday and once Friday. He saw
no one hold him when he was whinped
He thought Harris was sick from the wav
he acted. Harris told him several times
that he was sick
Rad Fisher was recalled and asked IL
he saw any one present who held Harris
while being whipped. as he stated the
day before. He said Fred Washinpfor
was one of the men who held him. WASH
irgton, Holmes and Green, he said. were
present when Harris received four vhin-
pings in one morning.
Fisher was afterward recalled TO answer
a rumor that he had been paid 50 not 70
tell all he knew. He denied it, of cours,
In the opinion of those who heard his
story, he had told more than he knew
Rachel Harris, mother of the dead
convict, was sworn and told the story
Of how she heard of her sons death ana
what she did, but there was nothing in
her evidence of Importance in the in
quest.
The jury concluded the hearing of
evidence at 2:S0 o'clock and adjourned
until o'clock at which time it met TO
make up verdict. The result has already
been stated. At present it looks as If
there would be two Verdicts unless % Oh