The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-11
BROWN GETS ALIFE SENTENCE
JAS. BEATTY'S SLAYER FOUND
GUILTY OF MURDER WITH a
RECOMMENDATION.

Brown Cursed Beatty, Who struck
Him in the Mouth. After which
Brown Followed Him out of "a Bar
room Door and Stabbed Him TO
Death-BartOw Thomas Held ns an
Accessory, to BE Tried Later-The
Testimony showed the Case TO BE
One of WiIIfuI Murder.
Morris Brown. coIored, was found guilty
I Of the murder Of James Beatty In the
superior court yesterday and was sem
I fenced. on the recommendation Of he
/ jury, TO Imprisonment in the penitentiary
for life.
The killing took place on March &C.
/ Morris Brown, Barlow Thomas and James
/ Beatty were talking in c. II. Koeneman g
! barroom at William and Farm streets.
! when Brown and Beatty had a quarrel,
/ and the latter struck the former in the
| face. They went outside. Brown follow
I ing Beatty up, more words followed. ami
/ Brown stabbed him in the left breast,
| making an ugly cash nearly five inches
/ deep, and about three inches I'm diane
ter. The coroner's jury declared Brown
guilty Of willful murder and held Thomas
as an accessory before the fact.
The jury selected to try the case con-
sisted Of George Ebberwein. Louis Stein
bach, Frank J. Goette. Milton A. Sweat.
J. Wesley Hunt, John d. Charlton, Frank
J. Neason, John Dillon, Nathan II. Solo
mon, Charles f. NJ Bernhardt, Charles a.
Aimar and Orlando E. Cohen.
Brown was defended by Lovett Hin,
! Esq, who did not Introduce any wit
nesses for his client, thus securing the
conclusion of the argument.
The row which resulted in the killing
first started in KOeneman's barroom,
where the men had been drinking Brown
made some statement about having been
swindled out of dollar and a half, and
in some way brought Beatty into the mat
ter following up his statmenet, as was
testified to, by cursing him in vile man
ner, which led Beatty to strike him in
the face.
koeneman, the proprietor of the barroom,
stephen Stevens and other witnesses.
Kate Sanders and William Gardner tes-
tined that Just outside the door, aft II
Beatty had been pushed out, as was stat
ed, Brown asked him what he hit him
IN the mouth for, whereupOn Beatty apol-
ogized and asked his pardon.
Il don't want a d pardon" is said to
have been the defendants reply.
Brown followed this up with the state
ment that he would get even with him that
night. The men then went across the
street, Beatty leading and Brown ana
Thomas following. stephen Stevens, Su-
san Myers, Allen Hicks and William Gard
ner testified that Brown again asked Beat
ty what he struck him in the mouth for,
whereupon the deceased again asked his
pardon. At that moment the witnesses
stated the defendant drew something out
of his pocket and plunged 1t into Beatty.
| The deceased then half dropped over re-
covered his balance, and ran about $50
yards before he dropped in the street.
The witnesses stated that Barlow Thorn
as pursued the wounded man, shouting,
Josh Clayton and Policeman Crimmins
testified 10 finding the body with an open
knife in the left hand. All of the witnesses
swore positively that Beatty had no knife
in his hand at the time the cutting was
done, and made no attempt to cut the de-
PENDANT.
Policemen Neidlinger and Davis, who
made the arrest of Brown and Thomas,
swore that no attempt was made to cut
Brown by Beatty, and that there We're no
cuts in Browns coat when he was arrested.
The theory of the state was that Beatty
had pulled the knife out of his pocket
after the cutting and while he was being
pursued by Brown and Thomas.
Coroner Goette testified to the wounds
| found on Beattys body That which pro-
duced his death was in the left breast
1t was about five inches deep and about
three inches in diameter Coroner Goette
/ said.
/ struck him in the mouth in Koeneman's
| bar on account of his having made the
! statement that some one whose name was
! understood had swindled him. The Witness
| es for the state said Brown called Beatty
\ vile name, but Beatty denied this. When
| they went out of the store he said Beatty
| and other persons were throwing pieces
| of brick at him, and that the deceased
struck at him with knife and cut his coat.
! He jumped out of the way of Beatty's
| knife he said, and then reached over and
stuck hiss knife into him. He denied that
he ran after him after the cutting. All the
witnesses for the state swore positively
| that no bricks were thrown at Brown by
| Beatty, and that the latter did not at
| tempt to cut the defendant
The coroners jury brought in a verdict
| of willful murder, and held Barlow Thomas
as an accessory after the fact. Strong ar
gumentS were made on both sides, the de-
| Tense holding that il was Brown who had
| first been attacked by Beatty, and that he
was in part justified for what he had done.
The jury was out only "a few minutes af-
| ter being charged, and a. verdict of guilty
! of murder with recommendation that the
defendant be sentenced to hfe imprison-
| ment was returned. Judge Falligant at
once passed sentence to the effect that
| Brown shall spend the remainder of his
natural life at hard labor in the peniten-
| tiary Provision was made for a separate
trial for the two men and Barlow Thomas
is now in Jail waiting his turn.
! The knife with which the killing was
done was an ugly weapon. 1t had blade
| about four inches long, nearly an inch
wide, and was quite sharp. From the ma
| ture of the wound ii seemed that it was
| plunged into the dead man and then given
a twist by his slayer.