The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-06
THOUGHT HE WAS HO0Do0ED.
JERRY JEFFREYs TELLS A QUEER
STORY ON THE GIBBET.

He Asserts That lie Murdered Com
stable Tip MauIden While Under n
spell Cnst over him by HoodO0
DOctor-His Neck Broken by the
FnIi-The Hanging Private - A
Crowd of Negroes In Town, But the
Day Not Marked by Any Disorder.
story of the Crime.
Qultman. Ca. April Sat 11:2i o'clock
this morning the trap was sprung that
launched jerry Jeffreys into eternity and
avenged the murder of Constable Tip
Maulden, who was shot down by him on
the public highway last December.
The negro met his fate with wonderful
nerve and expressed himself as having
made his peace with God. and being anx-
lous TO get out Of his trouble The hang-
ing passed or without a hitch or unfortu-
nate feature from the time Sheriff Com
molly sprung the trap until the doctors
pronounced the murderer dead.
At II o'clock the Rev. .. A. Thrower.
pastor of the Methodist church here. arr
rived and asked Ieffreys a few questions
as TO his condition. The negro spoke and
acted though as he was thoroughly
resigned and had no dread OF the future.
He was then brought out of his cell and
as he knelt on the JAIN floor the preacher
delivered an earnest prayer in his behalf
Jeffreya then walked upon the scaffold
without assistance and as he stood theres
was asked what he had to say before dy-
ing His reply was probably as straight a
statement as was ever uttered on the gall
lows: II want to tell you men," he saids
what brought this trouble on me. A little
while before I shot Mr.. Maulden, had a
fasff "a had =
and l cut him. lie got mad and said he
was going to XIII me. He didn't get a
chance 10 kill me and went and paid a
root doctor So TO put me in trouble and this
root doctor made me shoot Mr.. Maulden.
didn't have any idea what I was doing
when ! shot MIR. Maulden. This is tho
whole truth men. This root doctor worked
on me and got mo into this trouble by
making mo shoot Mr. Maulden."
Tho negro seemed thoroughly in earnest
while he Was talking and there ia no rea-
son to doubt but he died believing that a
hoodoo doctor was the cause OF all his
trouble. His death seemed to be painless.
The drop was ~ feet, and an examination
after ne was cut down showed that his
neck had been broken. The drop fell at
1924 o. clock and at :4G o'clock the Drs.
Lucas, Gaulden and Humphreys. who we're
present. pronounced him dead. Jeffreys
gave his age at g. There was a big crowd
orderly.
on the night OF Dec. /. 1894, Constable
Tip Maulden, of the MorVen district JUS
tice court, was shot down on the public
highway in cold blood by jerry Jeffreys.
Constable Maulden met Jeffreys. his
brother sherman Jemreys and two or
three other negroes on the road after
dark and inquired II Jerry was In the
crowd He had no warrant for any one
IN the crowd. but wanted to get some
information from Jerry about another
negro, for whom he was looking. Jerrys
reply was TO draw his pistol and shoot
Maulden dead His brother Sherman,
also fired at Maulden with Winchester
rife but It was knocked up by some
one in the crowd, A few days later the
Jeffreys were caught In Lowndes county
and placed In jail here. They we're tried
In February at an adjourned term OF
Brooks superior court. Sherman was
sentenced to the penitentiary for life and
Jerry to be hung. On the trial Jerry adj
mitted killing Maulden, but made the state-
ment that Maulden had drawn his pistol
and was trying to shoot him. This state-
ment was shown, by evidence
brought out In the trial to be
entirely false. Jerry and Sherman
both had been loanng around over tho
county for some time. calling themselves
Frank and Jesse James, and swearing
that no man should ever arrest them.
When Maulden hailed them on the road
that night they murdered him solely be-
cause the spirit Of murder was in theiE
hearts.
This murder has always been cohsid-
cred the first step in the famous Brooks
county war" which followed three weeks
later. The direct cause of this war
was the murder of Joe Isom. a well-known
white man, by Waverly Pike, colored.
This occurred about three weeks after
Maulden's murder Isom was in the posse
that hunted down the Jeffreys boys, ana
was active in following them until they
were safe IN jail. 1t was reported at
the time that negro friends of the jeff
reys had sworn vengeance against the
men who had arrested them, and when
Joe Isom was murdered on the public
road by Wave Pike three weeks later,
the conclusion reached by many was
that Pike was actuated mainly by re.
venge, and to a desire to get even with
1som for having been a leader in arresting
the Jeffreys negroes.