The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-09
THE KILLING UNSUITABLE.
JOHN MOREL DIES FROM THE Pts
toll SHOT BY j. w. WOODS.

diet of JustinabIe HOmicide-The
| Evidence in Line With the State
ment in Yesterdays Morning News.
! MOreI's Desperate Attempt to Take
the Lives of Both Policeman Jer-
! nignn and Mr.. J. W. Woods brought
Out by the Evidence-WOOds' Cool
ness and Bravery Was All That
| saved Them.
John Morel, colored, who was shot by
/ Mr.. J. W. Woods at St. Julian and Jeffer-
| son streets Saturday night. as the result
! Of the negro's attempt to shoot Policeman
/ Jernigan, died at the Georgia Infrmary
/ yesterday at O'Clock. Coroner Goette
! held an inquest last night and the jury
] returned a verdict Of justifable homicide.
! The witnesses before the jury were PO-
/ lcemen Godbold, Jernigan and Brazell.
! Mr.. Woods statement was also taken.
/ The evidence of the witnesses was ex>
| actly On the line Of the account of the
/ shooting published in yesterdays Morn
| ing News, the only exception being that
I it was stated that Woods fired three shots
/ instead of two, as stated in the Morning
/ News account. Policeman Godbold was
/ the first witness. and made the same
! statement which he made to a Morning
News reporter shortly after the shooting
He was called upon by Joe Rivers, coll
ored he said. to arrest the two Doyles,
whom Rivers stated were wanted for com
| phcity in the affair at the Telfair Baptist
church on the Sunday night previous, at
which Alex Hall was killed by Boysy
! King. He called on Policeman Jernigan
I TO accompany him and also called upon
I Mr. WOODS and his friend, Mr.. Waller
/ 10 assist in making the arrest.
GouDold said that he knew the Kentucky
| gar was a pretty tough place, especially
! on Saturday nights, and he thought that
/ ne would need assistance in making the.
arrests. They found one of the Doyles
/ IN the saloon and arrested him as he came
| out lie wanted to speak to his brother
/ 10 which the officers agreed, and led the
| oiilcerS 10 MS brother whom they arrested
1 also. me Doyles wanted to arrange to
/ nave their wagon taken home, and Police
/ man Jernl9an took his man to the wagon
| IN order to let him make the arrange
! tents.
! Policeman Jernigan started towards the
| wagon with Richard Doyle who said that
/ ne wanted 10 count the bundles before
/ turning them over to his friend Morel who
/ mad come up in the meantime. He let Mo-
| rel and Doyle walk on in front Of him
/ holding TO Doyle by the waistband of lis
| trousers. lie noticed that Morel and DOYLE
/ We're talking together in a low tone of
/ voice. Hd could not hear what they said
/ but supposed they We're talking about The
! disposition Of Doyle's wagon and EUn-
/
Mr.. Woods was walking along a few
/ PAGES behind. When near the corner Of st
| Julian and Jefferson streets, DOYLE licked
/ pistol out of the breast pocket OF his
| coat, and thrust II into Morels hands
! Morel grabbed the pistol and immeO iately
/ presented II at the officers breast AS he
! did so. M. Doyle grabbed him around the
/ waist Jernigan Immediately called out to
| Woods They are trying 10 shoot me"
| woods dashed up and knocked tho pistol
away from Jernigan. Woods tried to seize
] he "a anI l.et.. L
/ ana presenting the pistol in Woods face
| fired. The latter knocked the pistol TO one
| side with is right hand at the same time
! drawing his own pistol with his left hand.
/ Morel fired q second time but Woods
again knocked his pistol out of the way
and then commenced firing, firing three
shots
Jernigan said that he called to Woods
| two or three times to shoot Morel. He was
| trying to get his own pistol out, but could
not do so on account Of Doyle holding MIN
around the waist. 1t should be stated here
| that the policemen now carry their pis-
! tolls in their hip pockets and with the long
| coats of the new winter uniforms the pis-
toll Is not as easy to get at as when il was
carried in the belt.
Mr.. Woods statement corroborated that
| Of the two officers. He said that when
! Morel fired his first shot he knocked the
pistol to the left. and when he fired the
second shot he knocked 1t to the right.
He drew his own pistol, 3S Smith & Wes-
| son, from his oYercoat pocket with his
left hand and fired three shots in rapid
| smoke in my face from Morels pistol
! was so great he said, that / could not
see him, but fred where ! thought he
was. After l had fired three shots
stepped out of the smoke and saw the man
| running off. l was satisfied l had hit
| him, though. I could not say what sort
of a pistol he had, but it appeared to
| have very long barrel"
| Policeman Brazell testified that he was
at the corner of Congress and Jefferson
| streets when he heard the pistol shots.
He ran around the corner to St Julian
| street and saw man running toward
| West Broad street He ran after and
! caught him Just before he reached West
| Broad, and brought the man back. The
man did not say anything about being
| shot until he got back to jefferson street,
when he said: I'm shot; let me lay DOWN
I He replied: No; walt till we get to the
market box" When he got to the market
| box with his man Morel dropped on the
I ground. He then examined him and found
that he was shot in the back
Brazel said he saw Morel throw away
| something when he first took after him.
lie asked Morel at the box what he did
with his pistol and MOrel told him that
he had thrown it away and directed him
! Where TO ana It, After sending the man
to the barracks he went TO look for the
pistol, but the crowd was so great that
there was no chance of finding it.
1t did not take the jury long TO make
up its verdict, which was, we find that
the deceased, John Morel, came to his
death by pistol shot wound al the
hands of J. w. Woods, and we consider
the same justifiabe" The jury consisted
of Bernard Fay. foreman: Charles G.
Anderson, Jr., John Dinon, William Leon
ard, George Connors and Charles Daniels
MoreFs body will be turned over to his
! relatives to-day
Policeman Jerngan feels very grateful
toward Mr.. Woods, whom he believes
saved his life. If it had not been for
Mr.. Woods l would have been a dead
man." he said. He is the coolest man |
ever saw. The. way in which he knocked
that Negroes pistol to one side while he
was drawing his own beat anything I
ever saw. | certainly thought he would
be killed. Many man would have run
under those circumst stances, but Woods
never flinched an inch. 1 could not get
at my pistol, because the negro Doyle
was holding me around the waist I am
satisfied that the two negroes made up a
plot to kill me they were walking to-
| gether toward the wagon"
The Woodville settlement west of the
city has always been regarded as a tough
section, and its residents have been en-
gagged in several serious affairs in the
last few years The settlement viii come
under the police jurisdiction under the
law just enacted. extending the jurisdic-
ton Of the police court two miles from
the city limits.