The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-02
KILLED AT TELFAIR CHURCH.
ALEC HALL SHOT DOWN IN = QUAR-
REL WITH BOYSY KING.

AFTER He Was Shot-He said the
WoodviHe BoyS Did licking Ar
rested and Brought Into the City.
He Denies the NiIIinR-The CorO-
ner 90 Hold an Inquest To-day.
Alec Hall. colored. was shot and killed
b. Boysy King. colored, at the Telfair
Baptist church. about three and a half
miles west Of the city last night about 8
o'clock.
The killing was an unnecessary and
causeless affair Han was shot through
The abdomen and died about twenty min
utes afterwards The boys father went
10 the telegraph operator az the Charles
ton and savannah railway junction and
HAD him telephone the coroner Of the
killing.
Coroner Goette received the iuforma-
ton about @ clock and at once called
upon Chief AIcDermott with the infor-
nation. The chief detailed Detective
ScuIly and Policeman McCool TO 90 TO
the scene and arrest the murderer if pos
sfble. Coroner Goette went out to the
scene about 1879 o'clock, accompanied by
the TWO officers. A Morning News repor-
ter also went out.
The TeIfair Baptist church is on the
leading from the Louisville road throush
the old Telfair place. The body was
found lying in the road about thirty yards
from the church with "A small party Of
negroes around il. The dead boys father
was in the crowd, and was loud in pro-
claiming his intention of having ven
geance upon his son murderer and those
who We're with him i'm the affair.
mi al aaf
at his "praise house" not far from the
church when word was brought him that
his son had been shot. He arrived in time
10 see his boy die. He forbade any one
10 touch the corpse until il had been
viewed by the coroner, and did not move
the body until given permission to do so
by that official.
Coroner Goette found two witnesses of
the killing in The crowd. They were Joe
Rivers ana Simon Jackson. After hear
ing their stories he took them in his |
wagon with the officers, and going over |
to WOodville. where King lived, found him |
at home and promptly arrested him. |
King himself answered the summons |
when the officers knocked at the door, |
and he was handcuffed before he knew |
what was the matter. Nothing demon |
strates the value of immediate action in |
such cases better than this arrest Had |
King been given until morning he would |
doubtless have taken TO the woods and |
might never have been caught The prompt /
action OF Coroner Goette and Chief Nc |
permott resulted in his being landed be /
hind the bars before his victims body |
had been moved from where he died Be /
ing outside the city limits, it was not in /
cumbent on Chief McDermott to take this /
step, but the chief is not the man to /
stand back on technicalities, where there |
is work of this sort to be done It /
was necessary for Coroner Goethe To /
swear in the two police officers as spe- /
cial state officers and to swear out a /
warrant in order TO give the officers pow
er TO act.
According to the statements of the wit |
nesses and Others, including the boys |
father, who were seen around the body, |
there has been bad blood brewing for /
some time between the Woodsville crowd |
and the boys of the Telfair settlement. |
The w louisville boys considered them |
selves the DULLES of that section and were |
IN the habit so It was stated, of coming |
over to the Telfair church every time SER |
vices were held there to create a distur- |
bance and bully the Telfair crowd.
Joe Rivers tells a pretty straight story /
Of the killing. A crowd of boys came over I
to the church from Woodsville last night, |
he SAID. Among the number were Boysy /
King and his brother Henry. Alec Hall /
Rivers said, was a mischievous sort of a |
boy who used his tongue too freely. His |
Tree use OF his tongue cost him his life /
last night. Boysy King was walking |
along the road with two girls. As he /
passed a crowd of the Telfair boys Alec |
Han made some remark which offended |
him. He spoke to Hall about 1t and some 4
words passed between them. They did |
not fight then, but King went back to |
where the WoOdsyille crowd was ana got /
his brothers pistol. He then came up, /
followed by his crowd, and began cursing |
After cursing him he struck Hall two |
blows in the face Han threw up his |
hands to defend himself and when he did |
SO KING drew the pistol on him. When /
Han saw the pistol he turned and ran, /
going around the church. The Woods |
vile crowd then assailed the Telfair /
crowd, putting them to flight and chas- /
ing some of them into the church where |
services We're being conducted.
After running around the church Hall |
cane back into the road and was seen by |
King who ran up to him and caught hold |
OF him. King had his pistol in his hand |
Hall got hold of the pistol and endeav- |
ored 10 gain possession of 1t. While they |
were struggling together the pistol was /
mred and Hall staggered backwards |
Rivers ran up to him and asked him if |
he was shot. He replied that he was
Who shot your" asked Rivers.
The Woodsville boys did it." he replied |
Take mo home"
Rivers put his arms around Hall and
carried him few steps, but the latter
was in such great pain that he begged |
Rivers to lay him down in the road, which !
he did. Halls sister came up presently |
and asked her brother who shot him He !
replied that ii was the Woodsville boys
When old man Hall found that his son
had been shot he ordered a boy to hitch
up his horse and go for a doctor al once
Before the horse could be hitched how
ever, the hoy was dead He was in such
great pain that he was able TO talk very
little.
The dead man appeared to be about q
years of age. King, who was seen by a
Morning News reporter after his arrest
did not appear to be. more than Is or 49,
When first arrested he declared that he
knew nothing about the shooting but
when he heard the witnesses telling their
story to the Morning News reporter ne
interrupted them and declared that they
We're not telling a straight story. He
admitted being at the church. but said
he did not know who shot Hail. on the
way to the city he had very little TO say.
Coroner Goette will hold an inquest at
the scene of the killing this morning