The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-07
GIVEN TEN YEARS IN THE PEN.
VIRGINIA WILLIAMS PLEADS GULL
TY TO MANUFACTURER.

As the Witnesses Tell such Varying
Tales as 10 the Occurrences At
tending the Tragedy, the solicitor
General Accepts a Plea of Man
sIuughter-A MINIS Death Caused
by "A Quarrel About "a Pawn Ticket
Valued at only a Few Cents-Fun
story of the Crime.
Virginia Williams, eolored, who fatally
stabbed James Henry Smith, also colored,
early on the morning of Sunday. June .,
pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the SUI
perior court yesterday, and Judge Falli-
CANT sentenced her to ten years in the
penitentiary.
The crime was a cold-blooded one. ac-
cording to some of the witnesses, and the
woman seemed to have killed Smith for
mere bloodthirstyness. According to 9TH
ers it was quarrel between the two, and
after Smith had struck her she drew a
knife and stabbed him. he died almost
instantly from the wound.
The Williams woman was Smiths mis-
tress both being about the same age, 10
or 20 years old. Both belonged TO the
very tough element that is contained in the
limits of Yamacraw, but the killing was
so cold-blooded, that even some of the
rough element of that section, cried out
against her
Smith and the woman had been drink
ing to gether all the evening previous and
probably both were under the influence
of liquor A quarrel began about a pawn
ticket belonging TO the woman, which
Smith had and which ne had refused TO
give to her. They came down Bryan street
together. about midnight, and at Lum-
Der street joined another crowd and the
quarrel was renewed. Smith moved off
short distance The woman shortly af-
ter. remar.5lng that she was going to
raise with Smitty" walked over to
him and drawing q knife stabbed him in
the left breast He fell and expired in
few moments. The woman stood as if
paralyzed at her work and then started
to run. She was caught and held till
Officers Cronin and Barrett came up, and
the latter put her under arrest and took
her to the barracks.
After the arrest, the woman said that
the stabbing camo about because "Smit-
ty," as she called him, had her pawn
ticket for a pair of shoes, and refused to
give it up. She claimed that "Smitty
struck at her with a knife, and that then
she cut him.
A bystander, John Chisholm, made the
following statement to a Morning News
reporter at the time, as he was witness
of the crime
81 was standing in a crowd at Bryan
and Lumber streets talking with Smitty,"
who was a friend of mine. Virginia Will
liams was standing off little gdece talk
ing with bud" Lawson. / walked over
s4Es z44t, Il 80,
talk to another girl. She said ] am going
over there and raise - with 'Smitty.' She
walked over to where he was standing
and drew a knife and struck him in the
left breast. lie ran right off along Bryan
street toward West Broad street. He ran
about a hundred yards and fell. She ran
right after him. When she got up to
wherc he fell she turned around and ran
back to Lumber street and along that
street to Powder lane and down toward
the creek. When l saw her run back that
way, | knew "Smitty" was badly hurt,
and I thought l would follow her and
see where she went. l came UP to her.
She knew me and said: 1 cut Smltty
while ago l talked to her about 1t
while to keep her until the policeman
came up. Policeman Barrett came UP,
and l turned her over to him."
Some of those who were standing near
the corner of Bryan and Lumber streets
when the cutting took place, said they
heard the woman ask eXcitedly:
"Where is my pawn ticket?"
you can't get it until you give me that
6 cents" is said to have been Smiths re-
ply.
you d you, III fix you, ;"
was the woman's reply, as her knife was
raised in the air, and plunged into Smith
breast, near the heart.
With that he ran about 100 yards up
Bryan street and fell on the stoop, while
she went of in the other direction. until
caught by officer Barrett.
Smith was about 10 years old. He was
employed a short time ago as a piano play
er in Tom Golden's place but had not been
working for some time previous to the
killing.
Other witnesses, however, gave contra
dictory statements as to the immediate
cause of the killing, and the solicitor gen
eral believing that a conviction of murder
might be difficult under the circumstances,
accepted plea of manslaughter. The sens
tence is a good one and will place her
where she will keep out of mischief for
some time to come. giving her ample time
to mediate over her crime.