The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-18
KNEW MORE THAN THEY TOLD.
THE WITNESSES SLOW N TESTIFY
ING IN THE INQUIRE CASE.


mcnts ON the Contradictory swear
ing Of the POIice-One Man Locked
Up for COntempt-Dyer Was Not in
the buggy That Ran Into the Will
tary-Lieut. SatterIee's Statement.
Recorder Wilson spent considerable time
yesterday hearing the cases growing out OF
the racket Thursday night caused by sew
eral white men recklessly driving into q
colored military company, the Colquitt
Blues. while under inspection by Lieut..
Satterlee.
AIr. James Mcclure, the supposed princi-
pal offender. failed TO appear in the morn
ing. IL was stated that he would be there
in half an hour, but as he did not appear
the case was adjourned until l o'clock. II
was taken up at that time. but Mcclure
was still absent. All the other parties who
had been arrested were present and the re-
corder decided TO proceed with the hearing
against them
There was a large crowd in the court,
mostly negroes. Col J. H. Deveaux, Capt.
j. II. Carter and most of the Colquitt Blues
were there as witnesses and spectators.
Lieut.. Satterlee was on hand as a witness
and also for the purpose of calling the at
tention Of the court to the laws regarding
the rights Of military on the streets for
drill. parade, or special duty. The section
quoted by Lieut.. Satterlee not only give
military company the right Of way Of the
streets while on duty, but allow'it to ar
rest parties interfering with it. Lieut..
Satterlee quoted this section for the pur-
pose OF showing that the pursuit and ar
rest Of Mcclure and his associates by the
squad from the Blues was legal and prop
er. The penalty provided for such inter-
ference is $50 fine or three months impris
onment. one or both in the discretion of the
court This is a case for the superior court
however. The recorder will pass upon the
question Of dsorderly conduct and reck-
less driving Of which, however, the inter-
ference with the military company is the
principal part.
Lieut. Sattarlee's statement Of the diff
Guilty was short. He saw the vehicles run
into the company and gave instructions
that a squad be sent in pursuit of the Of
Tenders. He did not follow the squad, but
remained with the company and contin-
ued the inspection. Lieut.. Satterlee called
the recorders attention to the fact that
there could not have been any large num-
Der of the Blues in pursuit of the parties
as had been stated, as there were only IS
men out Tor Inspection with the company
and he continued the inspection with about
80 men after the squad had been sent of.
He thought the squad numbered six men
and was certain that there could not have
been more than ten In the detail.
The evidence was very conflicting and
unsatisfactory. The colored witnesses
agreed pretty well in their statements.
The evidence developed that they were
mistaken in two things, however. They
were all laboring under the impression
that c. w. Dyer, who was found with the
Of bar Ita
run into the company, was one of the men
that had been in the buggy. Dyer, it
seems, allowed them to remain under the
impression, and so got badly mixed up in
the row. His statement and those of his
friends, however, showed pretty clearly
that he had not been with the party, but
had been in the city, and happened along
just in time to get into the row. The
other mistake of the witnesses was that
they thought, or some of them did, that
the man arrested by the squad, and who
afterward escaped, was Mcclure. Re
corder Wilson was also under this i'm
preston, and some time was spent trying
TO establish this as a fact. The evidence
was pretty conclusive, however, that 1t
was some other member of the party, and
not Mcguire who had the experience with
the colored troops, and finally escaped, by
the connivance of Policeman Reilly, the
witnesses charged. The recorder did his
best to find out who this man was. 1t
was developed that w. +. Corbett was
one of the party that ran into the COM
pany, and some of the witnesses thought
that he was the man whom they arrested
was Corbett, but they were unable to say
positively. The policemen who were pres
ent and all the white witnesses swore that
they could not identify the man. Re
coTder Wilson ordered CoTbetts arrest,
and the case against him will be investi-
gated this morning.
Policeman Reilly in making his state
ment denied positively that the man I'M
der arrest by the squad was turned over
TO him, or that he had anything to do
IN aiding his escape. He said that he
went from the barracks to McBride's
barroom, having been on fire detail.
There was large crowd of negroes very
much excited. He thought there were
fifty men in uniform. They were bran
dishing their guns and making threats,
he said. He saw several of them attempt
to strike white men with their guns.
took him in. Yesterday morning he
saw A. r. Coles, brother of the
man arrested by him the night before,
standing across the street in front of the
barracks. He recognized Coles as one of
the men who had been most demonstra-
tive at McBride's corner, and went over
colored witnesses that Coles was handled
with unnecessary severity by the police
men. Reilly did not arrest Dyer, as first
stated. Dyer was arrested by Lieut..
Reilly.
Col. Deveaux made full statement of
the case on the same line as that made
by him to the Morning News Thursday
night The buggy or carryall which ran
into the company was followed by the
squad to Crum'S barrOom at South Broad
lane and Houston street. 1t seems that the
harness broke there. One of the men in
the vehicle was so drunk that he tumbled
over the dashboard when the buggy
stopped. Mcguire was seen to get out
Of the buggy and go. into
Crum's. Another one of the
party got out and
rested by the squad. When Col
Deveaux arrived at the place he found
a man about to take the buggy away.
He asked him his name and he replied
that it was c. W. Dyer. DeveauX asked
Dyer he said, if he was one of the men
in the buggy when il ran into the COM
pany and Dyer replied that he was. He
then told him that he must request his
presence at the barracks. Dyer replied
all right but when he got into the buggy,
whipped up and drove off Col Deveaux
followed Dyer to McBride's corner and
demanded his arrest. There was only
himself and one sergeant there, he said.
They were assaulted by the crowd. He
was knocked down and the sergeant's gun
was taken from him. He then went to
the barracks and called upon Lieut. ReiI-
ly for assistance. He was al the bar
racks some time. When he returned TO
McBride's he saw Policeman Reilly ami
Barrett with Mcclure, as he thought IN
charge. Instead of taking the man to the
barracks they released him and put two
of the colored soldiers, Collins and Ron
ertSOu. under arrest. He demanded the