The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-18
STEPHEN GIBBONS DEAD.
THE WEST SAVANNAH SHOOTING
RESULTS FATALLY.

Gibbons slayer Unknown and the
Statements of the Affair So Far
Very COnfusing-Gibbons Stated
Before His Death That He Was
shot by n White Man-Three Tn
known Men Who Boarded the Last
West Savannah Car Out Saturday
Night and Undertook TO RN1
Things 10 Suit Themselves Charg-
ed With the shOOtinE-COrOneF
GOette TO Hold the Inquest To-day.
Stephen Gibbons. the negro who was
shot by an unknown party in West Sa-
vannah Saturday night. died yesterday af-
ternoon at o'clock. The coroner and
the police are investigating the shooting,
and the inquest to-day will probably
throw some light on it,
Chief McDermott does not think there
will be any trouble in locating the parties
who did the shooting. There was a large
crowd OF negroes on the car. besides sew
eral white men, and it is evident that
there must have been several witnesses
to the shooting. The true story Of the
shooting has evidently not been told yet.
The story told the chief yesterday by
him at the time of the shooting. differs
somewhat from that told by Gibbons un-
Gle to a Morning News reporter Sun
day According to the latter's story.
Gibbons had done nothing to get himself
into trouble. He was simply frightened
because of the rowdy conduct of the
crowd on the car, and as soon as he got
off started to running, when he was shot
from behind by unknown parties.
Gibbons friends. who were with him,
said that there We're several white men
on the car who were trying to run things,
and that Gibbons got into a difficulty
with them. The motorman who was act
ing as conductor also took a hand. Glib
bons and his friends, they said, got off
before the terminus of the line was reach
ed, in order to avoid trouble. They walk
ed along the track, and swhen near Jas
per Springs met the white men with whom
they had had the difficulty on the car.
Here comes that sassy Niger" said
one of them, according to the negroes. He
run, and one of the white men and the
motorman, who had been acting as con-
ductor, fired at him. Three shots were
fired, they said.
Conductor Granger and Motorman Bor-
ders, who had charge of the car, were
seen by. Detective Godbold and ques toned
car out on the West Savannah line SAT
urday night was crowded, an even forty
fares being registered. Just on the other
side of the canal three white men board
ed the car. one was a large. fine-looking
man, another a boyish young fellow and
the third medium-sized man well dress
ed. The three men acted in a rowdy mau-
ner on the car, and were evidently of de-
sirous of creating trouble. Somebody cuj
the bell rope of the car and the conduc-
tor had some words with one of the white
men about il.
The most of the negroes got off the car
before 1T reached the terminus at Jasper
Springs. The white men got off with the
remaining negroes and walked away into
the darkness. When some distance away
the white men and one by one OF the
negroes. The white men then came back
boarded the car and rode as far as the
one-mile post on the return trip, when
they got off and walked toward the river
The conductor and mOtOrman said they
did not know then that anyone had been
shot. They did not know the three white
men. Their statement were considered sat
isfactory and they were not taken to the
barracks. Both have been summoned as
witnesses before the coroner's jury to-day
Coroner Goette found il somewhat diff
cult to secure witnesses yesterday Most
of the negroes who saw the shooting live
outside the city. A jury has been impan-
eled and if the witnesses can be secured
the inquest will be held to-day.
Saturday night shooting ARRAYS in West
Savannah are not uncommon. The ne
groes living in Woodsville and the sec
ton west of the city are generally re-
garded as very tough characters. They
come to the city Saturdays, load up on
mean whisky, and then proceed to make
things. lively on the return trip. In this
case the white men appear to have been
the aggressors.