The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-04
KILLED IN A FREE AND EASY.
ADAM THORNBURG SHOT DEAD BH
FIREMAN LOVETT PITTS.

burE's Refusal TO Give Pitts and
AIonzo CoIIini IA Drink in His Ban
on River Sireet-Pitts and COIIint
Acknowledgements GOette's Investi-
cation of the Tragedy-Pitts Held
For Murder and COIlinf EXonerH-
ted-Five Bullet wounds in the
Dead Man.
Adam Thornburg was shot and instantly
killed at his saloon on River street last
night, by A. L. Pitts and Alonzo Collini
both members of the Savannah fire depart
ment
The shooting was evidently done by Pitts
although Collini may have had hand in
it, All of the evidence goes to show that
the killing was causeless and unprovok-
ed murder.
The two men were drunk and went into
Thornburg's bar for drink. He refused to
sell them anything. Collini attempted to
go behind the bar. Thornburg showed him
back, and then Pitts shot him. That is
the whole story in a nutshell
Both men were arrested within an hour,
and were taken to the station house. Both
were very drunk, and they did not appear
to know that they had killed Thornbdrg.
The hangers-on at Thornburg's were so
badly frightened by the shooting that they
did not discover for some time after that
the proprietor had been killed. They sup
posed he had gone to look for an officer.
When he did not return they began a
search for him and not finding him in his
room looked in the yard, where he was
found lying on his back. He was dead
when found.
The first news of the affair at the police
barracks was a telephone message from
one of Thornburg's employees, stating that
"I,ovey" Pitts was drunk and firing off
pistol in Thornburg's dance hall Chief
McDermott sent Detective Godbold and
Policemen McCool and Shea to the scene
at once in the patrol wagon.
The policemen on duty in that section
of the city were also notified to look out
for Pitts.
When the officers arrived at Thornburgs
the people there did not know the pro-
prietor had been killed. His body was dis
covered shortly after, and the fact Of the
killing was telephoned to the police bar
racks.
All of the policemen on duty were noti-
fed at once to arrest Pitts on sight. An
hour after the shooting Pitts and Collini
were arrested on Broughton street, near
the market, by Policeman c. W. Mock.
Policeman Mock did not know Of the kill
ing, but he had received the first notice
sent out to arrest Pitts for shooting in
Thornburg's. He would have arrested
Pitts anyway, as he saw him fire two
shots from his pistol on Broughton street.
After the shooting at Thornburgs Pitts
and Collini went to Tom Golden's saloon
on Bay street, near by, where Pitts stated
that he had. had row in Thornburg's.
Thornburg, he said tried to shoot him and
he shot in self-defense.
Coroner Goette was at the police bar
racks when the report Of the killing was
received. He went al once to the scene
and took charge. A Morning News re-
porter was at the barracks a few min
utes later and accompanied Chief Nc
Dermott.
Thornburg's place is what is known as a
free and easy" a combination of saloon
and dance hail, and was frequented by
the lowest class of negroes and whites
The proprietor however, was known as
clever, honest man, in spite of his occu-
patton, and had many friends. He was
about so years of age.
The bar is in a small room on the right
of the entrance, connected by folding doors
with another small room in the rear while
the dance hall was a larger room on the
left of the entrance. There was fire in
the rear room last night and one of the
folding doors was pushed back so as to
give access from behind the bar to the
rear room. The bar counter ran the
length of the room and the outer folding
door was pulled to- shutting off the front
of the bar from the rear room. This was
the arrangement of the rooms when Pitts
and Collini entered. When the quarrel
began Coilini showed back the folding door
and grappled with the proprietor. The
hangers-on, who were in the rear room,
ran out and the shooting followed imme-
diately after.
Pitts had visited the place before and
was known to the crowd. Collini was not
so well known, however, and the wit
nesses, in their testimony alluded TO him
as "the other man."
Coroner Goette impaneled a jury, after
some delay i'm corraling witnesses and se-
curing jurymen, and began taking testi-
mony. The first two witnesses told prac-
tically all that was known Of the affair by
the inmates of the place.
Carrie Green was the first witness. She
Is one Ol NltG hidA AtNlNNAAhSAe "a NV
place.
Sho said that Pitts and his companion
came in with their pistols in their hands.
They were drunk, and went into the bar
and called for beer. Thornburg drew two
beers and put them on the counter. The
men had some words with the proprietor,
and he took the glasses off the bar. emp
tied them into a bucket and put the empty
glasses under the bar. The men insisted
that he give them the drinks, but he re-
fused to do so. Pitts commenced cursing.
and declared that he had bought whisky
there on Sunday, and that he would have
Thornburg put on the chain-gang His
companion said something about having
left an overcoat behind the bar. Thorn
burg told him 1t was not there and went
back to the dance han to look for it, He
did not find it there and came back. In
the meantime, a stranger in a light over
coat came in and ordered a beer which
Thcmburg started to serve Pitts said TO
his companion:
If he serves drink, you go behind
the bar and get our drinks"
The man showed back the folding door
and started behind the bar. Thornburg
met him and showed him back Pitts adj
vanced with his hand in his pocket The
witness ran out of the door at this but