The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-27
FOUND GUILTY OF STABBINe.
5. f. GER1EN TRIED FOR HIS As
sAULT on THOMAS :. WAYNE.

in His own Defense" With n Rec
OmmendatiOn TO Extreme Mercy.
Gerken TO BE Sentenced This
MOrninE-Ihe story of the TrOca-
derO Array.
S. Z. Gerksn was tried in the superior
court yesterday for assaulting with intent
TO murder Thomas S. Wayne. He was
| found guilty Of stabbing, not in his own de-
! tense and was recommended to the ex-
| IRENE mercy of the court. He will be SEN
| fenced this morning.
Gerken stabbed young Wayne in a quar-
rel on Broughton street the night of May
?. The quarrel began in Buffers Troca-
| dero Wayne and a number of young
/ friends were around table with some of
the women in the place drinking wine.
| Gerken walked up to the party and after
some words was pushed away. The quar-
rel was renewed later on the street when
the stabbing took place.
1t was feared Wayne was fatally wound
ed and he was taken to the Savannah hos
pital, where he was for over a month
Gerken was arrested at the Plant system
depot soon after the ARRAY. He was in
dieted for assault with intent to murder
me superior court room was crowded
when the case was called yes
terday morning. There was little
98iIncuity in securing d jury.
both the state and the defendant
struck the same number nine, from the
| three panels presented. The jury was
nnaIly made up as followsf w. A. Allen,
August L. Muller Chas. f. NJ. Bernhard
henry NJ. Gentry, Ernest NJ. Nliltier. Geo
Derst Lawson J. Neville, Arnold Seyden,
! Henry Garwes, Albert l.. Rees, John b.
Harvey and Harry n. Walker.
Young Wayne told the story Of the as
SdQH. de and number of his friends
! We're in the TrOcadero wine room on the
| night OF the stabbing, he said. They
We're setting at table with the female
| attaches OF the place when Gerken came
| up and made some remark about Wayne's
! bicycle cap, calling il a bonnet" and
attempting to knock it off his head
| Gerken was pushed away from the table
! after some talk. About an hour later
| Wayne and his friends met Gerken in
| front OF the Marshall house. Gerken
| told him he did not want ANY more
such cracks" from him. Some words
followed, and Gerken struck Wayne,
| who struck back. They clinched. ana
someone cried out lookout he's got
| knife At that moment Wayne realized
| that ne had been stabbed in the groin.
| He placed his hand over the wound ana
| as he did so Gerken struck again at his
| heart, cutting through his clothing but
| not making wound. They were then
| separated and Wayne was taken into Won
| kamps saloon and afterWard to the hos
pltai, where his wounds were dressed.
| to the stabbing by r. c. Morrell, who was
| with him when the quarrel began and by
| Z. w. Barbee, who saw the stabbing, but
| who was not with the party in the Troca-
| dero.
Young Morrell testified that he saw Ger.
| ken borrow a knife from some one whom
ne did not know just before the stabbing.
and saw him have the knife in his hand
| Young Barbee testified that he heard
| Gerken say after the stabbng that he
| wished he had killed Wayne
efa 10,
| follows:
My name is Gerken. I was born in
Wilmington, N. c., Sept. 9, 1876, and am
| now 20 years old. l went to work FIRST
in Wilmington and worked there about
| year and half, after which / went
| to Jacksonville and went to work in a
newspaper office there. came to Savan-
i nah in March and tried to secure a po-
! sition. heard Mr.. O'Keefe was going to
| start paper called the Herald about
April 10 1 went back to Jacksonville un-
| til the Herald started, when ] came here
| and went to work. I had been at work
about four weeks when this difficulty oc-
! Cured
Gerken spoke of visiting Buffers Mace
and others after working hours and
| meeting up with different people He said
| he had been here only a short time. and
knew very few people, and those only in
a newspaper way. The night in question,
he said, he went into Buffers place with
some friends, and was sitting down with
them talking to some of the women,swhen
p
he said, one of the young men sitting at
the same table with Wayne, called him
over, poured out glass of champagne
and asked him to take a drink. He had
just slipped the champagne, he said, when
Wayne got up to whisper something to
one of the young men sitting next to him
Wayne had on q bicycle cap.
Il reached up. took the cap in my hands
and said in fun, OH what pretty bon
net Wayne became angry and said what
in the - do you mean? I told him 1 did
n If n VT inc e,T
lowed, when he struck me and knocked me
down among some chairs. Butler and some
others came and picked me up and he said
he didn't want any difficulty"
Gerken said there would have been no
difficulty if Wayne had not struck him He
said he went over to another table sat
down with some friends and had a round
of drinks. As he was getting ready to leave
the place he said he was warned to re-
main there until Wayne and his friends
left or until the place closed as Wayne
and his friends might attack him
When the place was about TO close he
walked to the door, he said and stood
there a few minutes waiting for a friend.
He said he was again warned that WAYNE
and his friends were waiting outside and
would attack him. AS the place was closing
up he said he started for his home which
was just half a block away from Buffers
place next to the Marshall house AS he
anticipated an attack he said, he took out
his knife, opened and held 1t in his right
hand. As he came along he said he saw
sidewalk near the stable. Wayne he SAID
advanced and spoke to him, asking him
what he meant by those funny cracks he
made at MIN. Gerken said he told him tina +
he had not made any cracks, but that he.
Wayne. was the one who made them
After some more words, he said, WAYNE
began cursing and caught hold of hin,
by the neck. A scuffle ensued he said
they were separated and somebody said
Wayne was cut. Gerken said he then
got in a hack, on the hackman's advice
( who told him he would be arrested. an9
went down to the Plant system depot
After thinking the matter over, he said
! he determined to go and give himself I'M
and started for the police barracks. There
he overheard some talking about his cssse
/ and heard some one say Wayne was Usbie
to die. Knowing then that Jail stared him
in the face, he sad he determined 70
go back to the depot and go uD home
for a few days He went by 'ho1lse
on McDenough street. where one Of The
girls took the knife away from him. and
he started for the depot where he vas
| +,I