The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12
TOLD AN UGLY STORY.
A COIored Woman Found Helpless in
the Street.

Susan Phelps. a colored woman, was
found lying under the bluff at the foot
of Whitaker street by Policeman Meldrim
at 1893 o'clock this morning. She told a
tale that would be horrible, if true. She
said that three negroes met her on the
street near by, dragged her to the foot
Of Whitaker street and down the stone
steps to the bluff below, where they as
saulted her. She resisted and fought with
all her might and screamed for police, but
no one came to her assistance.
The woman was seen at the place where
she was found by Chief McDermott. She
repeated the same story to the chief
which she had told the policeman. She
said that she left her home on State
street, near Jefferson about IL o'clock in
searchlof her boy. On Bryan street. she
said, she met two men, who were af-
terward Joined by a third man. They
followed along, trying to engage IN con-
versaton with her. She came down Whit
aker to Bay street, she said, and when
at the end of Whitaker street they forced
her to go down the steps with them,
knocked her down and dragged her un-
der the sheds over the factors walk. In
the struggle she broke her right leg just
above the knee.
The chief did not take much stock in
Susan's story. He knew her well, having
rented her house in Yamacraw for sew
eral years. The chief was satisfied that
the woman either got drunk and fell
down the steps, breaking her leg ana
cutting her head or that possibly she had
a fight with some man under the bluff
Her story of screaming for help and po-
lice will not hold water, as besides the
policeman on River street, Policeman
Larissey and a couple of watchmen were
stationed near by at the ruins of the Sa-
vannah Grocery Company, where they
could not possibly have helped hearing
her cries for help. The woman was taken
to the barracks in the police ambulance,
where she was given medical attention
by DR.. Lloyd, the colored city physician.
While the crowd was standing around
the woman, a drunken white man came
up from the river front. When questioned,
he told a story of having been robbed of
S1.65 by two negro women, whom he said,
seized hold of him at the lumber pile at
the Barnard market dock. The case APP
peared to have some connection with the
injury of Susan Phelps, but the man was
evidently too drunk TO have made any
assault, and would have hardly been more
than match for the woman II sober. He
was shown to the woman, and she stated
positively that he was NOT one of the party
who attacked her. The man said that he
ten weeks ago, and that he was working
for a firm on Broughton street. As he
appeared to be harmless he was allowed
to go. He wanted to go back down on
the river front to look for his money but
the chief told him to go home or he would
IF you go back down there you'n drop
in the river" said the chief "and then
we'll have the trouble of burying YOU"
The fellow took the advice and went
| off The river front Is a great resort al
4 night for disreputable characters, and es-
! which Susan Phelps belongs, and there
| is little doubt that Chief McDermott's the
/ DRY of the manner in which she came to
/ receive her injuries is the correct one.