The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-16
ACTED IN SELF DEFENSE.
WILLIE SALES, SLAYER RELEASED
BY THE CORONER

The killing Held 10 De JustihabIe.
The Man Had n Had Record with
His Knffe-He Was EndeavOring to
stab Matte Clark when She
stabbed HIm-Continued to Pursue
Her After Receiving His Death
bIow-The Woman Surrendered
Herself TO the Police.
The coroncrs jury yesterday afternoon
decided that the killing Of Willie Sales, az
Dewberry's free and easy on Reynolds
street. by Matte Clark Saturday nieht
was justifable. and that The woman was
acting In self-defense.
The woman walked into che police bar
racks at O'Clock yesterday morning and
gave herself up. Chief McDermOtt. the de-
teotives and a squad Of policemen had
been looking for her since shortly after
the killing. but without success.
After searching the house where the kill
ing occurred a policeman was left on guard
and the squad began a search Of South
Broad street lane and Hull street, between
West Broad and Montgomery streets, she
having been seen in that locality shortly
after the killing The woman was at the
house Of her sister at Montgomery and
Stone streets. having gone there. she said.
directly after leaving Dewberrys place.
The woman is also known as Matte
Sanders. this being her fathers name. She
had a husband named Sanders, she said,
who deserted her year OF more ago. She
mad baby with her at the free and easy
at the time the killing occurred. She Is
only about l3 years Old, but has been fire.
Quenting the free and easies, as the negro
dance halls are known, for some time. and
is evidently a hard character. Neverthe-
less. the testimony Of all the witnesses
made it clear that the killing was in self
Willie sales. or Red" Sales. as he was
known TO the frequenters Of Dewberry's,
was the bully Of the place and very much
addicted 10 using his KNIFE. Hardly sat
urday night passed that he did not have
difficulty. on the SATURDAY night previous
TO the killing he stabbed a negro named
Simon jenkins in the shoulder He had
had several stanbing ARRAYS and several
weeks ago stabbed Two men I'm a fight in
or near the place.
Homer Styles. dancer at Dewberry's
place, gave the cOTOners jury the best
account Of the killing. Styles said that
he was dancing on a box i'm the free and
easy shortly before midnight Saturday
night Matte Clark came up ana he ask
ed her TO dance with him. or to face
him. She was about TO DO so when Sarah
Demere Jumped up on the box and said,
with an oath. that she wac going to dance.
al the same time showing Matte back.
The two clinched. Teresa Jenkins and an
other woman ran up and Joined in the
night, all three jumping on the Clark wo-
man, who, IL seems was not very pOpu-
lar in the place. Matte got Teresa's I'm
ger IN her mouth and bit IT,
sales ran up az this time, collared Mat
tie, showed her back against the wall and
commenced choking her because she had
bitten Teresa, his mistress. The Clark
woman declared that she would make him
pay Tor WhaI ne mad done. After the bar
was closed Dewberry and several OF the
attaches OF the place went into a back
room. Several Of the negro women have
rooms ia the house, the Clark woman,
among the number About a quarter ar
ter y Sales came to the door and rapped.
he said something about apOlogizing a.
ne came in. The Clark woman was sit
ting In a rocking chair, and Sales went
up 10 her and stood over her, saying:
80 on say I'm going to pay for IT, / want
70 pay Tor something when l pay" He
then opened both doors of the room and
came back to her. repeating his state
ment- He had his hand in his pocket.
and when the woman attempted TO get
away from him he struck at her with a
long-bladed pocket-knife. She avoided the
blow, Sales hand striking her i'm the face
The knife struck the waist Of her dress.
The woman ran out into the entry way
screaming. Sales pursued her and cut at
her twice more, cutting dress each time
without infiicting any injury. A negro
named George Washington tried to pull
Sales away. but without success. When
SAFES started al the clark woman again
she struck at him with a small pocket
knife. II was not thought then that she
had inflicted any serious injury Sales
continued to pursue the woman around
the room until he became too weak to
follow her, and was then carried TO his
home by some Of his companions at No
5lA Reynolds street, dying shortly after
reaching home.
The Clark woman made a statement to
the jury, practically on the same line as
that given above. She said that when she
struck at Sales with her knife she did not
know whether she had cut him or ncS 1t
did not take the jury long to reach an
opinion as stated. and the woman was dis
charged by Coroner Goette.
There are several of these free and
easies and they are beyond question the
toughest dives in the whole city They
are frequented by the lowest class Of ne
groes and some few whites, and the Won
der is that there have not been more kill
ings.