The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-27
TITCOMB'S SLAYER UNKNOWN.
NO SATISFACTORY EVIDENCE Sc
CURED BY THE CORONER so
FAR.

| the Man VINO Jseu an AK h"hOiS
with Such Terrible Effect on the
Dead Man and Two Others, But lie
Told the Jury He Was Too Drunk
to Know Anything About the At
fair-He Repeated His story to the
Coroner, HOwever-The Jury TN
willing to Make Up Its Verdict I'm
til 1t Gets More Evidence.
The Inquest upon William r. Titcomb
lasted pretty much all of yesterday after
noon and part of last night, and was con-
tinued until IL O'Clock this morning in or
der to secure more evidence.
The evidence so far brought before the
jury is insufficient 10 justify verdict. The
witnesses to the killing, or rather the par
Elephants in the general row which ended
in Titcomb's death, evinced a great desire
to avoid testifying and 1t was impossible
for the coroner to find some of them. There
are at least half a dozen people to be
brought before the jury whose presence
has not yet been secured. Some of these
may prove important witnesses.
Ben Kennedy, a negro waiter at Kauf-
mans restaurant, told an interesting
story of the fight to the police detectives
yesterday morning Kennedy said he was
He ran outside and saw "Mogul" Dyer
coming down off Madam Connolly's stoop
with new ak handle in his hand. He saw
Dyer, strike William Geiss over the head
with the AK handle and fell him to the
ground. and then struck him twice as he
lay on the ground. Kennedy said Dyer at
tackled Titcomb next and felled him to
the ground with the ak handle. After that
he turned on another white man and
knocked him down. He then attacked him,
Kennedy, who ran into the restaurant,
When Coroner Goette brought Kennedy
before the jury he did not testify to this,
however, but swore that he was too drunk
at the time to remember anything about
the row. AT the night session, however,
Kennedy, who is held at the police bar
racks repeated the story which he had
told in the morning, in the presence of
was afraid to testify before the jury, he
said, for fear the friends of Dyer would
mob him. He will be given a chance to
tell his story to the jury this morning.
The inquest was held in Coroner Goette's
office, and began at $3.50 o'clock.
Michael Murphy testified that on Christ
Cooney and James Brown started out to
have little sport. They got to South
Broad street, and started to 80 into one
of the houses there, a high stoop house.
next to Kaufman's place, kept by Madam
Connolly. Just as they got to the stoop,
they met another crowd Of eight or ten
ne Two CROWDS started up the steps To-
gether. The door was opened and they
were told they could not get in. There
was some little argument about who had
the right of way on the steps, and the
crowds began to push and shove against
each other. Some of them had fallen off
the step" Murphy said. Il lost my hat
1t was either knocked off my head or fell
off, and | went down to get it. was look
ing on the ground when l got blow on
the lip. struck the man that hit me, and
| hurt my arm.
You see it's almost broke" said the
witness, showing a badly bruised arm. Il
got my hat and got away as quickly as l
could and that's all 1 know about it."
The witness said in answer to questions
| that he did not see Titcomb. They all had
| sticks in his crowd. He lost his stick be-
| fore he got off the stoop and did not see
any blows passed He knew Titcomb wei
and would have recognized him if he had
seen him.
II will swear positively that there was
no one in our crowd that had an AK ham
| die" he said. He could not tell the exact
| time. II was between a. m and $3.50 to 3
| a. m. He was sober, but had been drink
| ing somewhat. The other parties with
him were all sober.
John w. Roseborough testified that on
Christmas eve he went up on Madame
| Connoly's stoop. He only remembered
| the name of one friend who was with him.
Just about the time they rang the bell an
| the only one he knew. He recognized
| Murphy's face, but did not know his name.
| He did not remember what words passed.
/
/ down on the ground. He got blow or
| two in the face. and went into the alley
| way. That's about all know"
| he said. He did not remember seeing any
! sticks or ak handles. He lost his hat and
went off to get another one. He did not
see Titcomb. but saw him lying on the
| ground afterwards. The witness acknowl-
edged that he was pretty well filled up"
| He did not know Dyer.
Harry Sweat said he was in Kaufman's
restaurant little after l O'Clock. He was
/ sitting a table somehow
side and said there was fight. He went
! out and saw Titcomb .ying on the ground
| bleeding with about Wenty people around
| him. He recognized Titcomb. He caught
| hold of him and shook him and asked him
! IL he knew him. Titcomb opened his eyes
| and closed them again. Sweat asked who
| hit him and some one in the crowd said
Joe Brown" policeman came up,
picked Ttcomb up. and helped carry him
| to the barracks. After reaching the bar
racks the sergeant on duty tried to get a
The witness said he went twice himself
THE man laid in the barracks possibly
an hour" said Sweat. "He was bleeding
freely went with him to the hospital in
the ambulance" The witness said there
was a crowd around Titcomb when he
! saw him. He knew several OF them, but
| did not see George Dyer or James Brown.
a. H., Howard said that he was going
| down Brou5hton street Thursday night
when he met friend who proposed that
they go to Kaufman's and get something
1
| teen minutes when they went outside They
! went up on Madame connolly's stoop, and
| touf men came up and rang
| the bell The landlady came to the door
| but would not let anybody in. He went
down off the stoop and stood opposite the
door of the adjoining house. He called to
his friend to come on. Then a general
scrap started on the stoop.
| II did not move two steps before l saw
one man had club" the witness said.
| what size l do not know He asked an
other fellow did he hit you? The other
fellow did not answer and the other man
said, III fix the - and struck
the other across the forehead with the
club and he fell. ! did not know either
party. The man who struck the blow is a
short. stout man, heavy built. | heard
some one say his name was Brown. /
then went up to a friend, who had got
struck, went through the lane up to Price
street, and carried him into Kaufman's.
After | put him down in Kaufman's he
asked me 10 get him a hat i went OUT
side and found man lying down on the
sidewalk, lie looked like the same fellow
| had seen struck. / found another friend
who was IN the crowd that went up on
The stoop.
After getting hat for friend who
had lost his in the melee they started
home and stopped at the barracks.
THE whole crowd was well under the in
| luence Of liquor" the witness said ~ was