The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-27
A CRAZY NEGRO SHOT DEAD.
HE REFUSES TO SURRENDER TO A
SHERIFF's POSSE.

He Had Been Roaming About in
Richmond County for n Year and
Was Dangerous Nuisance-He
Had Boosted That He Would Never
BE Taken Alive.
Augusta, Ca. May 26.-There was
homicide Of a rather unusual character
few miles from Augusta to-day, in
which a sherin's posse surrounded a
negro and shot him to death, as he re-
fused to surrender and resisted arrest.
The Negroes name was Glenn Easterlins
and he has been posing as a crazy outlaw
for several months, keeping his gun IN
his hand day and night and swearing he
would never surrender to arrest.
The fellow was declared to be crazy
by parties who knew him, and the off,
GERS of the law sought to avoid violence
in affecting his arrest.
Easterling lived on a small place near
the places of Mr.. Thomas B. Phinizy and
Hon. Martin Calvin and has at various
times committed depredations on the prop
erty of each Mr.. Calvin reported him
a year ago and then he was arrested.
After being kept in Jail for some time
he was released. He behaved himself
for while. but soon began trespass.ng
again. At one time when DR.. Phinizy
ordered him off his place where he was
cutting wood he threatened the doctor
with the ak and drove him off his own
land, the doctor being unarmed.
Before the coroner's inquest to-day Dr.
Phinizy testified that for the last few
months he had not driven over his farm
without carrying along a heavily loaded
gun for his protection, and that he had
az - s
the law that the man be arrested, as he
was a dangerous nuisance.
Recently Easterling has terrorized
whites and blacks, and the demand for
his arrest was general.
To-day Sheriff OConnor and a posse
went to arrest him, and the result is told
in the testimony before the coroner.
Sheriff O'Connor stated that with a
posse, ne went out this morning to ar
rest Easterling on warrants charging
MIN with lunacy, and as being dangerous
to the community at large: The posse
uty Sheriff D'Antignac, Deputy Sheriff
Prltchard, Bailif Seago and Gus Boiler.
Sheriff O'Connor stated that when the
posse reached the scene they saw Easter
ling at $50 o'clock, sitting on his fence.
He had doubleIbarrelled shotgun in his
tween him and his house They yelled
TO him to throw up his hand, but in
stead of this he slipped down and ran
With his gun in position as If ready to
fire he ran towards Sheriff O'Connor and
Deputy d'Antignac. The latter fired over
his head with the idea of soaring him into
surrendering. When the shots were fired
Easterling swerved and started towards
Deputies Pritchard and Seago. He was
running with his gun raised as If to fire.
The latter fired, when he swerVed back to-
ward the sheriff and Deputy d'Antignac
and when within thirty feet of them fell.
In answer to questions from the jury
Sheriff O'Connor said he could not say,
although there was an empty shell in the
gun of Easterling, whether he had fired
or not. He (the sheriff. did not fire at all
Deputy Shelf William d'Antignac, af-
ter telling of other Intellectual attempts
to arrest Easterling detailed the killing
as follows: Il walked into the field near
est his house and called to him to surren-
der saying to him: Throw up your
hands, He jumped off the fence and
came in a run towards Deputy Pritchard
and Bailiff Seago. He then started toward
me and l shot two or three times over
his head, hoping he would see that
we were determined and would surren-
der. He came a. me with his gun in a
shooting position. / fired at him; in fact
we all fired at him. 1 did not know that
he had fired back at us until Mr.. Boiler
asked me: Did you get hit?' Mr.. Boiler
and 1 then went back. He fell just about
that time Mr.. Boiler then came up and
we went over to him. He was lying on
his left side, with the gun in his hand
The left barrel was cooked, and the right
had been discharged. He lived three or
four minutes"
There were other witnesses to Easter
! ling's lawlessness, and the jury's verdict
was justihable homicide by officers of
the law in the discharge of their duty.
DIR. Morgan testified that Easterling
was shot four times-over the right eye,
! in the right breast. through the right
wrist and through the right side of the
abdomen. The latter bullet went clean
through the body. Regret was expressed
! by conservative citizens that the negro
was killed, but those who knew Easter
ling say that he was determined not to
! be arrested alive.