The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-17
GoDBoLD's DEAR CARTRIDGE.
THE BULLET HE GAVE KEARNEY
COST HIM $25.

Matters With a Citizen-Chief
McDermOtt Charged the Coroner
| with Trying to Injure Him.
| The police commission held a lengthy
session last night. There were several
matters before it. growing out Of the re-
cent inquest over the late j. w. Wy
| ness
| Detective Godbold. who testified at the
| inquest that he furnished the bullet with
which Policeman Patrick Kearney reload
| ed his pistol before going TO the barracks,
and Policeman Frank Smith, who was
| caught in a very bad box by the testi-
mony of Mr.. C. A. Drayton. were each
fined $25.
Both officers narrowly escaped being
| fred. Detective Godbold escaped by rea-
son of the fact that he voluntarily in
| formed the chief of his action after wy
ness death. and that he also notified the
coroner and others of the fact before the
! inquest and testified to the fact at the in
quest. He explained his failure to testi-
| fly to the fact when on the stand the
first time at the inquest by saying that
he knew the coroner was aware of the
circumstances and expected that he would
| question him about it. His ex-
PLANTATION of his action in Civ
ing the cartridge to Kearney
have already been stated. They were
that, thinking the shooting of Wyness
would not prove serious and knowing that
Kearney would lose his position if the
| facts came out, he gave him the cartridge
in order that he might reload his pistol
/ ha a
| shooting. AS soon as he found that Wy
ness was seriously injured Godbold in
formed the chief, coroner and recorder
that he would have important evidence
to give if the wounded man died.
MIR Draytons testimony at the inquest,
was that Policeman Smith had voluntari-
ly come to him and made statements,
which put the management of the case at
| the police barracks in very bad light,
the conclusion being that the chief had
endeavored to shield Kearney. Mr.. Dray-
| ton testified that Smith had stated to him
that Kearney, after having been taken
into the barracks under arrest, was al
| lowed to go up into quarters, which would
| have given him a chance to change or
| reload his pistol, and that Kearney stated
when he came into the barracks that he
| shot Wyness, that the chief told him to
| shut up and showed him out of the room
Policeman Smith testified positively at
the inquest that he had made no such
statements to anyone. He also testified
that he did not see Kearney the night of
the shooting.
! Mr.. Drayton was before the commits
| sion and repeated his testimony at the in
| quest. He stated that he did not desire
to injure any one, and that he hoped his
evidence would not cause the dismissal of
/ the policeman
Policeman Smith in his statement to
the commission, said that it was true that
| he had discussed the. shooting with Mr..
| Drayton, but said the latter was mistaken
as to his statement He told Mr.. Dray-
ton, he said, that Counihan walked into
the barracks cursing and declaring that
he had shot Wyness, and that the chief
showed him out and told him to go be-
low He did not see Kearney at all that
night, he said, Kearney having come in
while he had gone for DR.. Drummer.
The testimony of Sergeant ktllourhy
and other officers were introduced to
show that KeaFney was not allowed to
! go to quarters after having been brought
in and that Policeman Smith was not in
the office.
The commission accepted Policeman
Smiths explanation and let him off with
a fine of SIS for discussing matters per-
tanning to the police department with a
citizen contrary TO the rules.
Perhaps the most interesting matter
before the commission was the statement
of Chief McDermott that he believed there
| was a conspiracy on the part of Coroner
Goette to injure him at the inquest. He
based this belief on the fact, as he be-
lieVcd, that although Coroner Goette knew
he was waiting to be called as a witness
and although the coroner knew that the
cartridge to reload his pistol had been
furnished to Kearney by Detective God
bold and that this fact had not been
made known to the jury the evidence
was declared closed without giving him
a chance to testify, and that if he had not
gone before the jury and insisted upon
being heard these and other facts would
not have been brought out. The re-
suit, he said would have been to place the
police department in a bad light should
these facts have been brought out after
wards as they certainly would have seen.
The chief said that he had himself stated
to Coroner Goette that Godbold had fur
nshed the cartridge to Kearney and he
could not understand why the coroner had
allowed Godbold to leave the stand with
out bringing out this fact. Goldbold had
also told the coroner in the afternoon.
When he found that it had not been testi-
fed TO, he had Godbold recalled in order
that he might testify. The chief said he
considered he was one of the important
witnesses for the state and that he should
have been called to testify anyway The
chief also thought that the bringing of Mr..
Drayton before the coroners jury was a
part of the scheme to injure him, as he did
not think that Mr.. Draytons testimony
: as to the statements made 20 him by Po-
lceman Frank Smith threw any light upon
the shooting of Wyness. He also thought
that he should have been called upon to
answer the statements attributed to Po-
liceman Smith by Mr.. Drayton.
, Mr.. Drayton was questioned about this
matter. and said that he had talked with
, Coroner Goette about what Policeman
Smith had told him, and he had been re-
, quested by the coroner TO be present at
, the inquest. lie was not summoned as a
witness. He was about TO leave the in
quest after remaining there some time
when he was requested by the coroner Ia
make his statement to the jury. which he
: did.
Coroner Goette had been summoned be-
fore the commission by request of Chief
McDermott. In reply TO questions he sta
ted that he had not considered 1t neces-
sary to call Chief McDermott as wit
= ness before the inquest as it was very late
n and he considered that the jury had al.
ready been made acquainted with all the