The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-20

Win
IT," Somebody said shoot him. and the
white man fired. ibbons ran down TO
the Scnlfy gate. pu Esueu by the white
man, a large man IN a gray overcoat; Al
ter said that when ne white men got on
the car they had pi stcls in their hands.
six got on AT the coa- chute he said
Baxter's testimony was a little cOnfus-
Ing Fs said he got of the car at Brown s
house with Ishmael Green and Joe Walker,
when the trolley rope was cut They
walked on and were near the end of the
line when the car came up Gibbons join
"a them there. one of the white men came
l4p and caught hoi. of Gibbons. He ierk-
ed away and fed down. When he got up
one Of them Knocked his hat on he
started 10 run and the small man fired
three shots at hi n. Gibbons ran past them.
pursued by the srtge man who fired three
shots after pursuing Gibbons for some
distance. me witness said at first that
only one shot Was fired behind him and
three shots after Gibbons passed him.
Henry Green, colored, said that he and
Gibbons were together. The One-armed
fellow was with them Gibbons had been
drinking and they helped him on the car.
The white men got on at the coal chute.
AT Jew Browns place the trolley jump
cd the wire and was pulled OFF again
AZ the end Of the line. Gibbons was at
tacked when we got on the car. When the
hooting stopped Gibbons was about go
: ards away He aw the tail man in the
81 un-colored oveI7 ;Oat shoot "a Gibbons.
II he regular motto, man and conductor did
no take "a hand IN the trouble so far as
he knew. He heard four shots The
Sfni vi man NEeN tDl'ee times. Inc tail man
said. i can overtaE the - -" and pur-
sued and shot at him. He then heard
Step hen say, 20. Lord. I'm shot"
The witness said that three of the white
men q rot on at the coal chute, two Win
pistol, in their hands, the tan one and
the sh ort one. Two others got on at the
one-ml le crossing. He did Iiod see them
have p istols When they got on the car
one sal q: You - have been run
ming this car all the time. Wen run it
tonight " AT the end of the line the troll
ley was pulled off and the passengers
had TO get off i'm the dark. The car re-
manned dark until II started back and
was not lrt up untl 1t got 10 Browns
house.
A. J. Cla r71e. night inspector of the EIec-
trio rallw't ~ said: Il was a the power
house SAT- u-day night. when the last car
was put -. Nothing was said to me
about the affair. Car A ran of the track
about ocl Ock beyond Central railroad.
took out S eVeral men and put the car
on the trat TX and returned to the power
house about; II o'clock. The names of the
men who a SISTED in getting the car on
the track we re Thomas, Owens and Charl-
ton.
The most Intelligent witness before the
jury, and the one who gave the most sat
isfactory sta tement was Capt. William O.
Fletcher ope rator Of the county dredge
who was a pa sssenger on the last car Sat
urday night. He got on in the city, hav-
ing some dist ance to go out in the coun-
try. The car was crowded with darkies
and he remar ked to the conductor about
the happy Gro wd he had on board. The
conductor rep lied that it was a happy
crowd, but he had had some trouble the
previous Satur day night ana that he had
some men who were going to- get on board
up the road to protect him. Three men
boarded the C, lr near the crossing, and
one of them C Dmmcnced collecting fares
on the rear I'D of the car, while the
conductor was coming through from the
forward end. HE collected my fare and
three or four more on the platform. Then
he came out of the car ana told me that
the negroes hFld been taking charge of
the car. I replied that TN at was pretty
bad. and told him ] had about a mile to
go up the 1o'Id after l got off the car.
They told me that they wC1Ild go up the
road with m @. l told them I had to stop
in West Savannah to get my engineer.
Then one of them got up on the back dash
board and looked in the car and wanted to
know what damn black -- -' that
was talking so loud. He passed his des-
tination and the conductor agreed to take
him back on the return trip. Two dar-
kies wanted to get off at West Savannah.
one of the white men stood in the door
and wouldn't let them out. The darkey
asked him to please let him out, that he
lived there and wanted TO get Off The
white man repli ed: You - - black -
- - you CART get Oft this car" and
told him to shove against him. That he
couldn't get off The car until he got TO
the end of the route; that they had been
meantime he pulled a "black Jack" Oily
out of his pocket The car went to the
end of the line, n few hundred yards
further. The pas sengers left the car
peacefully and went up the road towards
WoOdvle. The hite men followed up
the road. He rema lined on the rear plat,
form with the conductor and
He heard shooting up the road-four or
five shots. THE nexh knew said he, Il
lights went out. 1 sa id, Hello, what's this
mean and heard ONE one reply, We
don't want no light until we get down TO
West Savannah The car started to the
road turns irto West. Savannah, the car
was stopped to put me off. bade the
men goodnight. They advised me to stop
at my friends house that night. l told
them no, that l was going up the road.
One of them, said, i wouldn't go up that
road for "a thousand do liars l went to Mr.
Griffins house and ca, lied for my friend
Frank McPain. He ca. ne out. l told him
l thought there was the devil to pay up the
road"
The men decided to go home anyway
and met two parties OF negroes on the
road, but had no trouble.
Capt. Fletcher said tn lights were not
lit until he left the car. The men said
nothing to him about i.he shooting. 1t
was about ten minutes fter the men left
showed me their pistols when they offer
ed to so up the road wi tn me, and said
there would be no "heli"' raised on that
car" said he. Il told the N if there came
any serious trouble I would help them
OUT
Coroner Goette took the jury down to
the barracks in order that the negro wit
nesses might point out the prisoners who
did the shooting. Frank Screven pointed
| out Connolly as the man who did the
shooting and Guest as the man who start
ed the difficulty.
| William Baxter reversed things by point
| ing out Walker as the man who pursued
and shot Gibbons and Floyd as the man
who fired in the air. Sam Armstrong said
| that Floyd was the man who beat him
! He did not see the shooting. Henry
| Green pointed out Walker as the man who
| shot Gibbons and Floyd as the man who
| fired the first shot. Darius Jones thought
| Connolly was the man who shot Gibbons
! and was positive that Guest was the mo-
who had the billy.
Guest and Floyd are small men about
! the same size, and Walker and Connolly
are both tail men with light mustaches
/ Walker is the man who owns the grey
! oVercoat, the detectives say.
! The jury put in practically the whole
| day on the inquest, beginning to take tes-
! timony at noon and retiring to make nm
| their verdict by candle light. 1t was after 7
/ O'Clock when the verdict was announced
FOR ATTEMPT TO MURDER.
! w. +, Barclay 10 Answer for Shoo.