The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-01
Nc TRAGEDY IN A LOBBY.


continued 4LoAAA
q uil'i'
,---,,-e- is torn. He threw his hand
the ~, nocket and pulled his gun,
d ms ~ me like a blue steel or rusty
loon yrta matter of which l desired to
SOL MIN of 1 don't care to go into
ear ,bout now, but l have al the
7laii' -.sssrv After the shooting was
rool ~ next thing I remember, | found
yer a, he sidewalk with my pistol in
tlys5.L and 1 walked on round and
" 't The front door of the office. 1t
anne ~ very quickly done, and, OF course,
a. a., -',+ nave much time to think. II was
NV If Kill or be killed, and my con-
moe is clear, though l would give nan
C is.o ire if it had not happened. l think
NY r,ifa is innocent and she is moth
hdt .Is big grown-up child, and has not
~ III, recovered from q two months
mn - tvnboid fever. Mr.. Wilson would
pe.I the dining room and sit at The table
- nor every time he would see her in
- and had a way of trying to talk to
Nv when j was not around, and 1t was
IT, lost night that he grossly inSulted
ping Che said that she could not help 1t,
, nat he persisted in talking to her.
r., 7 smoke to her of it, she said that
..,vy no harm in it, and could not help
sont bv not speaking to him at all, and
last we decided that we would request
Lin, 10 move his boarding place, and thai
r. sirnlv what Intended doing this morn
- y,ban | stopped him. I liked him ami
IL a2a hoen friendly toward him and he
,ov-ard me- lie worked for me in the hotel
at Gaines y,lIe. ard we have been friends
since lave been here.
..yKben we met in the hall and l started
v h sneak to him and he sawed me off in
The manner which he did, three things
a ocourred to me- which can be explained by
tbsea words. First, he wronged me, then
ct qftan1nfA1 IN
y take my life. L have clear conscience,
and 1 think any other man would have
n dome as | did under the same circum-
stances. and while l think that l was per-
faotlv iustifiabe, still l would give any
4 thing if it had not happened. Last night
4 called my wife to the room, and expected
h IN talk to her about this matter, and she
said that he persisted in following her UP,
and that she could not help it. and we at
last decided that he should be asked to
move. and it was that intention I had
when l approached him in the hall this
morning. 1 entertained no hard feelings
toward him at all. l am not in the habit
Of carving a pistol on the streets of Way
cross: / do not go to on the streets of
Waycross much, and last night only went
down to the postoffice, as 1 expected a
letter from my father. and walked down
there after it. 1t was quite late when l
started, and put my pistol in my pocket
as the streets seemed to be deserted and
the stores all closed. If it had not been
for the fact that 1 had just failed to take
NV pistol out of my pocket this morning.
! would never have gotten it, for i hal
no idea we would have any trouble. 1
would give anything if il had not hap
pened. I don't know how many times /
fred but l remember there were four
shots fired. ] don't know whether 1 shot
one or three. l know that there were
four shots fired, and that I fired once and
Charlie once, and which fired the other
two 1 cannot say He may have fired them
both or he one and me one,I cannot say
! remember his pulling his pistol and he
had it in position when I drew mine. I
don't know that 1 hit him at all, but after
I walked out on the sidewalk and round
through the front door l saw him lying
on the floor and suppose that 1 did it, 1
know that had that intention after l saw
that it was a life and death case. 1 viii
state further there was no luminosity on
my part We both fired about the same
time, but 1 don't know whether l fired
once or three times but 1 do remember
hearing four reports. 1 remember that>I
walked out ON the sidewalk and
came in the front door with
my pistol in my hand.
tried To hit, as I saw it was a. case of
kill or be killed. I did not get my pistol
out until he had his in position. He had
tried to interfere with my domestic hap
piness, and persisted in doing so, and l
simply intended to ask him to move his
boarding place. I don't know of anyone
seeing it, except Mr.. Mitchell, who was
standing behind the counter in the office
can give the number of my pistol. 1t is
a Smith & Wesson hammerless, 30, and
the number is 1881. I don't know
whether this is his pistol or not, but he
had one similar to that when he was in
Gainesville; l could not say whether or
not it is the same one
w H. Evans of South Carolina, con-
ductor of the Plant system. after being
duly sworn. testified as follows: II walked
into the hotel, and Mr. Wilson came in
behind me; l went over to the water-cool-
er, which is in the corner by the glass
door, and while standing there, Mr.. Wilson
passed through the door into the hallway,
leading to the dining-rOom. Mr.. Williams
was standing behind the counter at the
time, and called to him to wait minute
and Joined him in the hall. closing the
glass door behind him I was not noticing
them. In a moment L heard a shot fire,
and when 1 looked up saw that Mr. Wilson
had fired at Mr.. Williams, and turned to
run, and as he did Mr. Williams fired.
don't see how Mr.. Williams escaped the
first shot as they were both standing in
the hall. Mr.. Wilson fired first and turned
10 rum then Mr.. Williams fred, ana 40
not know who fired the fourth shot. l
know nothing of the case as l don't know
either of them very well. l heard no con-
versation and do not know what the cause
was. Mr.. Wilson ran past me out of the
elass-door and turned and fired again.
saw that it was getting too close for me
and l ran in the reading ROOM Then Mr..
Wilson staggered and fell by the door
and l came out, and called DIR.
Rippard Mr.. Wilson fell against the
door, between the door and the table that
sets by the door. Mr.. Wilson fired one
shot by the water-cooler, and ran. There
was no one in the room except Bill the
porter, and Arthur, the Office boy. l was
standing by the water-cooler which sets
by the glass door, which leads into the
dining room. Mr.. Williams was standing
behind the counter in the office when Mr..
Wilson came in the front door. l was
standing as close to Mr.. Wilson as | am
10 that man writing at the table.
thought it was pretty close quarters, for
me so l ran in the reading room. l was
standing at the water-cooler when the
1rst shot was fired. MIR. Wilson fired the
flrst shot and ran, then Mr.. Williams
fired, then MIR. Wilson turned and fired
the third shot, and / do not know who
fired tho fn1rt, e,,o NNbpn fbp first shot