The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-16
ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE.
GEORGE n. DYER CHARGED WITH
THE MURDER OF WIN. TITCOMB.

the slayer of TjtcOmb and Asserts
His InnOcence-Many Witnesses
Testify in His Favor, But the only
Man who Swears Positively as
Seeing and knowing the Guilty
Party Says That Dyer struck the
Fatal Blow.
George II. Dyer was put on trial for his
life yesterday in the superior court.
He is charged with the murder Of Will
tam R. Titcomb. The crime was commit
ted the night before last Christmas when
a crowd of rioting young men, celebrating
in advance Of Christmas flushed with the
excitement, and under the influence Of
drink became involved in a general row
while endeavoring to precede each other
IN making entrance to a house in the ten
derloin district.
The case is one which has aroused CON !
siderable excitement. and interest. Some
of the witnesses are among the well
known young men in Savannah, and the
accused is of not unpleasing address, good
looking and with the appearance Of a we'll
TODD young man. He had been living IN
Charleston just prior TO the killing Of Tit
was at work along the wharves and in the
warehouses, having some connection with
the loading OF ships.
Dyer was held before the coroner's jury
the day after the crime was committed. !
but was released. After that he was
summoned before the grand jury but no
indictment was found. Solicitor General !
Osborne upon taking charge of his office |
at the beginning of his term, made a fur |
Their investigation. and brought the case |
again to the attention Of the grand jury, |
the result being a true bill against Dyer |
and upon this indictment for murder he is |
now on trial in the superior court.
The case was called at 10 o'clock, but IL |
was late in the afternoon before the hear |
ing Of the testimony began, there having |
been considera bic difficulty in selecting a |
jury. The entire jury list Of the term was /
exhausted and a new one had TO be |
drawn to complete the panel for trying /
the case. This served 20 show the amount |
of interest in the case.
The jury consists of Frank 3. Torley, |
Stephen l.. Cole William A Calder, j. 1
Wesley Hunt, John Andre, Robert II. |
Woodward, Clarence A.Godfrey, James b. /
Kelly, Henry w. Readick, w. II. W. /
Schley George F. Allen, Seymour c. !
Stewart.
After the noon recess the taking Of tes- |
tmony began.
DIR. A. A. Morrison was the first witness |
for the state. He was house surgeon at |
the Savannah hospital the night Titcomb |
was taken there. lie stated that Titcomb /
was brought to the hospital between ! /
and o'clock in the night, and so far as |
he knew, he was the first doctor to ex-
anime him. He said the patient was in
an unconscious condition and never re-
gained consciousness. He died before |
O'Clock in the morning. The cause Of his /
death was a compound fracture of the
skull just over the left eye, a frightful /
cash. The witness could not say what /
kind of a weapon had been used by the |
assailant He could only say that the
wound was of such nature as to preclude
all possibility of recovery, no matter what |
might have been the opportunities for
medical relief
The next witness for the state was Mr.
Joe Molina. He was an eye witness to
the ARRAY which cost Titcomb his life
He was on stoop near by A group OF
young men was rioting a short distance /
away. They went on Madame Connolly's |
stoop, and trouble ensued. He recogniz-
ed four of the group. Jim Cooney, George |
III. Dyer, Pinkley Murphy and Jim Brown
Dyer carried stick or club about the size
Of an ak handle. He saw Dyer hit man
with this stick and the man fell, and Dyer
followed his first blow with a second at
ter the victim had fallen to the ground
This was the last incident of the row,
and Dyer and others Of the crowd went
away. The witness proceeded to show
how the assaulted man had fallen to the
ground, mentioning the direction in which
he had fallen. He saw a dying man at the
police barracks later that night but could
not swear positively that he was the same
man he had seen fan in the encounter he
had previously witnessed.
When ross-questioned the witness said
there We're four others with him that
night at Kauffmans cafe in the close
neighborhood OF the scene of the tragedy
They were there about midnight, after
which they started TO Madame Connolly's
and the difficulty occurred while they
were in front of Madame Connolly's /
house. Dyer was the only one. to the wit
nesses knowledge. who had a stick. Since /
the trial he has heard it was an ak handle /
II was about that size. He did not remem-
Der how Dyer was dressed.
The witness said that he had been drink /
ing with his companions, but stated that
he was not drunk at all, only feeling 1T
ale Jolly"
During the cross questioning juror ask
ed the witness in which hand Dyer had /
the stick when he struck the man. The 4
reply was that he held It In both hands.
Attorney T. 5. Morgan Jr., for the de-
Tense, asked the witness II he had not /
testified in the case before the grand Jury /
when no true bin was found against Dyer. /
To this question Solicitor General Os- /
borne made objection and the court upheld |
the objection.
Mr.. Morgan stated he would get the rec /
ord as part OF the testimony
Detective Martin Scully was next put on 4
the stand. He arrived on the scene about I
ten minutes after the crime had been COM /
mitted He testified that the body OF Tit /
comb was lying, head pointing northwest. /
and his feet towards Madame COnnolly's /
stoop He stated that he was very near /
Madame Connollys house. The injured /
man was lying on his back and his eyes |
were much swollen. The witness gave or
ders for the body TO be taken to the po- /
lice barracks which was done.
With this testimony the state rested is |
case.
Five minutes was allowed Tor a confer |
ence between Messrs. Twiggs and Morgan, |
attorneys for the defendant After this
Judge TwigEs called upon Dyer TO take /
the stand and tell his story Go the Jury
Dyes declared that DE came from
Charleston the day OF the crime 10 snend
Christmas az home. lie met some friends
and they wound un by going down TO that