The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-04
LAwLESSNEsS IN ECHoLs.
Blood Curdling story of the Work of
n Vigilance Committee,

VIZ nance committee.
Valdosta, Ca. Sept 3-News has reached
here of a sensational shooting in Echols
county in which one negro was killed, his
child wounded and another negro was bad
ly shot.
The killing is alleged to have been done
by ten or dozen white men and the de-
tails which lead to the killing form a web
which is hard to understand or uuravel.
The story has come to Solicitor General
Thomas from the sheriff of the county,
and from negroes mostly. Though most of
the main facts in connection with the kill
ing and the causes which lead to it are the
same, the stories have been different in
some minor details.
Several months ago the white people in
that section of the country began to miss
cows and cattle of different kinds and they
hnally suspicioned a negro named Sam
Teott with stealing them. 1t is alleged that
a white citizen swore out a warrant
against Teott. but before the day of trial
came, settlement was effected. The 9TH
er citizens thought that they had some
interest in the prosecution and they did
not like the manner in which the case was
stopped. They swore out another warrant
against Teott, and the case came up in a
magistrates court a few days ago. 1t is
alleged that the citizen who swore the first
warrant was on hand to take sides with
Teott. When the justice heard all of the
evidence he decided that a case against
Teott had not been made clear and the ne
gro was released.
Bad blood was engendered between the
whites, and one faction was stronger
against the negro. Different things trans
pired and different remarks We're made,
one about the other until one of the fac
lions formed vigilance committee to get
rid of Teott.
Night before last they went to his house
and called him out He had heard some
inklings of trouble and he refused to
come. They called again and he still re-
fused. The crowd then surrounded the
house and opened fire through the win
dows. He was killed instantly, being
wounded in numerous places from Win
chesters and shotguns. One of his chill
dren was shot, though not seriously hurt.
The story is that as soon as the men had
done their work they began to pour oil
about to burn the house, but negro on
the inside rushed out with water and put
the fire out. While he was doing this
some one in the crowd shot him, though
not wounding him seriously.
During the same night the crowd went
to Buck Carter's gin house and posted a
SlSn on IL warning MN 10 Keep mis- nandS
out of negro troubles, or he would be
treated like Teott.
The negro who put out the fire at the
house stated that he recognized some of
the men, and he says they were white. A
coroner's inquest over the negro got some
evidence and a white man named Startling
was arrested, but was afterwards released
as nothing definite could be gotten against
him.
1t is said that the killing has stirred up
a great feud among the whites in that
section, and more serious trouble may
yet happen.
Teott, 1t is said, was a negro of unsav-
DRY character. He was not only charged
with stealing cattle, but with shooting
cows and doing many acts of vandalism
Two negroes at Dasher station had a
fight yesterday, and one of them, Dick
King, was shot to death by another nam
ed Simon Taylor. Several warrants had
been sworn out among the negroes there,
and King was charged by Taylor with
getting one against him. Taylor got a
breech-loader and went cunning for King
day before yesterday, and when the men
met King jumped on the other and took
the gun from him. Yesterday Taylor got
a pistol and went after his gun, but King
refused to give it up, stating that he was
going to bring it to the judge here.
Taylor pulled his pistol then and shot
him down. He broke to run, but was
caught by Mr. John Conoly and brought
to this city and turned over to the sheriff