The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-19
TO ANSWER FOR MURDER.
MEL LEE IN JAIL FOR THE KILL
ING OF JAMES HENDRICKS.

The Crime Committed in BuIoch
County Just Across the River
/ From CInxton-TwO Men ImpIicat-
ed in the KiIIing-One Arrested
and Brought to Savannnh-Omcers
| on Track of the other.
Sheriff ]. Fl. Donaldson of Bulloch coun-
( ty arrived in the city last night, having
in charge Mel H. Lee, aged % years,
charged with the murder of James Hen
bricks a farmer of that county.
The crime in which the prisoner is i'm
plicated was committed about o'clock
Sunday night, at the home of the murder
/ ed man. The details of the crime are
rather meager on account of the fact that
Sheriff Donaldson from whom they were
obtained did not remain at the place
where it was committed but very short
time.
To a Morning News reporter the sheriff
stated that he had been summoned from
his home in Statesboro by telegram
saying that murder had been committed
about twenty-five miles from Statesboro,
just across the river from Claxton, in TAFT
nah county. The message was received at
8 o'clock yesterday and by o'clock the
sheriff had driven to the place from which
he had received the message. Upon reach
ing it he was informed that James Hen
bricks had been killed by two young men,
Mel Lee and Ben Sykes, who live in the
neighborhood.
The story, as given by the sheriff ana
Mr.. H. V. Johnson, postmaster at Clax-
ton, who accompanied him to Savannah,
was that Lee and Sykes went to the home
of Hendricks late Sunday night in far
gone state of intoxication They were
seated in the main room of the house, in
company with Hendricks family, which
consists of a wife and eight children.
There was no disturbance whatever I'M
til the visitors grew familiar and began
to curse and use indecorous language
Whereupon Hendricks asked them to be
quiet He was not needed, and the men
continued their vulgarity in such a man.
ner as to make it unbearable to Hen
| bricks They were told if they did not
stop the use of such language, they
would be put out of the house
At this point Lee, who is now in Jail
here, and who is also said to have been
less intoxicated than Sykes, said that
their conduct would be continued, and that
no one could put them out of the house
it is also said that he melted Sykes to
hold his ground and not to leave the
house. The fight is supposed to have be-
gan when Hendricks laid hold of Sykes
to put him out. Sykes drew a large
knife and began cutting his combatant
Lee, who was in the rear of Hendricks
and Sykes, 1t is claimed, drew a knife
and cut Hendricks several times in the
back, while the latter was tussling with
Sykes. After fierce struggle Hendricks
GnRPPpdpd n of
house. while Lee had in the meantime ran
out at a side door. Hendricks walked
TO one side of the room, in which the
fight had taken place and seated himself
in a chair, telling his wife that he had
been stabbed to death. All possible aid
was given the wounded man, but he died
in a few minutes.
| Loud screams from the members of the
| family had given the alarm to the neigh
borhood, and the first man to arrive upon
the scene was Jonathan D. Sykes, the
father of the young man who had been
engaged in the difficulty. The family of
the dead man were in the highest state
| of excitement, and when Sykes father
was informed of the fact that his own
son had probably killed Hendricks the
old man, whose head was white with age
could not hold up under the shock which
the alarming news brought and fell in a
faint. Other people in the neighborhood
heard the report of the killing, and went
to the house.
Before the excitement had ended Mel
Lee, who had fled after the scuffle, return
ed to the house. and pretended that he
had seen the fight between Hendricks and
Sykes, but claimed that he himself had
had nothing to do with it. He said he had
returned to learn the condition of the
wounded man. But the family of the dead
man informed those who had gathered
that Lee had stabbed Hen
bricks while the scufle between
the latter and Sykes was going on. Lee
was arrested at once and taken across
the river to ClaXton, where he was con-
fined in the little Jail at that place to
await the coming of Sheriff Donaldson
When the sheriff arrived he did not
take time to investigate the matter very
thoroughly, as he did not have time He
had been advised that the friends of Lee
were laying a plot to rescue him from
the jail, and would in all probability do
so If he was allowed to remain there over
night. Sheriff Donaldson realized that
there was great deal of feeling-sympa-
thy for both the family of the unfortu-
nate man and also the prisoner. He did
not, therefore, lose any time, but took the
first train from Claxton for Savannah,
which reached here at 8 o'clock.
Arriving in the city, he at once took Lee
to the county jail, where he was lodged
for safe keeping until this morning at 10
O'Clock, when the party will take train for
Statesboro.
officers is making a search of the sur
pretending him.