The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-27
LYxcHIxG STORIES FALSE.
The Morning News Correspondent at
WaycrOss Imposed Upon.

0hSCEOss lnpOseu NpOhs
Blac!1shear, Ca, Nov. "a great deal
of indignation is felt in this community
because of a special from Watross in
to-days Morning News purporting to
give the horrible details of a rape ana
lynching. which is alleged to have occur
red in this county last night. This whole
story, from beginning to end, is a base
fabrication. No such person as those said
to have been concerned live in this county,
and in short, there was no rape and has
been no lynching. The origin of the re-
port is shrouded in mystery. The local
correspondent of the Morning News has
been diligent, though unsuccessful, i'm his
efforts to trace the report to its source.
1t appears that a press correspondent al
Waycross has been imposed upon and the
people would give a great deal to know
by whom. The telephone people al Way
cross admit that messages sdetailing his
mysterious affair We're received through
the Office. The message upon which the
Waycross story was based is alleged 10
have been sent BY John Clelland, city mar
shall here, to J. w. Lee, a member Of the
Waycross city police force Mr.. Lee says
he certainly received the message and
made 1t public, and he believed it to be
authentic. Mr.. Clelland denies all knowl-
edge Of it, The telephone people here 1eny
all knowledge of the affair and claim that
the messages were rot sent from this Of
fee. The telephone office at rat
tersOn and ScreVen have no re-
cord of the messages in question.
Mr.. Lee says positively that he talked
with some person who claimed to be John
Clelland, city marshal and that that per
son said he was talking from Blackshear.
Mr.. Lee, of course, could not identify the
person he talked with over the wires. Here
the matter rests for the time being Ev
cry effort will be made to unearth the at
present unknown author of the malicious
falsehood. 1t may be stated for a GER
tainty that the author would be in no lit
tie danger of a first-cass cowhiding We're
he to become known. Another strange af-
fair is that a similar report sent from
Waycross detailing a lynching alleged to
have occurred near Screven last night, is
also false. The Morning News cores
pondent here has it upon the authority of
James II. Walker prominent business
man at Screven, that the Whole story is
false from beginning to end Mr.. Poppell
had no mule to be stolen. There was no
trial at Screven and there was no lynching
The citizens of Screven are highly indig
nant that such a report should have gone
abroad and they would like to lay their
hands upon the author.
Waycross, Ca, Nov. ga man tele-
phoned the Morning News correspondent
last night from Screven concerning the al
legged lynching of a mule thief. The man
said he was Mr.. Gray, a merchant at
Screven. He understood that the cores
pondent had previously asked Mr.. Pop
well to telephone in case of big occur
rences there, and thought as Mr. Popwell
was off with the lynching party the Morn
ing News correspondent would like to get
the news from him. The telephone COM
pany is supposed to be reliable and deem
ing the message genuine the Morning News
correspondent accepted it and wired it as
reliable. Another man, possibly the same
one, telephoned officer John Lee last night
from Blackshear and later telephoned the
Morning News correspondent that young
lady was brutality assaulted about dusk
seven miles north of Blackshear, and that
her negro assailant was lynched this side
of Blackshear. The person who sent the
message said his name was John Cleland
city marshal of Blackshear. He said he
wanted the police to leave Waycross for
Blackshear at once with City Marshal
Miller's blood hounds and help capture the
negro. In the next five minutes he tele-
phoned Officer Lee again and said The negro
was lynched and Waycross parties need
not start out. The Morning News cores
| pondent heard the conversation between
! the Blackshear man and Officer Lee and
| called up Blackshear and asked for John
| Cleland, the city marshal. Somebody an
swered saying he was Cleland and told the
alleged facts which We're printed this morn
ing The Waycross Herald had both
stories in type this morning and killed
| them later. 1t was learned to-day that
| both reports were fakes and that the cor
respondent had been hoaxed. The alleged
| young lady that figured in the report from
Blackshear was fictitious person.