The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-05
CHATHAM'S RECORD OF CRIME.
CORONER's LIST OF HOMICmES,
SUICIDES AND SUDDEN DEATHS.

| The Detectives Did Good Work.
There were hfty-fout homicides. drown
ings, suicides and accidental deaths IN
| Chatham county last year. as compared
with fifty the previous year. There were
| eighteen homicldes. nineteen drownings.
| four suicides and thirteen deaths from
! railroad accidents last year, as compared
with nineteen homicides, twenty drown
ings, three suicides and eight deaths from
! railroad accidents in 1895.
! OF the homicldes last year. six of the
victims were white and twelve colore3.
OF the drowning twelve were white ana
seven coiored. There were four white and
nine colored victims of railroad accidents.
| The four suicides were all white. These
are the figures obtained by Coroner Goette
after a review of his records for last
| year.
The coroner held twenty-seven inquests,
and made 325 Investigations during the
year. The large number of Investigations
/ is due to the fact that the coroner is
called upon to investigate every case Of
sudden death and every case where any
suspicion whatever appears to attach to
| the death.
The list of the victims of homicides is
as follows:
January-Susan Ford. colored. killed by
! her husband, who was convicted and sem
fenced to ten years in the penitentiary.
Feb 17-Stephen Gibson, colored killed
by street railway employees in West sa-
vannah. The white men charged with the
x4rar frfo
ing no evidence to point to the guilty
party.
March Harris Ellis, colored, killed in
Sackvlle by Pink Hamburg, colored Han
bury escaped and has not been heard
from since.
March l5-William Sales, colored, stab
| bed to the heart by Matte Clark, colorcd.
The coroner's jury rendered a verdict of
! justittable homicide.
March 27-Elijah Thompson, coored,
shot by Richard Manigault, coore l, on
! the Taylor plantation, west of me city.
Manigault was convicted and sentenced
to twenty years in the penitentiary
May D-Tony Wilson, colored, noted
thief, was shot by Henry White while at
tempting to burglarize the house OF the
latter, on the Waters road. The coroner S
| jury exonorated White from all blame.
July 2S-Laura Cuthbert, colored was
stabbed to the heart by Rosa Pratt. COL
| ored The Pratt woman was )nvicted of
| Involuntary manslaughter and sentenced
to three years in the penitentary.
Sept. 22-Benjamin Wilson, colored, was
| shot by Brister Graham, colored. The cor
! oners jury brought in a verdict of murder.
| Graham was indicted yesterday and his
case is assigned for trial Friday.
Sept B.-Capt. q. H. Berry of Effing-
| nam county was shot and killed at Chero-
kee Hill, on the Augusta road, eight miles
/ west of the city The murderers have
| never been discovered
Oct. 6-Henry Weight was stabbed to
! death by George Grower at Liberty ana
East Broad streets. The coroners jury
| brought in verdict of murder. Grower
was indicted by the grand jury yesterday,
and is in Jail awaiting trial.
Nov. 9-Preston Brooks, colored was
| shot and killed by Maurice +. Sullivan at
| South Broad and East Broad streets The
| coroner's jury brought in a verdict of
/ manslaughter. Sullivan and Simon J.
! O'Neill are under indictment and are on
! bond, awaiting trial.
Nov S-John Parker was accidentally
! shot and killed by Charles Jemdal at VII
/ mington Island.
Nov 1S-William Smith, colored was
/ shot by Policeman w. Z. Bradley while
/ the latter. in company with other off,
GERS, was attempting to arrest Smith. The
verdict of the coroner's jury was justifi-
able homicide.
Dec. 3-Adam Thornburgh was shot and
! killed by A. l.. Pitts in Thornburghs sa-
/ loon on River street. Pitts is in Jail await
| ing trial for murder.
Dec John w. Wyness died from the
| effects of a pistol shot wound inflicted by
| Patrick Kearney on the night of Nov 30
at Price and South Broad streets. The
coroners jury decided that the killing
was murder. Kearney is under bond
| awaiting trial
Dec. 2i-Sam Gibson, colored was shot
| by John Perkins, colored, at Bay and
| Farm streets Christmas eve The coro-
ners jury decided that the crime was muir
der Perkins is in Jail under indictment.
Dec 25-Levi Rutledge, colored. was
shot and killed by Policeman Guilfoyle,
while resisting arrest The coroner's jury
brought in a verdict of justifiable homi-
eide.
Dec. 25-Wnliam r. Titcomb died at the
Savannah hospital from fracture of the
skull, inflicted by unknown parties on
South Broad street early Christmas morn
Ing.
1t will be observed that of the twelve
negro homicides eight were killed by other
negroes two were killed by policemen
while resisting arrest, and two only were
killed by white men without justihable
cause. OF the six white homicldes one was
an accident and all, with the possible ex-
sception of Capt Berry's murder, were the
work Of other white men. In only two
instances have the guilty parties escaped
arrest. In all the other cases the guilty
parties have already been tried and con
victed or are awaiting trial. In every in
stance where a homicide was committed
in the city the guilty parties were prompt
ly arrested. The record is bad enough,
but it is not near so black as that of some
northern cities whose newspapers are fond
of speaking Of the reign Of lawlessness in
the south.
'"rhe work of the police detectives
should be mentioned in this connection. q"
said Coroner Goette. In every instance
where a homicide occurred the work of
the detectives and the police was prompt
and effective. and the guilty parties were
in every instance arrested within a short
time after the crime was committed They
also rendered great assistance in secur-
ing the witnesses to these crimes" The
number of homicides was one less than
lasC year, and consequently it cannot be
charged that crime OF this character is
on the increase in Savannah.