The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-09
STILLETo IN HER STOCKING.
WITH HER OWN BLADE DEsVIsR-
GES KILLED HIS MISTRESS.

sIauEhter-Mnl Serve Fifteen
Years in the Penitentiary-Detni'
of the Horrible Tragedy Recalled
by the Evidence Brought Out - An
Eye witness to the Killing Found
at Last.
Joe Desvergers will spend fifteen years
in the penitenitary for the killing of Lovey
Palmer.
Desvergers was indicted by the grand
jury for murder. but by the strong fight
made in his behalf by Judge II. D. D.
Twiggs, he was enabled to make out
case of voluntary manslaughter
The story of the crime is familiar to
the readers Of the Morning News, how the
accused became entangled in quarrel with
his amour and one night on a dark street
in the tenderloin section stabbed her with
a knife sixteen times, and ran from her
Mfeless form, throwing the knife away.
Not until yesterday when the trial came
before the superior court did the public
become aware that there was an eye
witness of the killing. Louise Russell
was brought out by the state with a
thrilling story OF the details of the crime.
1t was not known just what would be
the line Of defense. 1t was held by the
youthful slayer that the woman made an
attack upon him through Jealousy and in
a frenzy Of rage. Desvergers declared
in his statement that his amour dived
down into her stocking and came up with
a penknife, with which she made an at
tack upon him, and that in order to save
his life he wrenched the knife from her
and stabbed her with 1t. Such was the
defense and such were the charges against
the accused. The arguments in the case
were by Judge Twiggs for the defense
and Solicitor General Osborne for the
state. They we're both exhaustive in their
nature. and eloquent
The case held the attention Of the court |
all day. The attorneys for the state and
the defense began at once selecting the |
jury, which was completed without diff |
ficulty.
The first witness was Coroner Goette, |
who stated that he had found the body |
of Lovey Palmer about midnight on Hous- |
ton street, near Perry street lane. The |
cause of her death was sixteen knife |
wounds, inflicted evidently with a very |
small penknife. There were slashes across |
both sides of her head and face, the ar
teries in her neck were cut on both sides |
and there were eleven stabs in the back.
Amelia Pinckney was the states next |
witness. Her part of the horrible story |
of the crime was to show that Desvergers |
had been at her house the day of the |
killing and had made the threat that II |
the Palmer woman didn't cease treating |
him with Indifference he would go there |
some night, call her out and beat her 10 |
death. 1t was about O'Clock in the |
afternoon when this happened. The wit
ness declared on the cross examination |
that Desvergers was smiling at the time /
he made the threat. and that he might /
have been joking.
Lille Mayo and Annie Howard made |
statements tallying with that of the /
Pinckney woman. All three women are /
colored and were more or less familiar
with Lovey Palmer.
Madeline Foster testified that she saw
the dead body of Lovey Palmer the night
of the killing. She was sent by the |
mother of the dead woman on an errand /
across town and saw Desvergers at the |
corner of Drayton street and Oglethorpe |
avenue about or 3 o'clock in the morn
ing, and that he gave himself up to Sergt. |
Baughn of the police force. Sarah Styles
was with her, and made a similar state
ment.
Roland Williams, colored. who had been
giving bicycle lessons on Liberty street, |
testified that he passed the couple stand
ing on the sidewalk just prior to the kill /
ing. He heard blows ana screams. The
blows sounded like somebody with gloves |
on catching a ball.
Sergt Baughn testified as TO the volun-
tarY surrender of the accused and his |
confession that he had done the cutting. |
Detective Barrett also testified to the |
same effect.
A sensation was sprung when the solio- |
itor general called Louise Russell young |
white woman to the stand, she being a |
new witness IN the case, whose testimony |
had not been before the coroners jury at |
the time of the inquest. 1t seems that |
she was the only eye witness to the crime. |
1t had been believed that no one had |
seen the tragedy. Consequently the testi- |
mony OF the young woman was the most |
significant of all the evidence for the |
state. She told the story Of the |
crime in thrilling way. She |
stated that she was standing on
the stoop Of the house az which she stays |
louder. She saw a woman with a light /
shirt waist on running from a man who |
pursued her swearing all the while. He |
struck her, Telling her to the ground. The |
woman shrieked, "Oh, Joe!' and then |
began shouting: "Murderl Police"'
The man ran away from the woman, |
who tried to rise, but fell back.
On being questioned by Judge |
Twiggs, the witness stated that she told |
what she saw 10 the chief Of police sew |
eral days after the killing.
Justice OF the Peace Isaac Nathans was
the first on the scene. He found the wo-
man dying. but she was too far gone TO |
speak. With this testimony the state
rested its case.
Judge Twiggs made a brief statement
10 the court. outlining the defense. He
said that Desvergers acknowledged the
killing but would prove that IL was done
in self-defense by taking the woman's
own knife, which she had pulled from her
stocking, to make an assault on him. He
sent fer the coat Desvorgers wore az the
time OF the tragedy and introduced il as
a part OF the evidence. The coat was a
light black alpaca, and was badly torn
Judge Twiggs put Desvergers on the
stand, and he made his statement. Lovcy
Palmer, he said. was his amour: she had
grown very annoying with her petty ioal-
ousies not allowing him 20 even look al
another woman without growing frantic
and raising a great row with him. on sew
eral occasions ne said she attempted 10
cut him with a knife. lie met her tho
night OF the killing at Ben Crum's saloon
and dance hall and they had decided TO