The morning news., 1897-07-15
LEM DAVIS NOT THE MAN.
RELEASED AFTER BEING ARREST
ED ron ASsAULTING WILEY.

The blood on the DOorsteps of His
House which Led to the Suspicion
Against Him Not From WiIIey's
WOunds-CrimsOn Tracks OF n
barefoot Boy Plainly Imprinted on
the StOOp-WiIIey Failed to RecoE-
nize His AsSaiIant in Davis-D etec-
tives Stin 1T Work.
Interest in the recent crime about which
there is SO much mystery was increased
yesterday.
The detectives were at work on the case
all the night before. and the whole Of
yesterday morning. and at noon they ar
rested Lemuel Davis. chiropedist. but af-
ter holding him imprisoned from y O'Clock
until 6 in the afternoon. he was released
for want Of evidence TO warrant his be-
ing held.
Davis was calmly walking from bar
ber shop, where he had just
gone for shave, and was go
ing to a cigar store for cigar
when Detective Scully approached him
and said the chief wanted to see him.
He was taken to the police barracks.
From there he was taken by Detectives
ScuHy and Barrett to the Savannah hos
pital to be Identified by the victim Of the
unusual crime who has been at the hos
pital ever since Monday.
Wiley. the victim, declared that he
thought he had seen DAVIS before, but
when pressed for an answer by Davis
himself as TO when and where, he declar-
Y|aV
place The accused was then asked to
leave the room. and Detective Scully had
a talk with Wiley. The result was that
he was sufficiently assured that Davis
was the man, to take him back to the
barracks, where he was held until Chief
McDermott could be sent for, and pass
on the case whether he should be kept or
not. 1t is said that While Wiley would
not positively swear that Davis was the
man, he made the statement that to the
best of his knowledge and belief he was
the assailant who had made so brutal an
assault upon him.
Thus Davis was held pending further in
vestgation. He was seen at the police
barracks by a Morning News reporter and
asked about the blood on his doorsteps
which had been the principal clew that
led to his arrest. He stated that he would
make due accounting for that at the
proper time, but when pressed for state
ment concerning il he said that the bloody
spots had been made on the sidewalk and
the steps leading to the door by his son
who was cut on the foot with knife Mon
day night. He said that he had sent one
of his boys out to bring a younger
brother into the house. The younger boy
grew angry at the older brothers persis-
tence and threw a knife at him which
stuck in his foot over the instep. The
wound, though a slight one, bled profuse-
ly, and at every step a spot Of blood was
made.
After hearing this statement, Detective
Barrett determined to visit the house and
see the boy who was said to have been
wounded. The visit proved what Davis had
said 10 be true. The boy had his foot
bandaged, and when exposed the wound
was seen to have been sufficient to have
caused the flow of blood that made the
marks which led to the arrest of Davis.
Solicitor General Osborne, himself, visit
ed the house and investigated the traces
OF blood. He and the detectives ascertain
ed that on the steps near the door there
was a print of a child's bare foot in blood,
and when Davis son was called and his
foot placed over the track It ftted exact
~. Upon the results of this investigation
Davis was released from the barracks.
He said last night to a Morning News
reporter that he felt he had been badly
treated, and declared that he would seek
some satisfaction from the man who first
started the report connecting his name
with the crime. He says he began
search when he first heard that his name
was mentioned as the guilty party, and
together with his sons sought to ind the
man who first put the rumor out.
He thinks the detectives might have
made further investigation before they ar
rested him, and declares that the noto-
riety thus brought upon him in such a
bad light is calculated TO do him harm.
He says that Wiley appeared to him 10
be in a semi-delirious condition, or else
was trying to conceal the real story of
the assault made upon him.
Mr. and Mrs Bruner, who are boarders
at Davis house. said that they occupy the
front room Of the second story, and if any
such assault had been made in any room
OF that floor Sunday night or any other
night, they would have heard the noise,
The other rooms Of that floor are occu-
pied by Davis two sons and a boarder by
the name OF Wears. II was on the second
floor Of a house not well located in the
statement made by Wiley that the crime
IS said by him to have occurred. The
first floor of Davis house Is occupied by
himself and wife and younger children.
Solicitor General Osborne and all Of the
detectives are satisfied that according to
the evidence brought out Davis is innocent
OF the crime. Meanwhile the detectives
are busily engaged ferreting out another
clew. They viii continue the search to-
day.
The condition Of Wiley, the mutilated
man at the hospital, Is not al al critical
lie has but little 10 say and every indica-
ton is that he has something he is keep