The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-15
SAcREDNEsS OF HUMAN LIFE.
UPHELD BY THE CONVICTION OF
SEVEN MURDERERs.

| Within the Last Month Two Negroes
Have Been Sentenced to Death,
Four white Men Have Been Given
! Fifteen Years Each in the Peni-
Tertiary, and One Has Been Sem
fenced For Iifc-Verdicts Consid-
cred Just-Threc More Murder
| Cases StiII on the DOcket-SOme
Rapid Dispositions OF Criminal
Cases in the Superior Court.
! From Jan. to Feb. y, Solicitor General
/ w. w. Osborne has secured convictions in
| seven of the most important criminal cases
| that have been tried in Chatham county
! in some time. Each of the seven parties
were charged with murder; each of the de-
! PENDANTS had taken a human life, and in
| the opinion of the public generally not one
| of them has received more than his just
| deserts, and some of them have received
less.
Solicitor General Osborne started out
with view to clearing the criminal dock
ct and he has made rapid progress with
| the work. In the early days of January
! quite a number of smaller felony cases
were disposed of, and in every case of i'm
! portance a conviction was secured. On
| Jan. 8, after trial running over two
! days Brister Graham was convicted of the
murder of Ben Wilson and sentenced to be
| hanged Friday Feb. 10. On application for
a new trial by his counsel, w. f. Morri-
son, Esq, a supersedeas was granted and
the motion will be argued within few
| days Graham, it is said. would have got
| ten off with lighter verdict and sentence
had it not been for his error or careless
ness in his statement He told the jury
| that he had his gun to so hunting with,
and when one of them asked him if he
had powder and caps, he replied yes, he
had some powder and two caps. These
were the two caps Which were used in
firing the discharge that took Wilson's life
George Gruver who was charged with
the murder of Henry Voight, was the next
one placed on trial. Gruver's case was a
bad one, it appearing that he had stabbed
| Weight in the back. He was well defend
ed, however, by Mr.. Geo. w. Owens who
made a plea of self-defense, and brought
| some strong evidence in support of it. The
jury, however, thought Gruver's case a
bad one, though it gave him practically
the benefit of the doubt, and made his
case one of voluntary manslaughter.
Judge Falligant sentenced him on Jan. Y,
! to spend fifteen years in the state peniten-
| tlary.
Although Mr.. Owens gave the court no
| tee that he would Apply for new trial,
! 1t appears he has decided not to do so, as
| GruVer has already left Savannah for the
! penitenitaIY, and by this time, no doubt,
has on his suit of stripes. He will, in all
| probability, serve out his entire sentence.
| Alonzo l.. Pitts trial came next. He was
charged with the murder of Adam "A.
| Ihornburg, the barkeeper, and there was
! little doubt in the public mind but that
! Pitts was really guilty of the charge on
| which he was indicted, Nobody believed
| that Thornburg had pistol when the ia
tai shots fired and IN has hopn
! marked since that Pitts will see old man
| Thornburg with those five shots in his
| body, until his dying day. The first trial
| OF this case which finally ended on Jan.
| 10, the jury having been out siXty-five
! hours, resulted in a mistrial Pitts was
| again placed on trial Feb. 8. Judge II. ID.
| d. Twiggs was engaged, together with
| Messrs Il. S. Morgan, Jr., and f. M. Oil
| yer, and after consideration of the tes-
| timony presented by the state, his counsel
| decided not to put up any testimony SO as
| to get the conclusion. In spite of his able
! his counsel to make it appear that old man
| Thornburg had pistol, the jury brought
| in verdict of voluntary manslaughter
| without recommendation, and he was SEN
| fenced to spend fifteen years in the peni-
| tertiary. No new trial was asked for in
! this case, Pitts no doubt being glad enough
| to get off with his life.
Following Pitts first trial Maurice Sui
| Ivan and Simon O'Neill were placed on
trial Jan. 10, for the murder of Preston
| Brooks They were defended by Messrs.
| I. S. Morgan, Jr., +. M. Oliver and r. Nj.
| Hitch. The state made out a bad case
against them, showing practically that
| they made it a point to meet the negroes
| and engage in a difficulty with them. The
| shot which killed Brooks was fired by Sui
| Ivan, according to the states evidence,
| while Brooks was trying to get away. This
made the case against the prisoner a
| strong one, but mere again the plea of self
defense was brought strongly forward
and the jury returned against both of
| them a verdict of voluntary manslaughter
| without recommendation. In charging the
VI = 1nI II a vi I
| careful to instruct them that they need
| not necessarily bring in the same verdict
against the two defendants, who We're
| tried together He showed them how they
might infiict one punishment on Sullivan
who actually did the killing and lighter
| one on O'Neill, who appeared to be rath-
er an accessory But the jury seemed to
take the view that O'Neill was there aid
ing and abetting in the crime, and the
same verdict was returned against both.
| Each was sentenced on Jan. q to spend
fifteen years in the state penitentiary A
notice of a motion for new trial was given.
IL is now announced, however, that Sui
liVan has decided to serve his fifteen years
rather than take any chances on new
trial This announcement appears to have
been made since the verdict in the Kear-
uey case which so startled some of the
voluntary manSlaughter criminals that
they decided to take their medicine rather
than their chances before another jury.
The motion for the new trial in ONeilP ;
case, however, may be pressed.
Abe Small was the next culprit he be-
ing given his second trial for the murder
of Policeman Jansen Neve. 1t was thought
there would be some new evidence on this
trial, but IL did not appear to develop. He
was ably defended by Messrs. Charles
N West and r. p Ravenel, but the jury
took the states view of the case and on
Feb 5 brought in a verdict of murder in
the first degree, and Small was at once
sentenced to be hanged Thursday, March
25. Notice was also given in this case
that new trial would be Applied for, but
nothing has been done as yet.
Pitts second trial, which has. already
been mentioned, came next and following
him Patrick Kearney was placed on trial
on Thursday, Feb. II, for the murder Of
John w. Wyness. The detailst of this
trial are still fresh in the public mind
Kearney was defended by Messrs. 7. s.
Morgan, Jr.. and I. l.. Hill lie put up a
plea of accidental shooting, but that did
not go with the jury, there being too many
things in the evidence which were not
clearly explained. kearney was found
guilty with a recommendation to the mercy
Of the court. and was sentenced to spend
the balance of his life in the penitentiary.
a verdict which the general public was
glad to see the jury had the moral cour-
age to return. Kearhey is now in jail
and viii remain there until It is deter
mined bV the court. and dOuht nv tho