The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-18
MRS. BURNS MAKES A STATEMENT
Denies the Charges Made Against
Her by Her Husband.

Her by Her husband.
Brunswick, Ga, Aug 1.-THE killing of
Engineer Heslep on Tuesday of last week
by Section Apprentice Burns, has been
given a new and sensational turn by the
statements of Mrs. Burns, wife of the
dead mans slayer, which were referred 20
in these dispatches last night These
statements denied in toto the charges made
by Burns against his wifes honor.
This morning the Morning News CORE
spondent went 10 Sterling station, thirteen
miles from Brunswick and the scene of
the shooting. to see Mrs Burns. The
house Is a small. one-story affair. Mrs.
Burns is small woman,
and has two children, one an infant.
In answers to questions, she said:
Il will tell you all I know, and God
can judge Of its truth. 1 did not read
the statement my husband made, but
every cruel word was read to me and has
burned ats way, 1t seems, into every fiber
of my body. So unjust and so untrue
was this statement that I trust he may
yet become himself again and tell the
truth to correct 1t. When the engineers
train came up that morning It stopped
at the station. After about fifteen min
uteS the engine came on to the car house
over there, and in about five minutes the
engineer came up TO the gate and asked
for a drink of water. l was sitting on
the front porch and got up to get the
water. He spoke of having had fever,
and said II made him very thirsty AS |
walked in the door l noticed the engineer
coming in the gate. The front door was
open, and as l walked through the room
l saw some of the children were on the
floor In plain view. / stopped TO pick
them up, SO he could not see them and
on looking up saw the engineer had fol-
lowed me in the room and was still talk
ing about his sickness. Just as I was
STRENGTHENING up I heard a loud report.
end the engineer eXclaiming, Oh placed
| tis hands on his nip and ran out of the
front door. was terribly scared
and did not know at first what was the
matter. When l heard more shooting I
was scared and ran out of the house to
the woods. and stayed there, sitting on
the ground and scared SO badly 1 could
not move.
LAS soon as could walk 1 came back
to the house and called to my husband
He came out of the front door and was
looking terribly. He had a small stick
about one yard long and one inch thick in
his hand. He struck me with this and
said he intended to kill me. I begged
MN 10 Kill me tnSn ana Gnd my misery.
| lie went off without shooting more and
I returned to my children in the house
He has always been close with me and
| would not allow me the privileges of a
married woman. He seemed afraid for
me to go anywhere and was Jealous of
| my movements. We have lived here
| about two months and before that lived
| at Hazelhurst and in Emanuel county.
| did not do wrong and will face my
| God with that statement"
| Mrs. Burns said further: Il never saw
! the man my husband shot but once before,
and that was about two weeks before the
| last time. We were all down with the fever
! and the engineer came to the door and ask
ed about all of us, and how we were get
| ting along. He was an entire stranger to
me"
There is a sensational feature to this
| killing of Engineer Heslep, which is now
for the first time beginning to show up,
and il is liable to get someone in serious
| trouble before the matter is out of the
| courts. 1t seems that stories are being
freely circulated that a man who had a
| grudee of his own against Heslep con-
| cocted a plan TO put Burns IN bad humol
| against the man he afterwards Killed, and
even went so far as 10 .teli Burns of He's
| lep's being at his home, and giving Burns
a pistol 10 so to the house with. This fea-
| ture of the case is being fully investigated
| and if the rumors prove true IL may vel
be proven that whatever Heslop's connec
ton with Mrs. Burns was, he was after
all made the victim of another mans per.
sonal 81 will.
The railroad people are wrought up ovel
the killing of Heslop and in addition e
that the Masons and other secret orders
are at work. and determined to clear III
the mystery surrounding Heslep's shoot
ing. They will clear his memory of tn,
damaging charge of despoiling a mani
/ baPgrlla. a . ,
charge IS not true.
Burns friends are sticking to him an,
placing the utmost confidence in the stor,
he gave to the Morning News correspond
ont the night of The tragedy, and say the,
Will see that he gets justice.