The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-18
TRAGEDY IN WORTH COUNTY.
WILLIS FATALLY WOUNDED BY
HIS WIFE'S BROTHERS.


They Had Called at the House ana
Were Asked to Have "A DrinL-A
Quarrel Ensusd in Which Three
Bullets Were Put Into It. j. Willis
BOdy-POsse in Pursuit of the Boys.
Little Cause for the Shooting.
Triton, Ca, April ia deplorable trag-
edy occurred this morning ten miles west
of Tifton in Worth county, which leaves
mourning widow, four orphan children
and family plunged in grief.
Eight years ago r. ]. Willis, a pros
porous young farmer of Worth county
married Francis. the Oldest daughter of
Mr.. B. F. Sinclair. Mr.. Sinclair is woods
man for Mr.. H. H. Tiff of Triton, which
position he has held for the past twenty
years, but owns farm over in Worth,
near that of young Willis, and his family
reside there, while he superintends the
logging camps out on the Triton and
Northeastern Railroad, in Irwin county.
After his marriage young Willis settled
on farm about three miles from the
home of his father-in-law, and the two
families were apparently on the best terms
until few weeks ago, when some trouble
arose, but of exactly what nature has not
yet developed. 1t was apparently of a
trihing character, and no one had any idea
of tragedy resulting from it until this
morning. One report has 1t that this es-
arrangement grew out of the way in which
Willis had treated his WIFE, and it is ru-
mored that he had whipped her the previ-
Gus evening, although these rumors cannot
be substantiated.
About o'clock this morning two of Mr.
Sinclair's sons, Henry and Ben. aged about
II and 10 years, stopped at Willis house.
Willis asked them to take a drink of corn
beer with him. He went 10 his smoke
house, drew the beer and brought it to the
room in which the boys We're. While they
were drinking Willis asked the younger of
the two boys about some reports which he
had heard they had circulated on him.
The boy replied by giving the report the
lie
A quarrel ensued at once, and Willis
started towards the boy, when his wife
caught him and held him from behind.
The two Sinclair brothers drew their pis-
tolls and began shooting Willis, two balls
taking effect. Willis wrenched loose from
his wife and followed the boys into his
yard, when they shot him again, jumped
into their wagon and drove off.
DR.. A. P. Hunter of Triton, who was
called, says WINS wounds are probably
| fatal. He is shot in the left side of the
| face, the ball striking the cheek bone and
ranging down into his neck. He was also
shot in the muscle of the left arm shat
tering the bone, and in the left side, the
ball ranging downward, passing through
the liver into the abdomen. So close were
TIE combatants that Willis face is burned
By powder, and his shirt sleeve was fired
by the discharge of the ball that went
through his arm. An operation will be
performed tomorrow to remove the ball
from the abdomen If possible.
The two boys passed through Triton a
few hours after the shooting, going out TO
the logging camps, where their father was
at work. They We're in a one-horse wagon
and seemed to be taking things easy, stop
ping to get their mail Both are said to
be heavily armed although no weapons
were displayed while here.
About an hour after their departure a
brother of the wounded man and his
brother-in-law, a Mr. Owens, arrived in
Triton in pursuit of the boys. They said
T. j. Willis, the man that was shot, was
dying when they left him and that the only
cause they could learn for the shooting
was that the boys claimed Willis had
cursed their mother
warrant was sworn out for the two
boys before Justice Youmans, and party
organized to go in pursuit of them The
posse left Triton about II o'clock, but has
not yet returned.
The tragedy is a most deplorable one
and generally regretted, as both families
are among the most prominent people of
that section of Worth.