The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-05
FOUND DEAD IN A FIELD.
JOHN GRAHAM's SKULL BEATEN IN
AND THE MAN LEFT TO DIE.

Superintendent of the County Farm
Finds His Body in n Field of Peas,
where Ii Had Lain Since Monday
Night. When the Tragedy Is
Thought to Have Occurred-On
That Evening Graham Left the Car
and started Towards His Home,
Some Hundred Yards Awny-This
Was the Last Seen of Him Until
His Body Was FOund-No Clue as
to the Identity of the Murderers.
The body of John Graham. negro man
about 40 years old, was found in one of the
fields on the county farm yesterday morn
ing Deaih had resulted from wounds
inflicted apparently with a cub or other
blunt instrument, In the side Of the skull,
which istd been crushed in. The body
had lain where it was found for four or
five days. presumably since Monday even
ing, when Graham was last seen alive.
The find of the body was made by Mr..
R. r. Wlmber.ey, superintendent of the
farm, and one OF the TRUSTEES, who was
accompanying him on his rounds. Graham
was lying on his right side, in field Of
peas, the vines Of which covered his body
end had prevented its being found earlier
in the week There were slight signs of
a struggle in the immediate vicinity, but
the mans hand was filed with dirt that
he he'd in a death grip. and it is sur
missed that he was attacked some distance
from the spot ne was found and carried
or dragged there by his slayers
The body was much decompOsed, as was
natural after the lapse Of the days that
have passed since the supposed time of his
death, and it was difficult to determine
the exact nature of the wounds or the in
strument with which they had been in
hIcted. The contorted and rigid condition
of the muscles showed, though, that there
had been q struggle and that Graham
had met his death while he was engaged in
an effort to defend himself against those
by whom he was attacked.
When Graham was last seen he left the
car of the Savannah, Thunderbolt and Isle
Of Hope Railway, at point on the Inter
mediate Cross Road, that bisects the coun-
ty lands in that vicinity. He was driver
for Kavanaugh q Brennan, and was re-
turning from his work in the city. lie
lived within a distance of 400 or 500 YARDS
OF this point. and was going to his house
when he was attacked by his unknown as
sailants. The conductor and the passen-
gers on the car saw him leave, but no
one has ever seen him since, with the eX-
ception of his murderers.
The identity OF the murderers has not
vet been determined nor Is there Tea-
sonable clue that even bids fair 70 ad to
their de ection. For some tine II l. sati,
there has been a gang of white tramps
who have had the camp and headq ar
tiers near the county farm and there Is a
possibility that they are responsible Tor
the death of Graham. They may have met
him on the road, and, impelled by the de-
sire to enrich themselves at his expense,
have struck him down from behind There
may have been a quarrel that sl cd La
tally, or there may have been half dozen
other methods in which the encounter
could have occurred, and all of these form
the basis of the expressed opinions OF the
neighbors But here is no reason TO cred
ii one more than another.
The find of the body was reported at
the Court House during the morning and
the coroner was also notified. Coroner
Goette left to make an investigation and
spent most of the afternoon on the farm,
making inquiries Of the neighbors, and
those he thought would be most familiar
with the manner of the death. There has
been no development that carries with il
certainty or even strong probability as TO
the identity of the murderers or an eX-
PLANTATION of the manner in which Graham
met his death A further investigation
will be made to-day, and it is expected
that most satisfactory results win follow.
Graham had a wife and several small
children, who have been heartbroken since
Monday because of the disappearance OF
the husband and father. Their grief has
not been relieved by the discovery of the
body under such tragic circumstances