The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-16
MURDERED FOR A DRINK.
TOM M'GARVEY sLAsHED GEORGE
HAWKINS ACROSS THE THROAT.

ing Bout In Nhich the Two Have
Been some Weeks Engaged-occuF-
red in Hawkins Home in Congress
Lane-The Mans Head Almost Sew
cred From His Body-A Razor the
Weapon Used-Hawkins Died at
the Observation-Disclosures Was Too
Drunk TO Tell How the killing
Happened.
George Hawkins. about 20 years old
and Tom MeGarvey his drunken crony
equally advanced in years, auarreled yes
terday morning over a pint bottle Of mean
whisky, and in the row that followed Me
Carney drew razor and almost severed
Hawkins head from his body. Natwith-
standing mis- terrible wound Hawkins lived
until o'clock in the afternoon, when he
died at the Savannah Hospital
The story OF the crime is wTetched
one, compounded of the elements of hith,
poverty and degradation, and with rum
playing the principal part. Behind the
commonplace tale of the dead drunkard'F
last moments. there is the Cd history of
vice and want twice compounded, and the
fatal lust for the spirits that would ban
ish memory and permit of drunken and
bestal forgetfulness. In the home Of the
dead man, in Congress lane, between
Habersham and Price streets, was acted
out the last scene of the drama, and Oh
Hawkins. swimming in his own blood and
suffering awful agony, expated The sins
Of a dissoluJe and ill-sDent life.
For many years McGarvey has been
living with the Hawkins family during
his intermittent visits to the city, and
they have divided with him their last
crust and their last drink McGarvey
vas never known to work or have a dol
lar, until the outbreak of the Spanish
war, when he enlisted in Rays Immunes
and went to CuOa with that command.
In the city and with the police, who know
him well and have arrested him frequent
~, he is called vaTiousiy English Tom,
and Tom The Bum. and the last Of his
| hickman mes describes him with more o
| less eXactness and accuracy. His life was
one long debauch, and in this Hawkins
and at times his wife were not far behind.
When McGarVey'S regiment was mus
| tered out, couple of months ago, ne came
| back 10 Savannah, and 10 his friends,
| Hawkins and his wife. He had then Sl6S,
! the money that had been given him at his
| discharge. and with this the trio held high
| carnival for the space of one week. They
were drunk al of the time, and as long
| as the money lasted they were monarchs
| of all they surVeyed-the little novel In
! Congress lane that they Inhabited. An o.
| casional arrest of one or the other broke
/ The mOnOtony OF the depauch ana the
| money served 20 pay the fines the Re
| corder inflicted.
| Soon il was all gone. and again the old
! life of poverty and the lust for drink 10
/ forget ii again began. Everything went
! for whisky, the clothes that the men
| owned, the h1tle trinkets about the house,
| furnlture, anything mat could be eXchang-
| ed for the fry liquor that they craved and
| which alone could give them what they
| sought. For days they would sit in the
! house and stare at each other IN sulleh
| anger; then would come a streak of luck
| and for other days they would revel in Il
| carnival of bestiality. This was the life
! they lead and the scenes that rushed IN
! the end.
Yesterday morning the woman went to
| Wilmington Island on the St. Patrick
Church picnic. leaving the two men ar
| ready half drunk in the house. She re-
| fused TO drink the WHISKY offered her and
| they continued to buy and drink it in her
absence. With each new bottle their pas
sons rose higher, until, infiamed with
| drink, they kept up for some time con-
tinual quarrel The neighbors heard them
| cursing end abusing each other and bick-
| ering over the size of the drinks and the
proportion of the contents of the various
bottles that rightfuly belonged to eacn.
| Drunken and drunken they became, until
at last memory ceased 10 be- and they were
animals, without reason, intelligence or
mercy. The immediate cause of the
terminating and fatal quarrel will proba
bly, never be known. Hawkins is dead and
| AicGarVey was too drunk at the time OF
| the killing to be able now 70 give any in
| telhgibe account of the events that led
up to and caused it.
several negro women were StandinB
about noon across the lane, in the shad-
oW made by the houses with which il is
lined and, looking into the house occupied
by Hawkins, saw him standing in the rear
room of the dwelling with McGarvey close
behind him They saw the blood even
then. and as Hawkins staggered out into
the front room, saw that his throat was
cut from ear and ear and his head al
most severed from his body. He had pick
ed up towel and was attempting to
wrap 1t around his neck and stop the flow
of blood. one of the women, Jane Fyal,
gave the alarm, but before any one ar
rived McGarvey had passed out of the
back door, into the yard and thence from
the side gate into the lane. He walked
rapidly, though unsteadily, away. Haw-
kins staggered to the front door and fen
to the floor just inside, with his blood
gushing out in a steady tide and flooding
himself and the floor.
Policeman Crimmius happened to be
passing, and went in pursuit of McGarvey
| whom he caught al the corner of Bryan
and Habersham streets. In his pocket
was found the razor that had done he
bloody work and two pairs Of scissors. Nc
| Carney was too drunk to talk and was
carried to the station house in a stupor
| The neighbors and the crowd that cd
lected almost instantly focke1 into the
house ana made some futile attempts Il
ease Hawkins suherings. Soon afterwards
, Or. NJ. T. Davis, who had been telephoned
for came W and began at once 10 do al
| that could he done for the terribly Injured
man. Fer more than TWO hours Dr. DAVIS
iabored with hawkins, stitching up the
severed Wtudpipe and the cash in the
| throat. The cut began at the base of the
I pharnyX, at It's junction with the l9rnyx
and severed the windpipe and several 81
the arter.es. In o"deT that the man might
brea The without the blood flowing into The
windpipe and choking him, st was neces-
safy 10 insert pipe below the poinl Of
severance and through this Hawkins wa.
able TO breathe Uit mately he spoke a few
: w words The oneration was difficult an
. delicate one ard performed with every
possible prtcautiou. Hawkins had every.
Snlns done tor ann that could have beer