The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-26
MURDERER LEWIS RESPITED.
GETS TWO WEEKS EXTENSION
OF HIS LEASE ON LIFE.

OF HIS LEASE ON LIFE.
The Case to Go Before the Prison
CommiSsion-DeveIO in the
Ponder Murder Case Through the
Confession of PendIey-The Mans
Story Borne Out in Many OF the
DetaiIs-Bankston Employed Him
To Rob steinau's Safe.
Atlanta. Ga. Feb. 25.-Gov. Gambler To-
dav granted a two weeks respite TO Rob
ert Lewis. the man confined in Fulton
county tal. condemned to be hanged next
Tuesday for the murder of a fellow work.
man in the Prudential building last sum
mer
He is the prisoner for whom a plea OF
insanity is entered by his lawyer, on the
ground that he married four times with
out being divorced and labored under the
delusion that every woman he met was
his wife. 1t appears that the man is real
ly in a deploraAle state, both mentally ana
physically. 1t was on account of this con-
dition that the Governor interfered.
Drs. McAlson and Daniel appeared be-
fore the Governor at the request OF the
mans lawyers and stated that his condi-
ton was so low that he would have to
be carried from his bunk to the scaftold
and supported while the moose was adjust
ed, if the sentence of the court was to be
executed next Tuesday. Lewis has been
lying OH his cot for several weeks in a
semi-stupor If he was of sound mind and
body when placed in jail, terror of death
on the gallows has apparently completely
wrecked him. Next week a medical board
will make a thorough examination of his
condition.
II was impossible for the lawyers repre-
senting Lewis to get his case before the
prison commissioner, as two of them are
in Macon, looking after the controversy
before Judge Speer over the Milledgeville
prison site In this emergency Gov. Cand-
Ter consented to hear the application for
respite before the formal application for
Communication of the sentence was prepar-
ed and filed.
A Tilt with Oakland.
The Central Railroad is having trouble
with the little municipality of Oakland,
four miles out from Atlanta. Presuma-
bly, for the purpose of forestalhng the At
lsnta and West Point in occupying the
property for building Its belt line, now be-
ing litigated on injunction proceedings IN
Fulton Superior Court the Central sew
eral days ago began the laying of a new
line of rails on its right-of-way through
Oakland whether upon their own Vo.ition
or acting under influence of the West
Point company, Is not precisely known just
yet. But the authorities of Oakland to-
day took a hand against the Central. They
first sought TO stop the track-laying py
arresting the hands, fourteen in number
When, after arrest and release-the charge
being that the public street of Oakland
was being encroached upon-the men were
ordered to work again by Capt. Castle,
the CentraPs supervisor, the Oakland Of
ficials secured an injunction from Judge
Gambler. This stopped the work until a
regular hearing could be had, on March II
Judge Lumpkin stll has under advise
Inent the application of the Central for
injunction to prevent the West Point from
building a belt line. 1t is said that the
laying of the new tracks In Oakland was
for the purpose of hindering as far as
possible the construction of the West
Point belt in the event that Judge Lump
kin refuses the permanent injunction.
The Ponder Murder Case.
A strong web of circumstantial evidence
seems to be weaving about Bankston and
rendley in the Ponder murder case. Pend
ley's confession that he and Bankston
committed the crime Is being confirmed IN
various details, while Bankston's denial
of certain of Pendley's allegations are be.
ing upset by the testimony of other per-
sons, aside from Pendey. II has been dem
onstrated that Pendley and Bankston were
known to each other and had been seen to-
gether before the murder although Banks.
ton when confronted with Pendley said
that he had never seen him before in his
life
1t has also been established that Banks.
ton hired a countryman named Rice to IA
his place as Waterman at the Brown
building, nearby the Steinau saloon. where
Ponder was killed, on the night of the
murder, although Bankston swore on the
witness stad at the trial of O'Quinn thai
he was at work himself that night.
A particularly atrocious feature of the
case Is that Banlkston swore at this tris
that he saw O'Quinn running away from
the saloon just after the shots were heard
IL he is guilty of the murder, as PendIe,
aifeses' ne Is also guilty of trying to swear
away the life of an innocent man.
In his confession Pendley said a Negro
was hired to wait outside the store TO car
~ off the booty handed out by himself
and Bankston. The police claim also /,
have this negro where they can put thei
hands on him any time. The negro RAJ
away when Policeman Ponder approa ched
instead of giving warning to the men a
work on the safe inside.
A week or two before this robbery Stein
aus place was burglarized. Among tn,
cash stolen was counterfeit dollar. Pend
ley has declared that he saw a counterfeit
dollar In Bankston's possession about thi
time. The police have not yet found thi
doiar, however, as confirmation of Pend
tey's assertion.
Another thing that is supposed to confirm
fendley's confession Is that there are sew
eral suspicious looking holes in a coat o
ms which he claims to have worn the nigh
OF the murder. These holes are declared [,
be bullet holes made by bullets from Pc
iceman Ponder's pistol in his death figh
with Pendley and Bankston
feature of the case that may resul
IN important developments is the assertio,
oy Pendley that Bankston was emplovet
10 rob the safe of the store which ha,
Just been put in charge of a receiver h,
LOUIS Steinau, proprietor who wanted 7,
get possession of some valuable nanars