The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-05
STREET CAR M0T0RMAN SHOT.
NEGRO PUTS TWO BULLETS INTO
LUCIUS ID. VARNADoE.

Isle of Hope Car wayIaid mt sand
ny Station Last Night by Jasper
Hays who Emptied the Contents
of His Pistol at Varnado-Hnys
and Companion Had Been Put
OF the Car on the Trip in by white
Passengers for Use of Vile and
Obscene LRnguage-Varnndo TAX
en- to the Savannah Hospital.
Luciu B. Varnado a motorman on
zhc Savannah. Thunderbolt and Isle OF
Hope road, was shot last night at Sand
fly Station, and probably fatally wounded
by a negro, named Jasper Hays. The
negro fired five times but only two balls
took effect, one in the right forearm, and
the other in the lower part of the ebdo-
men. After the negro had fired two shots
the mortorman got his pistol out and fired
at his assailant several times, but it is
not known whether he hit him. Hays
had two companions with him at the time,
None of them has been captured.
The trouble that led to the shooting,
began on the car that left Isle of Hope
for the city at o'clock. Hays and an
other negro were aboard and the car had
gone but a short distance from the sta
zion, when they got into an argument
about dog, which, from their remarks,
it seems, one had left for safe keeping
with the other. but which had been al
lowed TO escape. The men were not
drunk but evidently had been drinking.
and as they warmed up to the argument
the epithets that they applied to each
other, and the language they used became
so foul that a number of the passengers
demanded that they be put off the car
The conductor stopped the car and several
gentlemen elected the negroes from their
seats. and though they chung tenaciously
TO the sides of the car for awhile. their
hold was finally loosened and they were
left beside the track
They were put off at Pritchards switch
about mile this side of Sandfly station
One of the passengers said, after he heard
of the shooting, that at the time of the
first trouble he thought that the negroes
meant to be ugly later, because one of
them had made a significant move toward
his postol pocket when he was put off.
The car reached the city without fur
Their trouble. and on the return trip had
got as far as Sandhy station before there
was the slightest reason to suspect that
there would be any further trouble with
the men.
AS the car stopped at the station plat
form Hays, who had evidently walked
from Pritchard's switch TO the station for
the purpose of waylaying the car, and had
been hiding in the shadow of a wall,
walked In front of the car, about ten feet
from the platform, and commanded the |
Tnotorman to halt, at the same time fir
ing at him the first shot. The car had |
been stopped before the command to halt |
had been given and the motorman, With |
his hands free, got his pistol and began to
shoot at the negro. but not until two shots |
had already been fired at him. Whether
he struck the negro or not could not be
learned last night, as Hays, after exhaust
ang the contents of his weapon. made his
escape. During the firing the negroes two
companions stood near the track, but took
no part in the affair.
There were some twenty passengers on
the car, both white and colored. AS soon
as the shooting commenced there was a
general exodus of those nearest the steps
while others in the center of the seats
covered down to escape the bullets.
After the negroes had disappeared in
the darkness, and the motorman's condi-
ton was discovered, the passengers, most
Of whom lived al Isle of Hope, disembark-
ed, and the car, with the wounded man,
was started back for Savannah. The car
reached Tenth street junction at about 10
o'clock, and the barracks was immediate
~ telephoned for an ambulance. Varna-
do was taken into the drug store of Mr..
John Schwalb, al Tenth and Whitaker
streets. DR.. ]. w. Daniel and DIR. A. B.
Simmons were summoned and accompan-
led the ambulance to the hospital After
an examination Il was discovered that
the ball that took effect in the abdomen
had gone through the body and come out
near the spine. Varnado rested easily
after the wounds were dressed, but his
physicians say that the wound is quite
serious
At the Savannah Hospital, shortly after
midnight, it was reported that while Var
nados condition was very serious indeed
he was resting quietly and there was no
expectation of a fatal termination imme-
diately.