The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-14
YOUNG AUGUSTAN MURDERED.
HIS SLAYER TAKEN by A MOB AND
PROBABLY LYNCHED.

gro Because He Refused to Give
Him His Seat i'm Street Car-Ne-
gro started for Atlanta for Safe
Keeping, But the Mob Took Him
on at GrOvetown and Into the
Woods.
Augusta, May 13.-Alexander Whitney, a
young man prominent socially and person.
ally very popular. was shot and killed here
1880 o'clock tonight by negro, William
B. Willis.
Lieut.! Pinckney Steiner, who was with
Whitney, and who tried to stop the negro's
murderous work, was slightly wounded in
the hand.
To escape mob violence the murderer
was started for Savannah, but, missing the
train, a shift was made and the man was
started for Atlanta under charge of one
deputy.
The officers were frustrated, however,
for when the train reached Grovetown, a
little station about twenty-five miles out,
mob quickly entered the car and seiz-
ing the negro, started for the woods.
At l 80 this (Monday) morning, the negro
had not been lynched, but advices from
Grovetown are to the effect that the mob
has the prisoner in the woods. The cause
of the delay is only surmised.
In Georgia there is state law which
requires the street car companies to sep
arate the whites from the blacks, but
this has not of late been en-
forced here. Whitney and Steiner werc
returning from Summerville suburb,
When the negro, Willis, got on the
car accompanied by negro woman. 1t
was an open car with seats running across
it from one side to the other, and the
negro and his companion. Hattie Wade.
got in at the seat occupied by Whitney
and others.
The negro told Whitney to get up and
give the lady a seat" which he declined
TO do. The negroes forced themselves
into the seal, the man sitting partly upon
Whitney who showed him off forcibly
Fatal shot Fired.
The two men grappled and the negro
pulled a pistol and shot twice. One bull
let entered Whitney's eye and the other
missed, but grazed Pinckney Steiners
hand and buried itself in the back of a car
seat.
Steiner seized the pistol and prevented
the third shot, the hammer coming down
upon his hand
Whitney fell limp across the back of
the seat In front of him and the greatest
excitement and panic resulted among the
passengers on the crowded car, women
growing hysterical.
The negro tried to escape from the car
but was seized by passengers, disarmed
and soon taken charge of by a police
man, who was attracted by the shooting.
Whitney died as soon as he reached the
hospital, where he was carried in the
ambulance. The news spread rapidly all
over town and caused the greatest indig-
nation. Crowds gathered in the streets
and threats of lynching were heard every
where
Effort to Preserve Order.
Rev. ]. T. Plunkett, Mr.. Thomas W.
Alexander and others made speeches TO
the crowd counselng order and leaving
the prisoner to the law. At the jail Dr.
Plunkett was chosen by the crowd to
go in and investigate the truth of the
story that the negro was not there, but
had been carried away by the officers for
safe keeping. DR.. Plunkett soon came
out to the porch of the jail and gave his
solemn assurance that the prisoner was
not there.
Only two trains were available to carry
MIN away, the Central to Savannah and
the Georgia to Atlanta, and parties were
at once formed to go out on each and
seize the negro whenever the guards
stopped the train to put him on, 1t being
assumed that they would drive out sew
eral miles and board the train at some
country station.
telegram to the Chronicle from
Waynesboro says the officers and prisoner
Tagged the train four miles out. but the
conductor would not stop, as he had mob
on board.
The Georgia train leaves two hours later
than the Central, and after missing the
central the officers drove across to the
Georgia, sending Willis TO Atlanta under
Charge of Deputy r. Vaughn.
Waiting to Hear of Lyncbing.
AT o'clock this morning a great many
people are on the streets waiting for news
OF the lynching, as everybody seems to
thlnk the quick death of the murderer is
toregone conclusion.
't"scuy III recent years mas created
such excitement.
meeting of citizens late tonight de-
clded to call the attention Of the City
Council 20 the fact that the state law re-
sarding the separate seating of whites
ana blacks was not being enforced.
Whitney was a graduate of the Techno-
logical School Of Atlanta and last season
played third base for the baseball team
OF the Techs"
xmo------.-s-.-- !