The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-30
JURY SAYS TWAS MURDER.
sIGNORA MITCHELL HELD BY CORO-
NER FOR ACTION OF GRAND JURY.

| Lasted Nearly Five Hours-HaIf
Dozen Witnesses, Including the
| Defendant Herself, Were Examin-
| ed by the Coroner-DanieI Glover
Told the story of the Skin Game
That Ended in Death-The Slayer
|, sIumbered while Her Victim Was
Breathing His Last-Jury Reached
n Verdict After Brief DeIiberatiOn.
| The other witnesses were Gus Thopp
son, Jim Small, owen Martin and the de-
| fendant, Signora Mitchell, who testified in
her own behalf. She said that the man
she shot and MORALLY wounded was rush
| ing into her room with a drawn knife
and THAI she fired to protect herself and
| to save her own life. None of the other
witnesses bore out her statement as to
the knife, and under the examination of
the coroner, Thompson and Small did not
stick 10 the excellent story they have
previously told. 1t required the jury but
a very few minutes to reach verdict
of murder. 1t was then nearing 100
o'clock this morning.
For nearly five hours Coroner Goette
and jury were engaged last night and
early this morning in investigating the
cause and manner of the death of James
Harris. The jury found by its verdict that
the man came to his death by revolver
wounds inflicted by Siignora Mitchell. and
that the killing was murder.
Half a dozen witnesses were examined
by the coroner, and the slayer of Harris
herself made a statement. The evidence
was conflicting. but the jury believed
those of the witnesses who made out
case of the woman'S guilt and not those
whose stories seemed to make the homi-
eide justifiable and in sef-defense. Her
threats against Harris, made just pre-
v.ous to the shooting, doubtless contrib
uted 10 the verdict reached by the jury.
The defendant has been held by the coro-
ner for the next term of the Superior
Court and her remanded to Jail to await
the action of the grand jury.
The first witness examined was Daniel
E. Glover, who told story of the homi-
eide that placed the conduct of the wo-
| man in a bad light before the jury. Glow
er comes very near being white. in color
at least, and is a man of some inteli-
gence He told of the events leading up
| TO the shooting of Harris by the woman
| with ciearness and precision, and without
| hesitation.
He said that he was one of a somewhat
numerous party, comprising Signora
! A1llCutlls 0uS 1nOI1pSON, Jim Sinai, Isaac
| Wilson, owen Martin, and others, who
were playing skin in he Mi chell womans
! house during Sunday night and the early
| hours of Monday morning. There had
| been some drinking, he said, but both
| Harris ard Signora Mitche seemed to be
perfectly sober. Some hours before the
| fatal shooting the woman drew a revolv-
err and brsndished it about her head. 1t
was taken away f ON her, but must have
| been returned, said Glover without his
| knowledge as IL was the same weapon
| with which Harris was afterwards killed
There arose some controversy as to a
| number of checks that the woman, who
| was banking, owed one of the players. 1t
| became necessary to count the checks
| that were out around the table and Har-
ris threw his down in trent of him He had
but four remaining, each of the value of
a nickel
With a vile oath signora asked him
what he meant by throwing his checks
on the table. He replied that he meant
nothing, but that he merely wished her
| 10 count them. She appeared to acqu-
esce in this explanation, but not to be
appeased by it. for she continued angry
| and sullenly defiant. The debt she owed
the player was paid and the game was
| resumed.
Once during the game Signora, still APP
| paIcntly bordering her real or fancied
| grievances to. herself, said: There's go
| ing to be h of a young war here
after a while" When Ike Wilson asked
her what she meant, she answered that
she did not mean him. Then she nodded
| her head at Harris, behind his back. as
| If to indicate that he it was with whom
| the young war would be.
The four checks that Harris had left
| were lost In rapid succession. Finally
| there appeared in the deal the fatal ten
of hearts; it marked the loss of the last
check that Harris had and he picked up
the card and tore It angrily across.
4 What do you mean by tearing my
cards?" queried Signora, with a lowering
bow and threatening aspect.
They are marked" said Harris.
The woman put her hand into the bosom
of her dress and drew a revolver. She re-
| peated. with an added word or two of pro-
| fame emphasis, the vile epithet she had
| previously bestowed on Harris and said
as she drew the weapon, Il am going 10
kill you"
Harris rose from the chair and stood
| facing her 1t seemed to Glover that he
| wanted to get to the door of the house,
but another man was between him and it,
| The witness, however. did not tarry, but
with most of the men in the game made a
| wild rush for the doors and windows.
With two other men. one of them was Ed
ward BLAIR, he reached the corner of Guy
| Ter and Duffy street, half a block from the
house in which the party had been gam
| bling. He had scarcely come to stop
when he heard the report of the revolver.
Almost Immediately afterwards there
were cries for the police and a boy came
running up to say that Slgnora had stot
| Harris. He and the others with him walk
ed back TO the house after few minute
and found nobody in the room but a boy,
a policeman and Harris. The last named
had been carried to room in the hack
of the house and laid upon bed. His
clothing was covered with blood and a
pistol ball had entered the stomach. Sig
| nora Mitchell was then not 10 be seen.
| The house was soon afterwards file
with an excited mob and other members
| of the police and detective forces arrived.
The latter were searching for Sgnora-
| Glover said he heard some one snoring be-
meath the house and called Detective Gar
| rity's attention to it, The matter was in
vestigated and the woman was fond
asleep. She had been slumberlng quietly
while the man she had mortaly wound d
breathed his last. The witness said he
saw no knife or other weapon in the pcs
session of Jim Harris, and that he knew