The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-24
SIX MURDERERS IN JAIL.
SCREVEN COUNTY ASSASSINS IN Gus
toby OF SHERIFF. SWEENY.


Half of the Band of Negroes VINO
Shot and Killed Milton Mears and
Fillmore Harrington Brought TO
Savannah by sheriff Thompson of
Screven COuntH-DoubIe Possibility
of n Jail Delivery or Lynching
the Reason for Their Removal
Here-AI of the SIN Have Freely
Confessed Their Part in the Crime
six Others Are StiI at Liberty.
Six m mbers of the band # black as
sassins who shot and Killed Fillmore
Iierrington and Nil on Mears, two white
men in the nor hera part Of Screven
county. on the night OF Aug. II, We're
brought to Savannah and lodged in jail
last night.
The negroes are Cleveland Harrington,
Andrew Davis, Samuel Baden, Richard
Sanders William Hudson and Arnold Au-
sustus. They were brought to Savannah
by Sheriff w. r. Thompson, of Screven
county, and Spe cial Deputies S. c. Jen-
kins and l.. r. Thompson. The reason
for bringing the mon to the city lay in
the double possibility of a lynching, on
the part of the outraged friends of the
two who were so brutally murdered and
a jan-deuvery, on the part of the rela-
tives and allies of the murderers them
selves.
The double homicide in Screven county
is fresh in The public mind. on Saturday
might, Aug II. Harrington and Mears went
10 the home of Jesse Sanders, negro liv-
ing in the country some distance from
Sylvania, for the purpose of arresting one
of his sons, with whom Harrington had
had a difficulty on the afternoon of the
same day. They were accompanied by
Capt. Jesse r. Wnde, prominent citizen
of that section of the state.
AS they approached Sanders house they
were fired upon by party of negroes con-
cealed in a thcket. Harrington and Mears
were killed ana Capt Wade so seriously
wounded that it was with great difficulty
he effected an escape.
The next morning an armed mob gath
cred and began a search for the negroes,
and at the same time Sheriff Thompson
organized a PISS and started for the
scene. with the ub purpose of arrest
irg tn guilty parties and protecting hem
from the vengeance cf the mob. Indigna-
IltH idn illEil anu IL was thS W tilt -
ercise Of diplomacy, mingled with some
small show of force. that the sheriff was
enabled 10 save the lives of the three ne
groes who were then arrested. Since that
Gay three others have been quietly taken
into custody, making the six that have
been brought TO Savannah.
Everyone of them has confessed his
participation in the crime, making a state
1nent that was as full as it was voluntary
and free. Their statements and the known
facts in the possession Of the officers i'm
plicate six her negroes in the crime,
these six lie ng suppo5 ed to be now in
hiding in some OF The swamps that line
the Savannah river. According to the
S DRY told by the men arrested and in
Jail. negro named Matthew Mckinney
was the arch conspirator, the ruling spirit
an the deadly assault that was made on
Harrington and Nears Mckinney is one
OF those who have made their escape, but
Sheriff ThomI son believes it will not be
a great while before he too is under ar
rest.
Mckinney is said to be a gambler and
desperate of the worst type.
whose presence in the neighborhood has
been continual source of uneasiness and
annoyance and even of danger He
aroused. by every art of the demagogua,
the evil passions of the men of his race
and kept them in an excited state which
needed only an occasion to develop into an
armed outbreak.
The negroes in jail give no real reason
for their participation in the murder of
Harrington and Mears, other than that
they were induced to join in the telonious
assault by the influence of Mckinney.
They confess that both white men had
been uniformly kind 10 the members of
their race and acknowledge having re-
ceived many favors at their hands. Not
liz, IN not
tence in their own statements, shows the
homicide to have been other than a cold
FLOODED, wanton and cruel murder, equal
ly without reason and excuse.
Since the men have been confined in the
Jail at Syivania the sheriff has had II
closely guarded in the constant fear that
there would be an attempt at either
Jail delivery or a lynching 1t is his firm
opinion that the only thing that has kept
the negroes he brought to Savannah alive
is the fact that there We're as many more
at liberty. Public sentiment and indigna-
ton is at fever heat and had all the men
been in custody and confined in the Syl-
wanna jail its strong walls and the guard
would have been alike unavailing to pro-
Iect them from the vengeance of the mob
1t was generally believed that the mem
bers of the band still at liberty would
soon be apprehended. This accomplished
the friends of the men killed would have
been able to make a clean sweep.
The fear of this induced 1.-The County
Commissioners to direct the sheriff to
bring his prisoners to Savannah. 1t was
with sigh of relief that they entered
the jail here, knowing chat they would
be punish.d by the slow process of the
law, rather than the swift and terrible
methods of an outraged community.
The negroes of the better class in Screw
en- county are anxious that the law be
permitted TO take its course, They have
made frequent appeals to Sheriff Thomp-
son for the protection Ct HI men ar
rested and this protect on he has, of
course, promised and given The preach
ers and other leaders of tie race do not
seem to cherish any hope that the fate
Of the men arrested will be other than
death, but they think the effect will be
better If this fate be brought about in
the execution of the mandate of the law
than if i, be the work of a mob.