The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-18
SAW FENDER KILLED
WHITE MAN SAW THE PATROLNTAN
SHOT DOWN.
SAYS BROOKS IS THE MAN
BnoOKs GAVE HIS PISTOL TO AN
OTHER NEGRO.

Then Fell on His Face-M. II. Pat
terson Saw Fatal Shot Freddie
Heard Brooks Say That He Was
Going to Kill PatrOIman-Was
within a Few Feet of the Men and
Heard All That Was Said.
The killing OF Patrolman Harry B. Fen
der at jefferson street and Perry street
lane, early Saturday morning, was wit
messed by one person who gives clear
and concise account of the tragedy that
has cast a gloom over the police depart
ment The witness is Mr.. M. II. Pat
terson, formerly a fagman for the Sea
board Air Line, who boards at 4lO Har-
as street, west, only some three blocks
from where the shooting occurred.
Patterson has positively identified Hen
ny Brooks, the negro held by the coroner's
jury, as the slayer of Officer Fender. He
saw the negro both before and immediate
ly after the shooting, and heard all that
transpired. Up to this time the evidence
against Brooks has been purely circum-
stantaI although strong and the find
ing of Patterson caused the county and
city officers much JOY.
Patterson made an affidavit yesterday,
stating that he saw Brooks kill Fender.
The witness leaves to-day for Charlotte
10 accept a position with the Southern
Railway and will be sent for when the
case goes to trial.
Patterson was seen at his home yester-
day by a representative of the Morning
News, and gave full statement, and
the first authentic account of the tragedy
The story can be told best in the words
OF Patterson.
Il had been down town and was on my
way home about ? O'Clock Saturday morn
ing" said Mr.. Patterson. Il turned into
Jefferson street at Oglethorpe avenue and
started south. Just before / reached
Perry street lane l saw a policeman and
a negro. with a high silk hat and light
overcOat. This was right at the lane and
there was a woman and boy on one cor
ner of the lane and tail black man on
the other corner.
MY attention was first attracted by
hearing the policeman say III have to
arrest you The mulatto negro with the
high hat said: Stand off or I'll shoot
YOU AT that time l was on the eastern
side OF jefferson street at the lane and
directly opposite where the policeman
and the man with the high hat were talk
ing. The policeman was facing the north
with his left side rigt up against the
fence. He said again, IN have to ar
rest YOU The negro then backed off TO
The edge of the sidewalk and said -
-, I'll kill you
Il heard the first shot fired and looked
across the street. Then 1 saw the sec
ond shot fired I saw the negro pull the
trigger. The policeman fell to his knees,
but got up again and made effort TO
get at his pistol. l saw flash, and
the third shot was fired. ! walked on
toward Liberty street, and did not think
hat there anything very much the
matter. The man with the high hat came
right up to where / was with the tail
black man. The man who did the shoot
ing gave his pistol to the tall negro. and
said: Here. you take the pistol, because
] don't want them to find a pistol on me.
The tall man took the pistol. and then
both of them went back into Perry street
lane, toward Montgomery street.
Il had seen the policeman get up and
did not think the shooting had amounted
to much. / told the folks al breakfast
that l had seen a little shooting scrape
on jefferson street, and also told the po-
liceman a the Central Railroad passenger
depot. ] saw the negro Brooks at the
county Jail this morning. and am sure
that he was the same man who did the
when he gave his pistol to the tall man,
and / positively identify him as the man
who fired the Shots
Fender was patrol,ing Hull and Perry
streets. and from Pattersons statement,
had heard the shot fired on West Broad
street. He, too probably heard Brooks
running east on Liberty street, with the
wounded nt gro Burns in pursuit. The
theory is that at Perry street lane the Off
Ger encountered b oCks and ordered him
TO stop Then it was that the conversa-
tion that Patterson heard occurred. After
Fender was shot. he got up and started
after Brooks, who went towards Liberty
street The wounded officer had gone
about five feet from the lane when he
fell on his face on the sidewalk. 1t was
there that he was found, with his pisto
in his hand, by Patrolman Brown The
positions occupied by the two men wher
the shots were fired will be material tes
timony at the trial of the case, and the
statement made by Patterson is backed
up by the post mortem examination
made by Police Surgeon Osborne. 1t was
found that the bullet entered Fender's
right breast, and Patterson states tha
the officers left side was against tn,
fence. The statement made by Pat
terson is plausible, when it is taken int
consideration that he AYERS that he was
unarmed.
Brooks. who is held for the murder, wa,
committed TO Jail yesterday morning OF
warrant signed by Coroner Keller Thu
negro was seen there by a representa-
tive of the Morning News, and a secont
effort was made to have him tell some
thing about the shooting. Brooks SCENE,
badly frightened and was very nervous
There was a perceptible tremor in hi
voice, and he started a every noise mad
in the crowded prison. The negro contin
ues to deny all knowledge of the shoot
ing OF either Fender or the negro Burns
He reiterates that he has never had
pistol and that he did not have one OF
Saturday morning.
Brooks says that he was AT the social
at the Brunswick bar on Margaret an,
West Broad streets, and that he was so
Der. He saw Clifford Lucas and Eddie
Clements there, but denies that he lef
with them He says that he remember
very well everything that happened. an,
that the Lucas woman and Clements lef
the place together. He did not motto
when Burns left, but says that he started
home about twenty minutes after the DO!
and woman had gone. The alleged muir
derer says that he did not hear the sho
that was fired on West Broad street. an,
that when he reached Perry street Ian
he heard three shots fired
Brooks declares that he went into IN,
lane to see what the shooting was abou
and acrad a lad1y GAIr- Goh., nh