The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1901-03-27
JUSTICE And BAILIFF
MAKE STATEMENTS.
TELL ABOUT THE KILLING OF KING AND
LYNCHING OF HIS SLAYER.
Judue Hamer Gives Synopsis OF the
Evidence, and Bailff Edwards Says
He Was on His Way to Dawson
With the Prisoner When the
Mob Got Him.

The last issue of the Cuthbert
Leader published statements from JUS
tice J. r. Hamer and Bailitf J. b.
Edwards concerning the killing OF
Sidney J. King by Sherman Harris
and the lynchiug of the latter, an ex
tended account of which was printed
in last weeks NEWS.
Judge Hamer is the justice before
whom Harris was given committal
trial, and the facts of the killing OF
King as brought out at the trial are
given by Judge Hamer as follows:
"There were only two witnesses ex-
amined in the case that were present
when the killing happened, Mr.. I. j.
Barfield and Jess Preston, cOlored.
"Mr. Barfield said King came TO his
house Monday evening and asked
where Sherman Harris was and said
he was going to kill him. Witness
said he told King that Harris was in
the lot hauling compost. Harris told
King he wanted no trouble with him.
King told him to get his gun, as he had
come to kill him. Harris drove the
wagon out of the lot nearby where
King was sitting in his buggy. King
told Harris to get out OF the wagon.
Harris got out of the wagon and came
near where King was sitting IN the
buggy, still saying he wanted no diff
Guilty with him. King made no effort
to shoot Harris. Harris got over the
fence into the yard of Mr.. Barfield;
went around the house OF Barie!d into
a back room; got breech-loading
double barrel shot gun: came out with
it and stood in the corner of the chin
ney with the gun, is what the witness
said, and held the gun down by his
right side like he was trying to hide
the gun from King. Then started to-
wards where King was sitting in his
buggy with his head hung down like
he was asleep, with his Left leg resting
on the dashboa and his Winchester
rife laying across his lap. Said King
had whiskey and looked like he was
drunk. Harris went up near to where
King sat in his buggy and said, Il
don't want no difficulty with you"
When Harris spoke to King, King
raised up his head TO look and Harris
shot him in the left leg with the gun
he came out of the house with. Har-
ris then struck King with his gun,
jerked the one King had in his hand
out and ran off with both guns. King
fell out or was knocked out by Harris,
witness did not know which. King
asked Mr.. Bartield to help him home,
and never talked any more.
preston testified that he was stand
ing in the corner of the chimney all
the time, and heard and saw the whole
thing. He helped to put King in the
buggy, went home with him and help
ed him into the house.
"Barfeld said he never saw the gun
in Harris hand when he was coming
toward King, and did not see Harris
shoot him. Said when Harris came
up to the buggy and told King he
wanted no difficulty he turned his back
on them. After the gun fred he turn.
ed around and saw both striking at
each other with their guns"
BAILIFF EDWARDS STATEMENT.
Bailiff j. B. Edwards, who had Har
ris in custo ly after the trial, gives
the following account of the prisoner
being taken from him by mob and
being lynched:
81 left with Sherman Harris about
Z o'clock p. m. feared something OF
that sort, and was going to try and
give them the slip and go to Dawson
instead of Cuthbert, when arrived at
the cross roads at Tom Arthur's place
but there [ was surrounded by about
ten or twelve men, who demanded my
prisoner / held on to him as long as
/ could. Told them would prosecute
all of them if they did not let me go on
with my prisoner. They ierked him
out of my buggy and turned back to-
ward the south. followed them to j.
r. Hamer's. There stopped and told
him all. In about three quarters o.
an hour heard shooting due west Of
+. r. Hamer's. That was Tuesday
Wednesday morning went to look, anC
found Sherman Harris hanging to 6
limb just beyond Tom Lumley's by {
rope around his neck, shot through
the body. This is all l know about