The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-20
BAD FOR GOVERNORS GUARD.
BLACKEN THEIR GOOD RECORD AT
JACK SONVILLE.

Relieved From Duty n Number of
the Members Proceed to Bring Dis
grace Upon the Commandment.
Gibbs Makes the Serious Mistake
of Attempting 10 Rescue HIS Men
From the PoIIce-The Evidence
Heard by COurtmartiaI Last
Night-LabOriDG Men Would Not
Stand for n Ten-HOur Day at 81
and Chairman of Labor Bureau Re-
scinded His Order to This Effect.
Jacksonville, Fla, May ls--On the eve
of their departure for home, after the
hard service of patrol duty in the fire
district, the Governors Guard. as Com
psny D, Florida State Troops. are known.
got itself into serious disgrace. A liberal
| supply of intoxicants, several free fights
on the streets with negroes and a sensa-
tional attemps on the part of an officer
Of the company to effect the rescue of Of
Tending soldiers from the hands of the
police authorities. eliminated to-day in
series of court-martials that has kept the
militia in a state of intense excitement.
G. T. Gibbs. second lieutenant of the
Governors Guards, and popular Talla-
hassee boy, is under arrest, pending fur
Their action by the military court and if
convicted of mutinous conduct, the Of
tense against him. stands in great jeop-
ardy OF a blighted career.
Last night Company d was notified that
they were to be relieved of further duty,
and several of them, including Second
Sergeant German and J. f. Costa, pro-
ceeded to celebrate their prospective home
going. They got into a difficulty with
several negroes, and lively fight was in
progress, when Lieut.. Hudson of Company
appeared on the scene.
In his testimony at the court martial
proceedings against German and Costa,
he stated that he found Costa indiscrimi-
nately hitting every negro head within
his reach. He ordered the sergeant, who
had previously been in several fights. in
one of which he admitted to using a gun
on the head of a negro, to take Costa
hack to his quarters. Instead of obeying
orders, both proceeded to a liquor store
and in Germans own words, ''tanked
up" Lieut.. Hudson found them, and by
order of Col. Lowell they were placed I'M
der arrest and taken to the city jail
known as Raspberry Park. and placed in
the keeping of Acting Police Sergeant
Roach.
Attempted to Rescue His Men.
Shortly after Lieut.. Gibbs, with a squad
OF men. armed and equipped, marched up
to the Jail. The Lieutenant asked to be
allowed to see the prisoners, and he was
let into the Jail yard, the squad of armed
men rushed in after him.
According to the police account Gibbs
asked for the release of the prisoners,
and on being refused. said that he had
a squad of picked men from his company,
and would take them one way or the
other Word was quickly sent to police
headquarters, and a squad of officers I'M
der Police Lieutenant Brough hurried to
the scene. IL looked for a moment as
if there would be conflict between the
civil and military authorities, but at the
critical moment detachment of soldiers
arrived under orders from Col Lowell,
and Lieut. Gibbs and his men were plac-
ed under arrest.
At the courtmartial proceedings tonight
Gibbs was represented by Frank w. Pope.
The court consisted of Maj. ]. S. Max
we'll Cant j r G.. Foster, I4euts. H. e.
Robinson, H. Nj. Snow. Mark Griffin and
Judge Advocate B. B. Mcdonnell. Mr.
Pope's motion to quash the charges on the
ground of insufficient specification was
sustained. and the accused was ordered to
report back under arrest to Col. Lowell
until formal charges could be perfected.
Findings in the cases of German and
Costa were not announced and the court
adjourned until tomorrow at o'clock
Labor Trouble Narrowly Averted.
Trouble of a serious nature was mar
rowly averted to-day by the withdrawal
of an order that would have precipitated
a strike of all the laborers now employed
by the city, amounting to between hve