The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-02
SHOT IN COLD BLOOD
pIoUNT, SLAIN By HORACE
~ ZONES, NET HIS DEATH.
THIS THE STATE CONTENDS
,,,,E JONES CLAIMS HE SHOT IN
SELF DEFENSE.

- DitiieuIty About "A Debt,
,.n the Former Claimed the
later owed Him and Refused to
p.-The states Star Witness Says
pIount Had Thrown Down HIS Gun
,d was Unarmed When Jones
=. uim-Then the Slayer Walk
ID Away without Word.
rre trial of the case, of the state
.ine+ Horace Jones, indicted for the
~surder of Ben Blount, an aged negro
was begun in the Superior Court
yesterday morning and continued
.s~orghout the day. The case was not
concluded
1rhen court convenes this morning
A.. 7 Travis will conclude his argu-
ut for the defendant and the So
,,citor general will present the conten-
.;one of law and fact that the state
:, relving upon to prove its case. Then
Judge Falligant will deliver his charge
and the consideration of the evidence
will be taken up by the jury.
put two witnesses were examined by
Mr. osborne yesterday morning and
one of these, Coroner John G. Keller,
tsstided only to having held an inquest
unon the dead body of Ben Blount and
os 10 the nature of the wounds that
caused the death. The coroner said
,hst Blount had died from the effects
of a gun-shot wound in the left side,
nroduced by a charge of small bird
shot. fred at close range.
The principal witness for the state was
Lila Williams, negro woman, whose
eve alone, save those of the slayer and
his victim. witnessed the final alterca-
ZION between Jones and Blount and the
tragedy itself.
She made a good witness, as the at
tempts made by counsel for the defend
ant with so much vigor and earnest
ness. to disprove or impeach her evil
dence, abundantly testified. She told
a story of the events leading up to and
Immediately preceding the homicide
that was clear and convincing and that
placed the conduct of Jones in bad
light before the jury.
The homicide was committed on July
l. in front of Blount's house, a shanty
on the Louisville road, just beyond the
Four-Mile hill. The woman had been
standing near this shanty, when she
saw Jones walking down the road that
ran past it. He had gun on his Shout
der and there was a dog following at
his heels. There had been a previous
difficulty between the two men, relative
to some money that Jones owed Blount,
and Blount had told Jones to get off
his OlaPa and NOT m If pain
Jones had gone off and the woman,
who had also overheard the row about
the money, expected trouble when she
saw him returning to the house, with
the gun on his shoulder.
Another argument was begun. Jones
told Blount to go in his house and get
his gun and this the old man did. AS
ne returned with the weapon, Jones
said they would go into the road and
Shoot 1t out" but to this invitation
blount refused to accede. He said he
didn't want to shoot it out. Jones or
dered him to put down his gun and
blount placed it in the road. Blount
was then directed to walk on down the
road, and as he complied Jones fol-
lowed. When but few steps had been
taken the younger man raised his gun
and pulled the trigger. 1t snapped, the
cap railing to explode; he raised it
again and, taking deliberate aim at
blount fired the other barrel The load
entered Blounts side and he fell to the
sIOund. Without word, with scarcely
look at his victim, who was writhing
IN agony in the dust of the road, Jones
Shouldered his gun and walked calmly
ana deliberately away.
ihese were the essentials of the story
s stIu oy the Williams woman on the
o.anu ana try as he might, Mr.. Travis
touiu not make her contradict herself
a. essehtlal particulars. She stuck to
uie main facts of the story she had
told on her direct examination and no
amount OF questioning could induce
W vary II in any material respect.
number of witnesses were intro
vuoe e on behalf of the defendant. Hat
nc Mlier' a woman with whom Jones
uodTded and who lived in a house not
10y lar away from that of Blount, was
~ IlSt. The gun with which Blount
nau Oeen killed belonged to the wit
h ees ana her husband and she said had
tse I'm taken by Jones that morning, for
siie purpose of shooting rabbits IN an
adjoining field.
me witness had not seen the last Diff
,..ticy between Jones and Blount, but
or '. .ueu TO the occurrence of two others
saiS ne 6i same morning. during which she
Ia pIouht mad shaken club in the
fo Vi the accused, had cursed him
lary o W everything that the vocabu-
sai s oI profanity of the ordinary rice
MOI ualAey Will admit--and that does
h.eave much to be desired, and had
agsin 'ened to kill him if he ever came
NJ p on the road which ran in front
tan5 pounts house. Blount had con-
tba n'l. mat this road was private, but
in ,b%lhess testified that she had lived
yeara e nelghborhood for twenty-five
tboro,,aHd that it had been considered
auv Fnidre' open to the public gener-
To 1or all of that time.
defende were other witnesses for the
Fur, ant among them being C. B.
men ana Snap" Hester, two white
near .. utz is the proprietor of a store
that ba ne four- Mile Hill, and testified
shot n ~, nad sold the accused some bird
killed y" me morning that Blount was
the Ell zones had told the witness when
going " were purchased that he was
told h.. shoot rabbits. and had been
would 'ne witness that the latter
The 80 80 along with him.
to The 'eatement of the defendant was
numhor meet that there had been a
fcuties p oI Wordy arguments and diff
to the oetWeen Blount and himself as
ed he o,, ~S .iient of debt Blount claim
ed was ,S u MIN and which he contend
TO keen nee uue. Blount had told him
Of his b III the road that ran in front
il he c.. ana threatened to kill him
apa'. ever made his appearance there
road i l.. Jones said he told Rlonnt the
In was public and that he had right
HE sel 1t as much as he pleased
"a rs story Of the fro ea5,, ,.ats IT,: