The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-09
HELD FOR MURDER
GILBERT PITTS INDICTED FOR THE
KILLING OF SAM MITCHELL.
WAS WATCHING OYSTERS.
WHEN HE FIRED THE SHOT WHICH
ENDED MITCHELL's LIFE.

Grand Jury of the Superior Court
Furnished work for Solicitor
General and Juries-MOses HOus-
ton Indicted for the Murder of
Della Green-kiIIed Her, Accord
ing to states Evidence Because
She Rejected Him-Several Indict-
Jnents for Assault With Intent to
Murder Were Returned by Grand
Jury.
The grand jury of the Superior Court
returned an indictment for murder against
Gilbert Pitts yesterday afternoon. Pitts
is a white man, while the man whom he
shot and killed and whom he is charged
by the grand jury with having murdered,
was a negro Samuel Mitchell.
The homicide was committed near the
island of Little Tybee, on the afternoon
of JAM 8. Pitts was employed at that
time to watch the private oyster beds of
C. w. Parker, and it was while he was
engaged in this duty that he shot and
killed Mitchell.
The coroner's jury by which the hon.
icide was investigated found that there
were no circumstances which would serve
to reduce the grade of the offense, and
declared the killing to have been murder.
Pitts contention has been that when he
fred it was in self-defense and in order
to save his own life.
When he was arrested, or rather when
he gave himself up, to the officers of the
/ 4ba dow VI
the shooting he had discovered Mitchell
ard two other negroes longing oysters
from the private leased beds of Mr.. Par
ker, which he had been employed to
watch. He warned them to get away and
then tried to drive them away. They re-
fused to leave, according to his statement,
and became, on the contrary, insolent,
abusive and threatening. When, accord.
ing to Pitts statement the conduct of
the negroes became such that he thought
his own life in danger, he fired load of
buckshot into Mitchell, killing him almost
instantly.
The evidence of John Poline and Samuel
Cade, the two negroes who were with
Mitchell when he was shot and killed,
showed that there was absolutely no JUS
UHCatlOf TOT the nOnlCfues ne IeSIOeS
declare that neither they nor Mitchell
had any arms with them at the time of
the killing, made no threats that could
alarm anybody and offered to do Pitts
no INJURY. They say Mitchell told Pitts
he was not trespassing on Mr.. Parkers
oyster beds, and refused to leave the spot,
but that otherwise he was guilty of Meth
err insolence nor threats, and made no
effort whatever to harm Pitts.
A. II
tween Pitts and Mitchell and the perfect
ly harmless quarrel he said had occurred
between them, Poline told the coroner's
jury; I'VE then pulled to the left side.
We began raking again and the white
man rowed over to our side and went out
in the marsh. He was there for about
five minutes and then came back and got
in his boat. He then picked up his gun
and shot Mitchell, who was standing up
at che time, raking for oysters. Mitchell
fell on his face in the boat and the white
man rowed off. He had two guns in his
boat and we never had any weapons.
| There was nothing said just before the
white man shot Mitchell and no hard
words were passed at ALL
This was substantially the evidence of
Cade also and il was the evidence given
the grand jury. Upon the showing made
anything less than the return of a true
bill was impossible.
| Moses Houston, a negro, was indicted
for the murder of Della Green. a 4-year-
old negro girl The homicide was COM
mitted on Harrison street near Laurel,
on the day before Christmas and from
the evidence of the states witnesses APP
pears to have been absolutely without
reason or provocation.
The girl, it seems. had been accepting
for some months Houston's ardent atten-
lions, but when he pressed her to admit
| a preference for him above all others, she
| evaded the point. Her coquetry aroused
in Houston a passion of a different sort
from that he had been feeling towards
her. Her constant refusalS drove him al
most wild, and when he could bear her
taunts no longer, he drew a revolver and
| fired. The ball entered her right groin,
| infiicting a wound from which she died
| the following day
Joe Wine and Ed. Williams were in
dicted by the grand jury for assault with
intent to murder d. Silverstein. Wine and
Williams, who are negroes, committed
an assault on Silverstein on the night
Of Feb. A. on Bryan street. and it requir-
ed two or three policemen to pull them
off and effect their arrest.
The grand jury charges Sam Collins
| with assault with intent to murder Pow
ell Glenn, Lymus Washington with assault
with intent to murder George Thompson
and Charles F. Wiehrs with assault with
intent to murder William Cox. Violet
Washington is indicted for a like offense.
committed on Rina Daise.
Several other indictments were return
cd by the grand jury. but these are the
ones of greatest interest and Importance.
Upon the return of the indictments the
grand jury was relieved by the court UNI
til it is again called together. The Grim
inal business, so far as the functions of
:he grand jury in connection with it are
concerned is about abreast of the times.
1t is probable that the work Of trying
criminal cases will be continued next
week, when those in which indictments
were returned yesterday will be assigned
e-n-@
In Crime. In GrauDa