The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-08
ON TRIAL FOR LIFE
w. w. JOHNSON MUST ANSWER For
KILLING JOHN SCOTT.
CLAIMS SELF DEFENSE.
STABBED HIS FATHER-IN-LAW TO
DEATH IN A QUARREL.

Tragedy occurred IN itODertsSiIie.
Scott Was Drunk and Had Been
QuarreIing With His Wife and
Daughter-A Full Criminal Week
in the Superior COurt-Cases
Against Gamblers Will BE Called
TO-mOrrOw-B. r. COlsOn, Charged
with Arson. Down for Trial We'd
nesday-ThursdnyW VIII BE DevOt-
ed to the Hearing of Cases Against
saloon Men Indicted on Testimony
Furnished by Good Government
League.
This is full week for criminal bust
ness in the Superior Court, and it IS
probable that some of the cases will have
to be reassigned. w. w. Johnson will
be placed on trial for his life this morn
ing johnson stabbed John Scott, his
father-in-law, to death in Robertsville
one Sunday afternoon. during the latter
part of May. The testimony before the
coroner's jury was damaging, and made
out a case of deliberate, and cold-blood-
ed murder. and a verdict in accordance
with those facts was returned.
Scott was drunk and, it appears, had
been in row with his wife, and daugh
ter. They lived with Johnson and had
nothing to do with Scott, who was known
as a hard drinker. johnson escaped and
was absent from the city for several days.
In letter to the Morning News, he stat
ed that he had been forced to use his
knife, and that the witnesses before the
coroner's jury did not give true account
of the homicide. He agreed to surrender
If his story was given to the public,
and this was done. On the same day John
son called at police headquarters with
a friend, and surrendered. He will con-
tend that the killing was done in self
defense.
The cases against Charles O'Dell, jim
Doss, Tom Mcbride and John Mcbride,
indicted for keeping gaming houses, have
been assigned for tomorrow. With the
exception of Tom Mcbride, the defend
ants have furnished bail for their appear
ance, and they will probably be tried by
a jury They were indicted on evidence
furnished by Horace j. Hunter, and are
not victims of the Good Government
League.
On the same day the cases against NJ
Cole, charged with larceny after trus:,
William Smith alias Simmons, burglary,
Jerry Lewis, assault with intent to muir
der, Sam Myers, assault and battery, and
Henry Bryan, assault and battery, VIII
be called. William Diers and j. K TAYLOR
will have to plead to indictments charg-
ing that the defendants kept open tipping
houses on the Sabbath day. True bills
were returned on testimony furnished by
League witnesses.
B. F. Colson, charged with arson, will
he tried Wednesday, iS of
setting fire to the Kentucky restaurant,
in Markuet Square, for the purpose of
collecting an insurance policy of $500. The
evidence against the defendant is circum-
stantial.
John F. Meyer, Henry Schroeder and
Philip Sanders, saloon men, indicted at
the instance of the Good Government
League, are down for a hearing at the
same time. William Walters, charged
with burglarizing the house of Mrs
Thomas, and Keller Perry and H. c.
Strickland, for a misdemeanor, by
catching turtles in close season, are also
on the docket.
Thursday will be League day, exclusive
ly, and the saloon men will have the
floor, although one gambling case is
sandwiched in with the Sunday selling
cases. Samuel Jacobs will plead to an
indictment alleging that he had kept and
maintained a gaming house, contrary to
the laws of the state
The saloon cases assigned for trial on
that day are against Alex Mendel, two
bills; Max Ehrlicher, Neil Gildea, George
c. Schwarz, George Schroeder and James
Whiteman, colored. AS far as Is known
none of the defendants will plead guilty,
and jury will be called in to pass on
each case as 1t is presented.
Friday Joseph Galina will plead to two
indictments charging him with keeDinR
his saloon open on Separate Sundays.
Thomas Eady for burglarizing a house
on Telfair Place, and John Parish, for
assault with intent to murder John Gar
land, are also down for trial. Garland
was recently cut up in a row in Yam
acraw, in which several negro sailors
were engaged.