The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-26
M'KINNEY LED THE MOB.
Screven County Murderers Tell of
the Ambush of Officers.

| the Ambush of Officers.
The Screven county murderers were no.
| titled yesterday morning Of the decision
of the Supreme Court in refusing to grant
a new trial, and realized for the first
time that they have but short while
TO dive. The men were badly frightened
ana have abandoned all hope of escaping
the gallows. They were taken 40 the top
floor of the Jail, where they were photo
graphed by Mr.. NJ. Ed. Wilson. The
condemned men were nervous and it was
with the greatest effort that they re-
ma ined somewhat quiet until the pictures
had been taken. The men asked that
extra pictures be made so that they can
send them to their families before the
execution.
All FIVE OF the men talked freely to a
representative of the Morning News. They
admitted that they were in the crowd on
the night Fillmore Harrington and Milton
Mears were killed, and Capt. Jesse Wade
was badly shot, but denied that they fired
at the white men. Andrew Davis was
the spok esman for the convicted murder
ers, and talked OF the ambushing of the
white men. He admits that he was a
member of the knights of the Archer"
but declares that the organization was
only a relief society, and that its object
was not TO eXterminate the whites OF
Screven county. Davis says that most
of the members were women, and that
not a third of those who killed the officers
were members of the alleged black maf1a
Davis said that there were twelve men
present on the night that the officers were
slain. and that a negro desperate named
Mathew Mckinney was the leader of the
band. Mckinney, Peter Frederick, Aaron
johnson, Bob Johnson, Jesse Alexander
and Steven Alexander were the six who
managed to escape, and the other six were
arrested. Five are those i'm jail here with
the death sentence hanging over their
heads, and Cleveland Harrington. the
sixth man captured, is in jail at Sylvania
He has never been tried, and while 1t Is
not known probably furnished the Off
GERS of the law with certain information
that was material to the prosecution.
Arnold Augustus and William Hudson
were the only ones who made statements
at the trial of the case, and Davis says
had he been permitted to talk he be-
lieves he would have been acquitted. The
story told by the negro is interesting,
and shows that the plan to murder the
officers had been well laid. Davis says
that Steven Alexander had cursed Mr..
Harrington, and that he and his compan-
ions intended TO go to the home of Jesse
Alexander, the boys father and advise
him to give himself up.
On their arrival at the place they claim
they found Mathew Mckinney in charge
of affairs and swearing that he would
wipe out the whites. He was at the head
of the six negroes already at the house
and announced that nothing but human
blood would satisfy him. Davis says that
Mckinney is an escaped convict and
desperate of the worst type, On one oc-
casion he shot his wife and mother-in-law,
and is wanted on hundreds of war
rants, charging every crime in the calen-
dar Davis says that when he and
his companions saw what was in the wind
they prepared to withdraw. Mckinney
would not listen to this, and al the point
of his Winchester compelled them to stay
behind the bushes. The desperate leader
boldly proclaimed that he intended to
make his gun talk, and that every time
it barked a white man would drop. He
had planned to wait until the officers.
who were expected, had gone up to the
house before firing. This was done, and
when Harrington Mears and Wade
knocked on the door McKinney's rife
sounded
According to Davis. Mckinney did not
lose his bead, and when he fired the first
time he ordered the others to do the same
thing. Hundreds of shots were fired and
the men were riddled with bullets Angus
tus stated on the stand at Sy1vania that
he and his companions fired because they
were forced to, but that their guns were
pointed in the air and not at the officers.
Davis denies now that he fired at all,
The negroes, without exception. say that
they ere innocent. and they have no fear
of meeting their Maker. They join in the
religious services in the Jail and say that
they pray nightly for the capture of Nc
Kinney and his following. Sheriff Thomp-
son of Screven county is expected daily
for the negroes who will have to be re-
sentenced. They viii be brought back to
Savannah. where they will remain until
the day before their execution.