The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-25
HAD RATHER HANG.
Continued from Tenth Page.


it. and this he did with ease. Inside was
an empty shell and upon this was writ
ten, in Roman character "D-E-A-T.'
Death, said the solicitor general,
referring to this shell and its inscrip-
ton in his argument to the jury; he
meant death. And it carried death to
the man for whom it was intended. Is
there an intelligent man in the uni
verse who can doubt it?" AS the gun
had never been unbreeched since it
came into the possession of Mr..
Sweeny, before it was opened, and the
she'll extracted IN the presence of the
jury, the sinister inscription had never
been seen by any one other than who
the man who wrote it and its exhibit
ton in the court room, under somewhat
dramatic circumstances and after
somewhat dramatic fashion, created a
profound impression.
George Hudson testified that he was
in the church when the shot which
killed Frasier was fired and that he
had seen the man lying on the ground
and weltering in his blood, after the
smoke of the discharge had cleared
away Frasier, said the witness, had
died in a few moments, without ever
speaking a word.
With the introduction of this wit
ness, the state rested it's case and the
lllli OQuCllOIl VI eNluGHCG lot the uSlCI-
dant was begun. Sandy and Eliza Low,
a negro man and his wife, testified
that they rented from Shig the house
at Sandfiy which he owned. Shig had
reserved one room of the house for his
own use and kept it locked. He had
been out to Sandfly and in his room on
Wednesday. The shooting had been
done the following evening.
Low and his wife said they had been
in bed for perhaps half an hour on the
night of the homicide when they heard
gone to the church and there had seen
the dead body of FRASER. Before that
time they had seen nothing of Shig
| that night and they did not see him
then. They had heard no one shter
their house, to get a gun or for any
| other purpose, and they were confident
that if any one had gone to Shig's
room they would have known of it.
The Defendants Statement.
Shig was then placed on the stand
| by his counsel to make statement in
| his own behalf. He denied the shoot
ing absolutely and all knowledge of it
and all connection with it. He said he
| had been living in the city, and on
the night in question had gone out to-.
wards Sandhy to get some money he
| had left in his room there. He had
| intended also, he said, to see George
| Hudson about a boat which he had
rented him. He had got off the car
at Bakers Crossing, found that he had
left his key in his room in the city
then given up his intention of going to
his Sandfly house, and walked back
to Savannah. He had heard the day
following the homicide that Mr.
Sweeny was looking for him and he
| had gone to the barracks and giVer
| himself up.
Shig admitted that the gun found
in his room by Mr. Sweeny and intro
duced in evidence was his. He sai6
that he had last seen it on the day
preceding the shooting, when he had
been out to. Sandfly and had fired the
| weapon. He did not explain why. He
denied having cut any slugs and al
knowledge of those which had killed
F'rasier. These statements. with some
very emphatic protestations of his en-
tire innocence, made up the gist o.
what the defendant had to say.
Annie Gailliard testified for the de.
PENDANT that she had seen him get of
the o'clock car from the city at Ba
kers Crossing. on the night the shoot
ing occurred. He had a basket on hi!
arm. but no gun, and he did not q
in the direction of Sandfy.
The defendant made a supplemental
statement, in which he denied writing
on the shell which was introduced il
evidence. He said he had had a pre-
vious difficulty with Frasier and tina
F'rasier had tried to kill him, but hi!
impression was that this case had beer
dropped and that he was on not un
friendly terms with the man who wa!
killed.
Solicitor General Osborne introduced
the Indictment nf the GRAND i1Irx
against Henderson Frasier, in which
he was charged with assault with at
tempt to murder Henry Shig, Jr, anC
in addition the evidence of Mr.. Raj
ford Falligant. Mr.. Falligant had rep
resented Frasier and testified that h
had made an effort to have the cast
against his client nolprossed and t.
this end had an interview with Shil
on the subject Shig told him the mat
ter was in the hands of the solicitor
and refused to unite in a request Il
have the case dropped and to have
anything to do with it.
The arguments had been made by tn,
solicitor general and Mr.. Slater, anC
Judge Falligant's charge to the jur!
delivered within a few minutes after
o'clock in the afternoon, and for tn,
next two hours the jury struggled will
the question of Shigs guilt or limo
cenCe. "A rev minutes dIter o clOCl
its verdict was returned. 1t found Shil
guilty and recommended that he b.
punished by Imprisonment in the peni
Tertiary for life.
Wanted the Death Sentence.
The prisoner heard the verdict reat
without any display of emotion. Judg
Falligant then commanded him t
stand up and. in accordance with tn
verdict. sentenced him to Imprisonment
at hard labor in the penitentiary TO
the term of his natural life.
"Judge-your honor" said the prison
err, don't send me to the penitentiary
I'd rather be hung"
Take charge of the prisoner" saiC
Judge Falligant to the bailiff. in atten
dance, and Shig was led back to tn
sheriffs Office and then to his cell II
the Jail. He told the officer who. WA
guarding him that he had rather oil
on the gallows than spend his life il
the penitentiary for crime he did no
commit
Mr.. Slater gave notice that he woulc