The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-29
DREAMED OF BONES
NEGRO wOMAN's VISION LED TO A
DISCOVERY AND HER ARREST.
POLICEMAN AS GRAVE DIGGER
UNEARTHED REMAINS OF A CHILD
IN JONES' FIELD.

Hattie Da Costa Had Seen Boys Dig
Ring Up Bones Near Her House
and the sight Had Caused Her TO
Drenm-The story of what She
Saw Set THE Fort AgOg-PatrOI-
man with IL shovel Drew IA Crowd
and Hattie Was Arrested When
the Bones Were FOund-She Told
Her story and Was Released.
After having been disinterred and re-
buried several times. a bundle of human
bones was dug up in Jones Field, at the
foot of Broughton street, yesterday
morning, by Patrolman r. Stafford, and
sent to police headquarters. The East
side was stirred up when the officer went
into the field armed with a shovel and
later began placing the bones in a crack
er box. Hundreds of negroes gathered on
Gas House Hill, and many wild stories
were in circulation.
The bones were removed to police
headquarters, and Coroner Keller was
notified. After en- examination of the
teeth. he concluded that the re-
mains had been under ground for prob
ably fifteen years. The bones are prob
ably those of child of II or 10 years, the
'12-year-old molar teeth being found N
place. The bones win be kept by DIR.
Keller, but there is no probability of the
discovery of how they were buried.
The finding of the bones by the police
was brought about in a peculiar way,
and caused the detention of a woman
named Hattie DeCosta. Jones field is a
favorite spot for juvenile ball players,
and several weeks ago a crowd of boys
dug UP a bone or two. Since then the
bones have been dug up and replanted
several times, the last occasion being on
Friday At that time a lad named Berry
went to the lot adjoining the Tybee de-
pot and played grave digger. He I'M
earthed the same bones and as had been
the custom replanted them.
1t was then that ii became talked
around that Hattie DeCoSta had dreamed
Hattie is a well-known resident of the
Eastside and lives on Randolph street
The bones had been found directly back
of her house, and she had seen when
they were dug up and reburied. 1t was
stated that in her dream negro boy APP
peared to Hattie and uufolded a fearful
tale He told her wildly how he had
been led into dark alley by his father
and struck over the head with an ak.
According to the story circulated around
the Gas House quarter of the city, the
boy described his awful death in a graphic
way, and then stated accurately how his
father had moved his body to Jones field.
The ghost told how the old man used the
shovel in the dead hours of night and
how his blood-drenched body was placed
under the ground.
Little by little the story was added to
and the entire Eastside began to think
that Hattie would have another dream
and that tragedy would be unearthed.
The story reached young Berry's ears
yesterday morning and he hurried to find
Patrolman Stafford He told the officer
of the DeCosta women's alleged dream,
and further that he had dug up the same
bones on Friday. The officer became in
terested and obtaining a shovel left for
the field with the small boy. Sunday is
a holiday in the crowded Fort and before
the officer had removed three shovelfuls
of soil several hundred persons had gath
cred
When the bones were found the pa
trolman put his thinking cap on. He did
not credit the dream story and was of
the opinion that there was something be-
hind the wild report of the nightly visit
of the dead boys ghost The patrolman
found the DeCosta woman and took her
with the bones to police headquarters.
The superintendent and the detectives
questioned her and she was released.
The woman was seen at her home last
night. She denied that she had dream
such as had been described. She stated
that she had seen the bones dug up on
several coca sions and that the sight so
impressed her that she dreamed of them.
She did not. however, see a boy IN the
dream and Yves not told of any murder
by father. 1t was simply the story of
1.-THE three black crows" The police have
no hope of discovering any crime by the
finding of the bones and the folks on the
Eastside will forget the matter before the
week has ended