The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-06
SLAIN FOR NOTHING
v,RDI,Y MURDER OF BENJAMIN
RIousT AT 4-MILE HILL.
KILLED BY HORACE JONES
roRoED To DROP A LOADED GUN
AND THEN SHOT.


shaved no Disposition to Pay.
Taught shot Instead with Which
He KILLED the Aged Negro-WOman
SAW the Homicide-JOnes Made
nlouut Get His Gun, Put 1t Down
and Then Sent load of Bird
shot Into His Left side-Murderer
walked Slowly Away and Left
oId Man to Die-Is StiII Mt Large
and no Effort Has Been Made to
Arrest Him-Coroner Investigated
Tragedy and VIII Hold an In
quest.
The killing OF Benjamin Blount by Hor-
ara Jones. on the Burdett plantation,
ohout six miles west of the city Thursday
in the Morning News. was investigated
nv Coroner Keller yesterday. The killing
vas witnessed by negro woman named
Nellie Andrews, and, according to her
story to the coroner, the shooting hap
nened in a rather peculiar manner. and
was without the slightest provocation.
Blount was an aged negro, and was
employed on the plantation of j. w. Hes
ter Jones is a young negro, and was
employed on the same place. He came
from South Carolina about two months
ogo, and shortly after his arrival, bor-
rowed money from Blount. The old man
was unable to collect the amount that
he had advanced, and when Jones drew
III, osad Il 81
pay up Blount felt particularly aggrieved.
Jones was in a sullen mood, and with
his shotgun on his shoulder, went to a
neighboring store, where he purchased
some bird shot He loaded the weapon
and returned to Blount's house, where
Bount was digging up some stumps.
Bount told Jones that he didn't want
him on the place. and ordered him away.
The old man asked him, too, why he had
come armed and Jones answered that he
had brought the gun to use on him.
Jones is said to have asked the old
man if he had a gun, and Blount an
swered in the affirmative. Jones told
him to get it, and Blount weSt in the
house, and reappeared in a moment with
the weapon. Jones then asked if Blount
was carrying the gun for him. Blount
said that he was not, and that he nad
only gotten it because he had been asked
to.
During the conversation the younger ne
gro had Blount covered, and the old man
had no opportunity to use his weapon,
even though he had desired to. Jones
ordered him to place his gun against the
side of the house. and Blount promptly
obeyed. This command was followed by
another that he step away from the wea-
pom, and Blount again hurriedly obeyed,
little dreaming that Jones could be so
cold-blooded as to shoot him down with
out warning.
The Andrews woman said that Jones
cooly and deliberately cooked the gun
and fired the entire load into the left
side of Blount The wounded man fell
to the ground with his life blood ebbing
away and the murderer leisurely walked
away, with the gun across his shoulder.
No effort was made to stop him, and it is
not at all likely that he will ever be heard
from again. He is a stranger in the
city and just what part of South Caro-
lima he was last in is not known. Cor
Oner Keller notified the woman to be
present at the inquest, which will be held
Monday afternoon in the Office of Magis-
trate Naughtin, on Bryan street.
With the exception of the coroner no Of
hcer has yet visited the scene of the kill
Ing. The crime was not committed within
the Jurisdiction of the police, and Super
intendent Reilly does not feel called upon
to send any of his men out of the juris-
oictional limits. Sheriff Schwarz says that
he has never been officia ~ notified of the
homicide, and that he knew nothing about
the tragedy until he read the story in the
Morning News. The sheriff says that he
Will investigate all homicides occurring in
the county, when such matters are re-
ported to him, but nc must be notified.
The county officers say that they were
not notified of the killing by the police
and that the homicide was first made
known to them through the columns of
the Morning News. Chief Deputy Sweeney
says that If the case had been reported
10 him by the police he would have made
an investigation at that time.
Just who is to blame for the condition
Of affairs has not been satisfactorily de-
termined. but that some one is respor-
siole Tor the fact that murderer has
oeen at large for nearly As hours, without
an effort being made to apprehend him,
mere can be no doubt. The fact that
'he County Commissioners have never
maze an appropriation for the county Off
GERS going into the country for prisoners
not given as an excuse by Sheriff
ooh"arz' who says that when the occa-
Sloh demands it his men will be sent out.
~ me meantime Jones is at large, and
, mus lar nothing has been done to
Try and lOQa "a hfra