The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-20
FOUGHT FOR HIS LIFE
SHOT By WESLEY HEBRON AT
POOLER.
THREE MEN ATTACKED HIM.
ONE HAD A SHOTGUN, ONE AN AK
AND THE THIRD A PISTOL AND
KNIFE.

Heron shot mt by BOnaparte and as
He Returned the Fire Another of
His AssaiInnts Struck Him With an
Axand the Third Fired mt Him with
RevoIver-Herron's shot Took
Eject, and His Assailant Fell With
Participants In the ARRAY Brought
to savannnh-The Shooting the Re-
suit of Feud.
Leander Bonaparte, colored, was
sot and mortally wounded at Pooler
last night by Wesley Heron, also col
ored. Heron fought Leander, armed
with a shutgun; his brother, George,
armed with an ak, and Leander, Jr.,
his son, armed with a revolver and a
butcher knife. While each weapon in
the small-sized arsenal was used, Her
ron escaped with only a cut on the
shoulder from the AK.
Heron, George Bonaparte and Lean
der Bonaparte, Jr., were brought to the
city at midnight by Chief Deputy Sher-
lift Sweeney and Deputies Lii
ienthal, Hartigan and McCaf-
ferry, who went to the scene
of the trouble in buggies. The Pooler
Rifles had already turned out under
arms and had the men guarded when
the officers from the city arrived. The
weapons were gathered up, and with
prisoners were brought to the city in a
wagon.
According to Herron's story, his es-
cape from death was little short of
miraculous. He met the three Bona
parties near the Central Railway sta
ton, and after a heated argument, the
older member of the trio raised his
shotgun and fired. Heron said that
the muzzle was in his face and that
just as the hammer fell he knocked the
weapon in the air, causing the lead to
spend it's fury and force in the air. He
declares that the powder burned and
half blinded him, and that as Bona
parte was about to fire the second load
he used his own weapon. An entire
charge of small shot struck Bonaparte
in the head, causing his brains TO
ooze out.
Heron says that when the elder
member of the Bonaparte family fell,
ak, and Leander, Jr., fired his revolver.
The bullet from the pistol in some way
went wide of it's mark,
but he received glancing
blow from the AK that almost
caused him to drop his weapon. Her
ron says that he then held the two
Bonapartes off until the Rifles and 9TH
er citizens arrived on the scene and
took charge of the entire outfit.
The story leading up to the tragedy,
as told by Heron, is rather interest
ing. For over a year there has been a
| feud between the two families, and an
outbreak was expected at any time.
| Heron says that he and Bonaparte,
| Sr., are members of the same lodge of
| Odd Fellows, and thereby hangs a
| tale. Heron charges that Bonaparte
| stole some glasses out of a house in
| the township, and then had
nerve enough to want to use the
glass in the building occupied by the
| lodge of which they were members.
| Heron says that he remembered his
oath and that he Indignantly refused
to have stolen glass put in the windows
of the Odd Fellows building.
| Bonaparte didn't like the manner in
which Heron had been talking, and
| was only waiting an opportunity to ask
| him for an explanation. According to
| Heron when he met with the Bona
| parte crowd little time was wasted on
words and the fight began almost i'm
| mediately. AS soon as word of the
| shooting was received in Savannah
| Chief Sweeney and the other deputies
left for Pooler. Bonaparte was still
| alive at midnight, but with no chance
| of recovery. His head was literally shot
to pieces and he was unconscious from
| the moment that he fell