The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-04
MURDERERS FROM SCREvEN.
Alleged Members of BLACK Malta
Here for Safe Keeping.

Here for Safe Keeping.
Arnold Augustus, Andrew Davis, VIII
liam Hudson Sam Baldwin and Richard
Sanders, the five Screven county negroes
convicted of murder, were brought to the
city yesterday and lodged in Chatham
county jail for safe keeping. Sheriff w.
B. Thompson and Mr.. J. n. Harrington,
a brother of one of the murdered plant
ers, brought the men to the city, and
were met at the depot by City Detective
Star, with the police patrol wagon.
The prisoners were nervous. and SEEM
cd to fear that they would be shot as
they stepped from the train to the wagon.
All nVe of the men were found guilty OF
numbering Fillmore Harrington and Mil
ton Mears and were sentenced to hang
on March %. An appeal has been made
for new trial, and the condemned men
will remain in Savannah until the SUI
preme Court had passed upon their case.
The negroes were arrested last summer
and because of the feeling in Screven
county We're brought to Savannah for safe
keeping. They remained here for several
months and were given their old cells
yesterday. They deny their guilt but 1t
was known that the state had strong ev-
idence against them and their conviction
caused no surprise. one of the officers
who brought the murderers to Savannah
said last night that the negroes had
threatened to release the men from the
Screven county Jail and that If such an at
tempt had been made there would prob
ably have been much bloodshed. The
whites had acted coolly during great eX-
element but it was believed that If an
attempt at rescue was made, they would
have lynched the prisoners. For this rea-
son the negroes were brought TO Chat
ham county. The people of Screven had
acted wisely and it was to prevent the
committing of rash sci, making blot on
the county's record. that the murderers
were removed.
At the trial of the case the state con-
WINGED the jury that the prisoners had
been members of "A black Malta known as
knights of the Archer" and which had
as its motto and password. Death to
White Men" 1t was argued that the
negroes had banded themselves together
for The purpose of exterminating the
whites and it was shown that the black
band had a charter. This document
which would have been invaluable at the
trial of the cause. was unfortunately de-
stroyed by an officer who found it, The
paper so angered him that he tore 1t into
a hundred pieces before he thought Of
its value evidence. Negroes in Screven
county thrive like bees and the discovery
of the charter and the murderous band
caused no end OF excitement. and but for
the cool judgment of the whites, who de-
cided to let the law take its course, there
would most likely have been a race war.
The killing of Constable Mears and Mr.
Harrington, and the wounding of Capt
Jesse Wade occurred one night during
the early part of last summer, and stirred
up the entire state Mr.. Harrington and
Capt Wade accompanied the constable to
the house of negro named Sanders, for
whom warrant had been issued for some
trivial offense. When the men arrived
at the house the father of the negro for
whom the officers were looking, announce
ed, with an oath, that the men should not
take his son. This was followed by a
whistle and still others came from neigh
boring swamp. The white men
looked at each other, but before
they had time TO discuss the shrill wills
ties a musket came out of the window
Of Sanders cabin, and Capt. Wade re-
ceived a bullet in his leg. The officers
had been ambushed and almost imme-
diately the firing became general Capt.
Wade managed to escape in his buggy af-
ter being badly shot, but the other two
men were riddled with bullets and their
! bodies were found the next day. The
/ band of assassins scattered, but the five
negroes with the death sentence now
hanging over their heads, We're captured.
Every effort was made to run the other
members of the gang to cover, but with
out success. Many of them went to South
Carolina, it is said, while others left for
South Georgia.
The grounds upon which an appeal is
made for new trial are that public SEN
timent in Screven county demanded an
unqualified conviction of the men and
that certain letters written by the prs-
cners We're intercepted by the sheriff and
used as evidence. The condemned men
stated last night that they are glad they
are in Chatham county jail and the look
of relief on their faces after being con-
fined was quite perceptible.