The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-16
THE BAD NEGRO AND HIS. GUN.
STORY or HOW SHERIFF Ed
WARDS NET HIS DEATH.

~ -A4N2}S VIZ his OhA-A -
was Taking a Prisoner 10 Coffee
County and Had Reason to Expect
TrOubIe-The Negro Armstrong
Begun the Trouble and showed a
Desire to Use His Gun-"NOu Are
the Man Want" said the Negro
and the Firing BcSun-The Dead
BODIES of Both Found Beside the
Railroad Track where They Roll
ed From the Train.
Valdosta, Ca Dec. 15.-Capt. Hugh
G. Powell. of this city. was a passen-
ger on the train from River Junction
TO Climax yesterday when Sheriff S.
f. Edwards. of Gadsden county, Flor
ida, was shot TO death by negro des-
perado whose name is unknown.
Though not a direct witness to the
tragedy. capt. Powell talked to pas
sengers who saw it and the story is a
thrilling one in the extreme.
Sheriff Edwards got on the train at
Faceville and rad-in his possession a
negro who had been captured for the
authorities in Coffee county. this state.
1t seems that the negro had been held
for two or three days for an opportun
ity to get him off, or to get informa-
ton concerning him from Coffee coun
ty, and, in the meantime, the, negoes
in that locality were talking loudly
about raising a crowd to liberate him.
When Sheriff Edwards entered the
coach with the negro he took seat in
the smoking car. at the same time lock-
ing his prisoner to a seat.
AT Fowlstown, eight miles below Gil
max, five negroes boarded the train
and when the conductor came through
taking up passes one of the negroes re-
fused to give up his pass. A few
words passed between him and The
conductor. the negro intimating that
he had loaded gun which he wanted
to fire off. Sheriff Edwards spoke up
and told the negro he had better give
Whereupon the negro whirled toward
him with his revolver and said:
se.'' You are the man I want
Il. Then the firing commenced and for
ia minute the fusilade was like that
of a package of firecrackers. During
the, fuslade the negro and the sheriff
clinched and scuttled to the door of the
car, the negro hurting the officer from
the train, and going with him Pas
sengers on the train say that they saw
the negro shoot the PROSTATE officer
three times after both of them hit the
ground.
The excitement on the train was in
tense and at first the passengers in
the other car thought that the train
was in the hands of train robbers.
The train had gone some distance be-
fore they really knew what had hap
ened The conductor was severely
criticised for not bringing the train to
a standstill when the Sheriff was hurl-
ed off, but it is understood that he
says that he thought that TO stop the
train would but add to the trouble,
as he feared that there We're more
negroes armed for a row in the coun-
try around.
The white passengers, when they
found out what had happened, threat
ened to kill the other negroes on the
train, and a general riot was narrow
ly averted. They believed that it was
a conspiracy to kill the sheriff and
release his prisoner, and it was thought
that other negroes had q hand In it.
The tragedy occurred in Decatur
county, where race riots and troubles
have been occurring for several wears.
It is feared that this last tragedy will
stir up bad blood again, and that
other tragedies viii be enacted as
result.
A posse from cambridge and other
parts Of the county went out yester-
day TO look into the matter. 1t was
not known for certain, but 1t was
thought that the negro would die. too.
as ne was shot at close range several
times, the sheriff's em2ty pistol being
found on the floor of the car.
Another Account OF the Affair.
. cambridge. Ga, Dec. l5.-when the
officers that went from here to the
place where Sheriff F. S. Edwards of
Gadsden county, Florida, and the ne
gro, with whom he had a difficulty.
fell off the train, they found them both
dead and lying in about four feet of
each other.
and he was employed by n. c. Bill as
a 'crosstie marker.
It seems that the sheriff was in the
negro coach, with a negro prisoner.
and was smoking Armstrong objected
TO the sheriff being in the car and
smoking, and made some threats. The
sheriff and the negro both drew pis-
LOIS. The sheriff shot the negro three
times and was shot once before they
began the scufiie which resulted in
their falling off the train. Just before
they fell the negro shot the sheriff
four more times, all in the breast.
81. The conductor of the train SAYS he
thought the sheriff had killed the ne
gro, and was not hurt much himself.
As he had several ladies and only two
or three white men aboard and a coach
full of negroes he was afraid that IL
he stopped and went back there would
be, further trouble, so he ran on a few
miles TO Climax and put the negroes
Off EIe then went back to the scene
Of the troubls and found the negro
dead and the sheriff barely living, dy-
ing by the time they got him on the
train. The remains Of Sheriff Edwards
were sent to his home at Quincy. Fla.
The negro prisoner of the sheriff was
jail.