The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-29
HELD FOR MURDER
SAVAGE ALIAS SMALL FOR THE
KILLING OF SAM GREEN.
THE CRIME UNPROvOKED.
TESTIMONY BEFORE CoRoNER,s
JURY WAS CONFLICTING.

w. w. Starr and Her Daughter.
Dead Negro Testified That Green
Was Unarmed When Shot-Two Ne
gro Men SwOre Positively That He
Was the Aggressor and Had AN
Open Knife Ready to Stab Savage.
Verdict Was Based on Mrs. Starts
Stntement-Trngedy Occurred Mon
day Evening and Savage Surren-
dered.
Moses Savage, alias Small, who shot
and mortally wounded Sam Green, at
Bonaventure Cemetery Monday night an
account of which was published in the
Morning News, was held last night by
the coroner's jury on a charge of muir
der.
The evidence was conflicting, two wit
nesses swearing most positively that
Green had a knife and was advancing on
Savage when the fatal shot was fired,
and two being equally as certain that
Green's hands were by his side and that
the killing was done without the slight
est provocation.
Mrs. w. w. Starr was a witness to
the tragedy, and was quite sure that the
man who was shot had nothing in his
hands, and that they were by his side
when the deadly bullet was sent crash
ing into his left side She could not tell
what conversation tho men had, but saw
distinctly every movement made Mrs.
Starr was in her buggy, with her daugh-
ter, and was going to the Savannah
Yacht Club. The young lady was badly
frightened by the shooting and saw no
more than her mother. She was relieved
from testifying by the jury, because of
her nervousness.
In agreeing upon verdict holding Saw
age for murder, the jury took into con-
sideration only the testimony of Mrs.
Starr. The statements of Williams and
Walker were not credited and the verdict
was based upon what Mrs. Starr saw from
her buggy on the Thunderbolt road.
The statement made by the 11-year-oid
sister of the dead negro was given n a
straightforward manner and agreed with
the one made by Mrs. Starr. The two ne
gro men told a straight story, and wsle
apparently trying to tell the truth, yet in
no way did they see the killing as de-
scribed by Mrs. Starr and the Green
girl. This condition of affairs somewhat
annoyed the jurors, and they decided to
eliminate all of the testimony save that
given by Mrs. Starr. The inquest was
held at the residence of Capt Starr, No.
los Jones street. west.
Mrs. Starr testified that she had just
driven across the bridge near the Bona
venture depot and that her attention was
attracted by seeing wagon on the road
without driver. The vehicle blocked the
road and Mrs. Starr looked up to see if
she could locate the man in charge of the
team, and ask him to move it out Of
the way. She saw two negroes standing
in the middle of the Bonaventure sta
ton. One negro was facing Thunderbolt
and the other the city. The one looking
towards Savannah was the one who was
shot.
The witness saw him step back and
was certain that his hands were by his
side. The other negro advanced, pointed
a pistol at him and fired one shot. They
were very close together at that time,
and the man who was shot must have
had his clothing burned by the powder.
The man who did the shooting placed
the pistol back in his hip pocket and the
wounded man fell on his back with his
hand on his left side. The negro who fired
walked around the wounded man, looked
,
and then reached back and grasped the
handle of his revolver. He hesitated as If
not knowing whether to shoot again, and
moment later walked across the plat
form and talked with another negro man.
The wounded negro was leaning on his
right elbow when Mrs. Starr drove away.
Willie Williams, colored. was sitting on
a bench in the station at the time OF the
shooting. Savage was also there, and a
shnr IN flo LOT IN lie
statement to the jury williams said:
Sam asked Moses what in the - he
had told Bessie. Before Moses said any
thing. Sam jumped off the wagon and
opened a black handle knife, with a long
blade. Moses never said anything, and
Sam started for him with the knife. Sam
had the knife drawn and his hand was
over his shoulder. Moses was backing
away, and had said nothing to Sam. Sam
was cursing Moses all the time, and all
Nose said was for him to keep away.
Sam rushed at Moses TO cut him, and
Moses pulled his pistol and fired one shot.
Even after Sam had been shot he tried
to get up and get his knife and go down
the railroad track after Moses. Two la
dies came up in a buggy after the shoot
Ing and went into the house on the side
of the road. They got me to hold their
horse, and were in the house about TWEEN
ty minutes. They got to the station about
ten minutes after the shooting"
The Green girl testified that when her
brother drove up Moses asked If he went
with Bessie Ann" The girls brother
said no and got off the wagon. Savage
cursed Green and the language was re-
turned by that individual. According to
the girls version of the Shooting Moses
used much profanity and all that Green
did was to return" it. The last streak
OF profanity credited to Savage was par
ticularly offensive and when Green re-
turned it Savage pulled his revolver and
1red. The girl was sure that her brother
had nothing in his hands at the time and
that he had made no effort or move to
get hold Of any weapon. The girl said
that Savage ran away a moment after
the shooting and that she too left the
station and reported the trouble to her
mother.
Thomas Walker, 'colored, swore that
Green had a pocketknife with a long
blade, and that he was advancing on
Savage. when the fatal shot was fired.
The witness was positive that Green held
the knife over his right shoulder in a
stabbing position. He distinctly heard
Savage tell Green to keep away, because
ne did not wish to hurt him. According
70 this witness. Savage's last words were.
Don't move a step further" and then
the revolver was drawn and the shot was
hred Walker declared that Green had
NJ he tut