The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-27
BROKE HIS SKULL
PHILIP FARLEY DIED FROM BLOW
WITH BRICK.
NEGRO HURLED THE MISSILE.
CORoNER's JURY JUSTIFIED WILL
LIE YOUNGBLOoD's ASSAULT.

Negro and White Boy Had a Fight
on the West side and White Roy
Seemed to BE the Aggressor.
Threw the First Brick and 1t Was
Returned With Deadly Force-Far-
ley's Skull Fractured, But His
Wound Was Not Regarded as Sc
rious Until His Death-Boy Known
Rooster"
Philip Farley, a 14-year-old West
Side boy, known as "Chip, the Roos-
ter" died at his home, No. los Farm
street yesterday morning from a frac-
tured skull. The wound was inflicted
by William Henry Youngblood, a. r.
year-old negro boy, also residing in
Yamacraw. An inquest was held in
the Police Court room last night and
Youngblood was exonerated.
Youngblood struck Farley in the
head with brick Friday afternoon on
Orange and Farm streets, but the in
jury was not supposed at that time
to be serious. and after only a min
ute's Inconsistencies the white boy
was able to walk to his home. His
head was tied up, but it was not
thought that he had been badly hurt
and no examination was made of the
wound. Farley went to bed as usual,
but became critically i'll during the
morning, and died before a physician
could be summoned.
4 n'alnnlr
death was reported to the police, and
Coroner Keller, and an investigation
was made at once. Patrolman Collins,
who was on duty on the West Side,
found Youngblood at his home and
placed him under arrest. The negro
was badly frightened and told con-
f1icting stories of the trouble. The two
eye witnesses found by the police dur
ing the morning gave accounts of the
homicide that made it justifiable.
A Greek named Nick Barrow, in
front of whose place the trouble oc-
CURED, told a story that prompted the
jury to give the slayer of the white
boy his freedom. Barrow told his
story to the coroner's jury last night in
broken English, but managed to make
himself understood. He heard the ne
gro and the white boy talking and
went to the front of his store to see
what was happening. Barrow says that
the white boy asked the negro if he
wanted to fight. and that Youngblood
answered in the affirmative.
They became engaged in a fight with
fists and clinched. According to Bar
row, both boys fell to the ground and
rolled on each other The negro man
aged to get up first and started away.
Both boys picked up rock, according
to the Greeks version, but the white
boy threw first. Farley missed the ne
gro and the rock struck against the
fruit mans door. Barrow says that
after Farley threw his brick Young
blood hurled his with much force, for
one so small. The brick struck the
white boy in the head and sent him
spinning to the ground. Farley scream
ed with pain and shouted that he had
been killed. The negro ran away, and
after being on the ground a minute or
two Farley got up and walked home.
The negro woman who witnessed the
tragedy differed somewhat in her story,
but made the white boy the aggressor.
When she first saw them they were
on the ground fighting. The woman
SLdI6u lIldl 1OuuS bAOOQ lOllCN ONNA IN
Farley and then got up and ran to-
wards ST. Gaul street. The witness
swore that the white boy picked up
two rocks and threw one at Young
blood. The negro boy lodged the rock
and picked it up. According to the
woman, before Farley had time to
throw the second rock Youngblood had
returned the fire with the rock that
had been thrown at him. 1t landed
on the side of Farley's head and
knocked him to the ground. The wo-
man did not think that the white boy
had been seriously hurt when he got
up and walked away.
No other eyewitnesses to the assault
could be found by the officers. 1t had
been reported during the day that the
row first started over a game of mar
bles between Farley and several COM
panions, and that the arrival of three
or four negroes, returning home from
school, caused a rock battle, in which
the white boy received the blow that
cost him his life. Farley was arrested
about two weeks ago by Detective
Murphy for burglarizing the ware
house of the Savannah Grocery Com
pany, but was released by Recorder
Myrick in Police Court. 1t was shown
at that time that the juvenile had been
given the stolen property found in
his possession, and that he had taken
no part in the robbery. The dead boy
was buried in the afternoon.