The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-15
GUN RECENTLY SHOT
CHAIN OF CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND
SHIG, ALIAS SHAY.
UNABLE TO PROVE ALIBI
INVESTIGATING MURDER OF HEN
DERSON FRASER.

Dead MANS wife and Shay Alias
shig StiII Held by County AuthOri-
tieS-Sherin Sweeney Believes shig
Killed Henderson in the Church Mt
Sand Fly Station-Omcer Found
That the Prisoners Gun Has Gum
powder Marks and Is Holding IL as
EVidence-The Negro Claims That
He Was on the Road between Isle
of Hope and Savannah When the
Killing Took PIace-Fraser Had
Shot Him Some Time Ago and Was
Under Indictment-Other SUSPECT
Gus Circumstances That VIII BE
Disclosed at the COrOner's In
quest.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Thomas
Sweeney has gun in his possession
which he believes killed Henderson
Fraser, at the Sandhy Station
Church, during prayer meeting last
Thursday night. The weapon is the
property of the negro Shig, who is
held in the county Jail on a charge
of murder, and Deputy Sweeney be-
lieves that he will yet be able to prove,
beyond all peradventure, that Shig
fired the fatal shot.
The gun was discovered in the ne
gro's house and an examination dis
closed the fact that it has been quite
recently fired. The gunpowder marks
are still fresh on the weapon, and
Deputy Sweeney feels quite sure that
the deadly slugs came from the gun
which he now holds as evidence. BY
the side of the recently fired weapon
the officer found a new cartridge, end
this, too, will be shown to the jury in
vestigating the case.
An inquest will be held in the Police
Court room this afternoon. An account
of the homicide was given in the Morn
ing News at the time. Fraser was sit
ting near a window when some one
from without sent a load of buckshot
into his body, killing him instantly.
The assassin was concealed IN the
bushes. and as far as is known no one
saw him fire the fatal shot. The trag
edy was followed by a panic in the
church. and the murderer escaped dur
ing the excitement.
Mariah Fraser, wife of the dead man,
and Henry Shay. Jr., alias Shig, are
held in the county Jail on suspicion of
having had something to do with the
death of Henderson. Shig denies all
knowledge of the homicide and surren-
dered to the authorities. The case was
worked up by Chief Deputy Sweeney
and damaging evidence will be intro
duced against the negro this after
noon. While there is no direct evil
dence as yet to hold him for the crime,
there are some strong circumstances
i'm the possession of the officer Shig
was not on very friendly terms with
Fraser, and was to prosecute him very
shortly in the Superior Court on a
charge OF assault with intent to muir
der.
1t appears that Fraser was intimate
with Shg's wife, before their mar
riage, and that Shig and the Fraser
woman were also on very friendly
terms The affection displayed by the
men for each others wife was the
cause of the shooting, which resulted
in Fraser being indicted by the grand
Jury. He furnished bail for his APP
pearance in court and the case against
him had already been assigned for
trial.
Both the Fraser woman and Shig
have told several stories since they
have been in custody and the officers
are of the opinion that the woman is
protecting and shielding her hus-
bands murderer. Shig stated that
he got off, unarmed, at Bakers Cross
ing on the night of the homicide, and
that he walked back to the city, be
cause he had forgotten something.
Deputy Sweeney says that Shig
knows everybody in the neighborhood
of Sandfly Station. and that If he had
wanted to return to the city he would
certainly have borrowed five cents
from some friend in the neighborhood.
While the prisoner states that he was
on the road between Isle of Hope and
Savannah at the time of the murder
he is unable TO supply a single witness
who saw him, and by whom he can
prove an alibi.