The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-08
BEHIND PRISON BARS
LEWIS WHITE, MURDERER, AR
RESTED IN PHILADELPHIA.
THREE YEARS AT LARGE.
CHIEF DEPUTY SWEENY'S ASTUTE-
NESS LANDS HIM At LAST.


David MunGin in House in York
Lane in February, IS99-The MUIR
der CauseIess and Cruel and Bru-
tai Beyond observation-disclosures
Session of Grand jury to Be Called
TO Return Indictment-Sweeny to
Bring Prisoner Back for Trial ms
Soon as RequisitiOn is Allowed.
| Lewis White, perpetrator of one of
the most brutal and causeless murders
that ever disgraced the criminal an
nails of Cha than county, after enjoying
three years and half of undisturbed
| liberty has been traced to his hiding
| place and arrested. A special session
\ of the Grand Jury has been summoned
! to return an indictment against him,
and within three weeks. probably. he
| will be placed on trial in the Superior
| Court.
! The murderer was located and his
arrest effected through the skillful and
| well-directcd efforts of Chief Deputy
| Sheriff I. J. Sweeny He had gone to
| Philadelphia. that Mecca of the tscap-
ing negro criminal and in the negro
slums of that city. living his old life
of vice and crime, under the very eye
of the police and menacing as of yore
the peace and good order of society, he
| has since remained. 1t was in Phila-
| delphia that he was arrested on Mon
| day last.
| Monday afternoon Mr.. Sweeny re-
ceived telegram from Superintendent
of Police Quirk, notifying him that a
man supposed to be Lewis White was
under arrest and requesting him to
provide for the alleged murderer's
Identification. Mr.. Sweeny wired at
once full and detailed description of
| White, and in addition wired a former
friend of White, now living in
| Philadelphia, to go to the city
| prison and identify him. The
description evidently fitted and the
identification was seemingly complete.
for Yesterday morning Mr.. Sweeny re-
ceived the following telegram from SUI
| perintendent Quirk:
We have Lewis White under arrest.
Get requisition papers and come at
| once"
Whites Brutal Crime.
The crime for which White has been
WdHteu was committed during the ear
| ly hours of the morning of Feb. 12 1909
His victim was David Mun2in, an in
offensive South Carolina darlxey. who
chanced to wander into the house, be-
longing to Whites sister where White
| and seVera! of mis- friends were holding
nigh carnival and making night hid
eous.
The house stands in York lane. near
| Price street. According to the testimony
a N1rit
| inquest, Mungin was drunk when he
came into the house. but quite harm
less ana inoffensive. White, on the 9TH
| er hand. seemed to be in a state of
snIlen anger ready at moments no.
tlce to blaze into dangerous rage.
In Silly drunken fashion Munein
began 10 count the persons in the room.
Indicating each with IL tremulous fore
hnger as he counted. 1t seemed to have
a wildly irritating effect upon White
and angrily he directed Mungon not to
include him.
Why not?" inquired the man, with
drunken persistence. Use countin' N.Y.
Dragged Into the Lane.
1t was enough for White. With what
was almost single movement he drew
ms knlfe and plunged it into Mungin's
slce and then, in a very frenzy of MIR
again and again. Not satisfied with
thls' he dragged the dying man out into
the Zane and threw the quivering BODY
down in puddle of ice and freezing
water.
IL was bitterly cold night the Their
mometer having fallen to is degrees
above zero, and when Mungin's hodv
was discovered, several hours after,
wards. it was frozen stiff. The cold
seemed to have affected. too the ac-
uNlty OF the police. for though the
matter was reported at the barracks.
no effort was made to arrest the mur
derer until after he had succeeded in
making good his escape. From that
hour until two weeks ago he was heard
of not at all
Then Chief Deputy Sweeny was in
Philadelphia, where he had gone to
prlng back to Savannah another crimi
nal who had been arrested in that civ
Always on the alert for fugitives from
TINS city, he learned of the presence in
Philadelphia of Lewis White. known to
the police and detective denartrents
there as Taffy Lewis. Mr.. Sweeny fol-
lowed the clue, located the haunts of
TafTy and satisfied himself the negro
was the man he wanted Then he re-
turned to Savannah
The surveillance that he Instituted
was kept up after his return to Sa-
Vannah and resulted on Monday in the
arrest of White
Special Session of Grand ,Jurx
Judge Barrow was notified Yesterday
that the murderer was in custody and
directed that a special session of the
grand jury be called for Friday after
noon. 1t is expected that an indict-
ment will be returned without Difficult
~, as there are four witnesses to the
homicide, who all agree that it was
committed without a single eircum-
stance of mitigation or excuse and
with perfect extravaganza of wild
and wanton brutality.
AS soon as the indictment is return
ed, Gov. Gambler will be requested to
make requisition upon Gov Stone of
Pennsylvania for the surrender of
White to the Georgia authorities. 1t is
not apprehended that there will be any
delay In honoring this requisition and
Mr. Sweeny expects to leave about
Monday to bring his prisoner back to
Savannah.
When he returns with White he will
bring also three escapes from the coun
ty chain gang, Cyrus Green, Arthur
Singleton and Jack Reilly, all of whom
have been located and arrested in Phil
adelphta, and for whom reuuisitions
have already been made and granted.