The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-19
FROM LIPS OF THE DEAD.
BRANTLEY's STORY OF WOUNDS
THAT CAUSED HIS END.

Claims He Never Resisted or At
tempted to Resist Arrest, bat Fled
Mt sight of Posse-was Shot From
Behind as He Ran-WiId Struggle,
in Desperately Wounded COndi-
ton, to Reach Place of safety-IIis
Friends Denounee His killing as
Entirely without Justification.
Hazlehurst, Ga, Aug. ia eoro-
ner's inquest, held over the body Of
Bill Brantley, recently shot and IA
tally wounded near this place, did not
result in any decisive statement of the
identity of his slayers or the degree,
if any, of their guilt The 1ury's YER
dict was simply that Brantey came
to his death from gunshot wounds in
fiicted by parties unknown.
In the absence of the coroner the
inquest was conducted by Magistrate
williams, who summoned a jury and
went out to the scene of the shooting.
Before he died Brantley made a
statement as to the shooting ana the
incidents that followed it. lie said he
was travelling a county road alone and
about sunset, when he saw a white
horse hitched near the road ond stop
ped to look at it. instantly four men
rose up from behind clun'p of bushes
fifty steps away and he turned and
began 10 run away
They fired four or more times, only
two of the bullets, however, taking
effect, one behind the shoulder and the
other in the upper part Of the hip.
They did not follow him Cor any dis
lance, and he ran on.
In crossing a creek on a log he faint
ed and fell, and when he recovered his
senses found that his life had only
been prolonged by reason OF the fnct
that his head had been washed up and
fastened IN some roots at the side of
the stream; otherwise, he would have
been drowned.
Half fainting, he managed 20 make
his way to the home of Peter Ellis,
which he reached at IL o'clock at night.
Ellis carried him on to the h0ma OF
his father, where his death occurred
Brantley had pistol with him at
the time ne was shot, pvt said he
never used 1t. An examination of the
weapon is reported to confirm this
statement. Brantley said he was never
called upon to halt or surrender, and
that no word was spoken by either
party.
The friends and relations of Brant-
ley, who are very numerous in this
section, are indignant over the report
that he was wounded while resisting
arrest, and over the further charge
that when officers came later to make
an arrest his friends surrounded
Brantley and def1ed the officers to take
him away. They say the truth of the
situation is the officers fled when the
Shooting occurred.
There was never any difficulty in
locating Brantley, as he was at his
home and endeavoring to make enough
money to employ counsel to defend
him when he was tried on the murder
charge preferred against him He had
agreed, 1t is stated, to surrender him.
self in time for the fall term of the
Superior Court.
Brantley, it will be remembered, was
shot and fatally wounded last We'd
nesday by Deputy Sheriffs Graham and
Mobley, who were seeking to arrest
him for the murder of DR.. Russell.
committed year ago. The officers
story of the homicide is that Brantley
resisted arrest. using his weapon, and
was shot while so doing. Their story
is very different, it will be seen, from
that told by Brantley and his friends.
The latter claim Brantley was justi-
fed in killing DR.. Fussel, and that the
trial of his case would have resulted
in an acQuittal