The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-23
QUARREL AND BULLET
JABEZ MANN, JANITOR OF GUARDS
ARMORY, SHOT BY II. C. CLAG-
HORN.
WOUND PROBABLY FATAL
SHOOTING DONE IN COMPANY ROOM
AT GUARDS HALL.

| Dispute Over Thirty Cents, Between
CIaGhOrn and Unknown Friend.
| Began the TrOubIe--Mann Inter-
fered and CIaghOrn struck Him.
Five Minutes Later He Was Shot.
His AssaiIant and the Unknown
Friend Escaped Then, but CIaS-
horn Arrested at His Home at 2:3O
O'Clock This MOrning-He Admits
the Shooting.
Jabez Mann. janitor of the Guards
Armory, was shot and probably fatally
wounded last night. The shooting was
done by R. Carter Claghorn, mem
Der of the Guards Battalion.
The shooting took place in the armo-
ry about 1870 o'clock. Besides the par
Elephants there were but two eye-wit
nesses, William Smith, colored assist
ant janitor of the building, and an un-
known white man, apparently friend
of Claghorn. The quarrel. which led
to the shooting, began in Battery A. S
room, between Claghorn and his
friend and Mann took a hand. Clag-
horn cursed and struck the negro and
drove him from the room. Mann stay
ed away four or five minutes. AS he
started to cross the hall from the re-
freshment room opposite, Claghorn
shot him.
The ball entered the negros body
below the heart and, it is believed. took
a downward course into the stomach.
1t is the internal bleeding which it is
| 4l,o oio
fear will cause death.
AS he was shot Mann staggered and
fell where he stood, his blood bursting
from the wound staining the walls and
| floor of the hall. Claghorn and his
friend, seemingly lghast at the result
Of the shot, seized their sats and be-
fore the crowd had rushed from other
parts of the building made their escape,
At 2:30 o'clock this morning Mounted
Patrolman Henry Smith arrested Clag
horn at his home in Collinsville. Clag-
horn drove up to the house in a closed
carriage, accompanied by a friend. AS
he got out of the carriage, Smith, who
had been watching the house, placed
him under arrest.
Claghorn was sent in to the station
house and placed in cell. He admit
ted having, done the shooting, but was
reticent as to the incidents that led up
to the difficulty and made no state
ment.
At o'clock this morning Mann was
still being operated on at the Georgia
Intirmary, and no positive statement
as to his condition could be secured.
The Negroes Statement.
Mann was taken into Battery AS
room and placed upon a couch DR..
Craig Barrow, battalion surgeon, was
in the armory and began almost i'm
mediately an examination of the ne
gro's wound. AS he lay there, suffer-
ing and bleeding and under the hands
OF the surgeon, Mann managed to gasp
out his version of the difficulty.
He made d clear statement of the
incidents that led up to the shooting
to Mr.. Ben Y. Yancey. Mann said the
two white men We're in the company
room checking hats and he stepped
outside. Among other things two re-
volvers had been checked and were
lying on one of the tables. When
Mann returned, Claghorn and the man
whose identity the police were unable
to discover were arguing about 30
cents. The janitor said that Claghorn
had collected that sum for checking
certain articles and the unknown man
thought the money should be divided
The negro gave it as his opinion also
that the 80 cents should be divided be-
tween the two. Claghorn, he said, was
not pleased and did not give the sec
ond man the Is cents. Mann then
advised the unknown man to let Clag-
! horn keep the 80 cents rather than
have any dispute.
Mann claims that when he made this
suggestion Claghorn advanced and
struck him, at the same time cursing
him. He ran out of the company room
and into the refreshment room and, re-
manned there about five minutes, ac-
cording to his story, and only went out
after he thought the two men lad
gone. He told the negroes who were
serving refreshments that he was 60
ing and went through the door. AS he
got into the hall Claghorn came out of
the battery room and fired without
warning. Mann said he was preparing
to go home. Claghorn and the un-
known man secured their hats at once
and left the armory.
Negro Witnessed Shooting.
The shooting was witnessed by Will
AleAili AolA4ltll. q LlSSIO llNlIlS DIT NO. OIL
Price street. Smith was en-
gagged in the refreshment ROOM and
had stepped into Battery B. s room a
minute or two before the shooting oc-
Cured. He was badly frightened and
declared that he would not be able 10
Identify the man who fired the shot
This part of his statement is not cred
tied, although he made it to the police
and later to a representative of the
Morning News.
Smith says that when he left the re-
treshment room Mann was near one of
the ice cream churns. The rooms of
Batteries A. and B. are opposite each
other and the refreshment room is Just
west of B. room. The doors of the
large rooms are double and were Open
The refreshment room door is single
and was also open. AS Smith stepped
into the doorway of Battery BIS room,
on his way into the hall, and then into
the refreshment room, he saw Mann
coming out of the room
The janitor had gone about a foot
from the door when the white man
stepped from out of Battery AS room
with pistol in hand. According to
Smith he said nothing before firing the
shot into Mann's left breast The jani-
tor. fell almost in the doorway of the
refreshment room and, according to
Smith, the white man ran into Bat
terry AS room and rushed out again
through the long hall and into the
street. No one made an effort to stop
him. The wounded negro was picked
tod to-