Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-16
MURDER ENDS
QUARREL Of
NE|GHBORS
WIN. H. SIMPSON, WELL KNOWN
MAIL CARRIER, IS SHOT TO
DEATH BY WILLIS R. BIG
GERS.

ing at 490 Crew street, was shot and killed
Thursday morning shortly after o'clock
by Willis r. Biggers, a neighbor. II. 1.
Sterne, Biggers' brother-in-law, was
present. The shooting occurred in deep
cut in Crew street, just in the rear of the
Jewish Orphans home.
Biggers and Sterne claim that the shoot
ing was done in self-defense. The men
had been enemies for some time, Simpson
having circulated a petition through the
neighborhood asking that they be com
PEELED to move from the neighborhood,
charging that they were running disord-
erly house. The case was taken into the
recorders court, but was dismissed, be-
cause the charges were not proven.
Biggers and Sterne met Simpson on
Crew street this morning and, so they say
demanded an explanation from him. They
assert that he fired at them first, and that
Biggers killed him in self defense. There
was no eye witness to the first shot,
though several persons saw the remainder
of the shots fred. Biggers had bullet
hole through his coat sleeve, which he
claims was made by Simpsons shot.
Immediately after the shooting occurred
Biggers walked up Crew street for lit
tie distance and then met Ofhcer Phillips,
surrendering to him. He claimed self de-
tense. Sterne went back to his home,
where he was arrested later by Officers
Hollis and Norman.
Immediately after the shooting, Linton
Simpson, a thirteen-year-old son of Simp-
son. appeared on the scene with parlor
rife. and tried to shoot Biggers, who was
being held under arrest. The rifle was
taken away from the boy by lady by
stander. Simpson was hurriedly taken to
the Grady hospital, where he died about 10
o'clock.
The shooting OF Simpson was the result
of the petition which he circulated through
the neighborhood in April, asking the po-
lice TO have Biggers and Sterne moved
from the neighbohood, contending that
Mrs. Biggers and Mrs. Claude Coca who
are Sterne's sisters, were running dis
orderly house. The case was called IN po-
lice court, but was dismissed.
1t is said that Biggers and Sterne went
to simpsons house last night about III
o'clock to see him, but Simpson, fearing
trouble, refused to go out and meet the
men
When he left his home Thursday his
wife who has been i'll for somes time.
feared that there would be trouble. and
asked her husband to take his revolver,
which he did. The shooting occurred
about three blocks from Simpsons house
Simpson was mounted, and 1t is claimed
that he had almost passed through the
cut in Crew street, when he was accosted
by Sterne and Biggers, who are said to
have come out of the woods at the side
Of the street. A few words followed, and
then a shot was fired. Just who fired
this shot is not known, though both Big
gers and Sterne claim that Simpson fired
at them, and Biggers claims that the first
bullet went through his coat sleeve.
/, At the coroner's inquest held that after
noon in the recorders court room at po-
lice headquarters, Mrs. A. p. Smith, who
said Simpson crossed Ormond street in
his cart just in front of her, testified that
she saw two men pulling him from the
cart Immediately after she heard the first
shots. She heard two shots, she thought,
and looked in the direction from which
they came. The two men pulled Simpson
out of his cart and the elder one then
stepped off a few PAGES, she swore. The
younger man, Biggers, and Simpson,
struggled on the ground and other shots
followed.
Mrs. Simpson, the wife of the dead post
man, is seriously sick. and when told of
the death Of her husband, she became
historical, and is now in critical con
diton. Simpson was about 43 years of age,
and was born in Washington, Wilkes
county, Georgia He was the son of Rev.
E. T. Simpson, a prominent Presbyterian
divine of that place. He was married and
leaves two sons, James and Linton Simp-
in Atlanta for nearly 20 years, and has
been a mail carrier for the past Is years.
Mrs. Coca was at one time the wife OF
Walter C. Goza, a railway mail clerk,
from whom she was divorced.
while he was her husband Coca became
involved in some irregularities with the
railway mail service, and was placed In
the old Fulton county jail.
One day while he was there Mrs. Coca
called to see him. When The jailor opened
the door for her to enter, VIII Meyers,
young murderer of Forrest Crowley, made
his successful dash for liberty. He has
never been re-captured.
Biggers is a son OF Willis r. Biggers.
whose full name he bears. The father
was clerk Of the city court here at the
time of his death. He was a prominent
man during his entire life. He was chief
Of the Tallulah fire company, the first
ever organized in Atlanta. The man I'M
der arrest is a grandson Of DR.. 5. T. Zig
gers, prominent physician here years ago
and the founder of the eclectic practice
in this section. Biggers is 20 years old
and is a craftsman for J. W. Golucke &
Co., architects.
Sterne whose sister Biggers married, is
a man As years old, but owing to I'll health
he looks much older He is dying of con-
sumption, his sisters state. He says he
has bronchial trouble. He has not been
in business IOr some time BECAUSE Oh III
health. His last occupation was operating
a hotel at Madison. Ga. -
Milly Grant, a negress, was near the
scene when the shooting occurred. She
testified that she saw the whole affair.
from beginning to end. She said Simpson
passed her in his cart. and then she saw
Biggers and Sterne jump out from behind
some bushes. She saw one OF them fire,
and Simpsons horse made a wild leap
and threw him from the buggy. The man
grappled with Simpson and fired several
shots into him as he leaned over him. She
was looking the entire time and said that
Simpson did not have a pistol that she
saw, and she swore that he had not fired
a single shot. She said the first shot was
fired while Simpsons horse was still IN
motion, and that the men did not stop
him to talk with him. She swore that the
men were slightly behind Simpson when
the first shot was fired.
The coroner's jury Thursday afternoon
returned a verdict directing that both Big
gers and Sterne be held on the charge OF
murder and that Mrs. Biggers and Mrs.
Coca. her sister, and S. II. Craig, neph-
ew of the women, who went to simpson S
house Wednesday night to demand an ex-
PLANTATION from him, be all three held as
accessories.
The grand jury on Saturday indicted
both Willis Biggers and H. 1. Sterne for
the murder of William H. Simpson.
The bills contain two counts. In the hrst
both Biggers and Sterne are indicted for
murder in the first degree, both as prin-
cipals. In the second count Biggers is IN