The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-03
DIDN'T FIND CORPSE
OF THIEF f. r. EDENFIELD
THOUGHT HE'D KILLED.
SHOT HIM IN A CORN FIELD.
SAW HIS BODY LYING IN A DITCH.

And Gave Himself Up to the Police.
Coroner Keller and Party
Searched the Ditch Near the Two
Mile Post on the Louisville Road,
but the Supposed Dead Man Was
Gone-TrackS Where He Had
CrawIed Out-EdenheId's story OF
the Shooting.
f. r. Edenfeld, living at No. Duffy
street, west, gave himself up to the
police last night. He said he had shot
i negro and, though not sure, he
thought he was dead. The information
of the shooting first came from Eden
fields brother who telephoned TO head
quarters from Cohen and Lumber
streets. He was directed by the ser
geant to bring his brother to head
quarters. The brothers reached the
barracks about 1880 o'clock.
They have field of late corn plant
ed on the Louisville road near the two
mile post, and have been much an
noyed by thieves. Fully one-fourth of
their crop has been stolen, they said.
and the thieves had become so bold
that they rolled wheelbarrows into the
field and carted off the corn by whole
sale. They tried to get some of he
thieves and had warrants taken out
before Justice Naughtin. But as this
did little or no good and as the night
ly raids still went on. they determined
to watch, and if they could not catch
the one who was doing the stealing
at least TO pepper him with shot
With Loaded Guns.
They loaded their -Awns and lay in
wait. Early last night E. r. Eden
field saw a negro stealing corn and
called on him to stop. OF course. the
negro did no sucn thing. but started
of at run. EdenieId fired one bar
rel loaded with buckshot at the mans
legs 10 bring him down. His broth
eTs, who were with him said they did
not intend TO do anything more than
10 cripple the thieves, so they could
be caught. But the negro kept on,
and the young man fired again. I'm
mediately the fleeing figure toppled
over and fell into a ditch about three
feet deep. When the three watchers
went TO the place the negro lay still
and one of them said he saw blood
about his ears. At any rate, he SEEM
ed to them dead, and they left the
place believing that the shot had been
fired too high and that the thief had
been killed. There was no sign of life
that they could see and without dis
turbing the body they left it with an
ear OF corn clasped in one hand to
notify the police.
Couldn't Find the Body.
Coroner Keller had been summoned,
and after hearing the account, he de-
cided that it would be necessary TO go
out to the place and see if the negro
had any life in him, This had to be
done before the status of the young
IMAM who had fired the shot could be
determined. A hack was obtained and
accompanied by a disiHterested citizen
the party went to the place where the
body lay, or rather, was supposed TO
be. When the party arrived there vas
no sign Of the negro. On one side of
the bank was indication that somebody
had crawled up and for a little dis
lance there was a trail that showed
where a man had walked away, but
that was all. So far as could be Ieacn-
ed by the light of a lantern there were
no blood stains, and about feet from
where the body had lain there
was hole in the weeds that indicat I'd
plainly the passage of a load of shot
To the searchers it appeared as if the
negro had never been struck at ALL
and had fallen down to escape cap
ture. All that the Edenfields could
tell was that he was dark brown
young, though apparently fully grown
and had a stubby beard of several
weeks growth about the chin.