The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-31
BEHIND The BARS
WESLEY Herring, ACCESSORY TO
WISE's CRIME, UNDER ARREST.
HELPED RAvIsHER ESCAPE.
IN HERING'S HOUSE WISE WAS
FOUND AND FATALLY WOUNDED.


PoOIer, on IA Warrant Sworn Out
Before Magistrate Naughtin.
Michael McEvady Signed the Ar
sdavit Charging Herring With Be-
ing an Accessory After the Fact.
Threats of Worse Things by
Younger Element at POOler In
duced This Step-The Mnn Not Al
together Sorry to Be in Charge of
Officers of the LAW,
Wesley Herring, in whose house at
Pooler John Wise was sheltered from
Friday until Sunday night following
the commission of the crime of which
Mrs. John Smith was the victim, was
arrested yesterday afternoon by Dep
uty Sheriffs Sweeny and Fennel.
The arrest was effected on war
rant sworn out before Magistrate M.
;Naughtin, charging Herring with being
an accessory after the fact to the crime
of which Wise was guilty. The depu-
ties nabbed their man at Pooler and
brought him to the city, where, last
night, he was locked up in Chatham
. county Jail.
Since the ravisher Wise was found
in hiding at Hering's house, feeling
against the latter has run high at
Pooler and among the people of the
neighboring sections of Bryan county.
Despite the protestations Herring has
recently acquired the habit of max
ing, to the effect that he had no knowl-
edge of Wise's identity with the raw
Usher of Mrs Smith and gave him shell
ter merely because of past friendships,
the people of the little town and it's
vicinity are firmly convinced the man
had guilty knowledge of Wise's crime.
Whipping and Long Walk
1t has been with difficulty that the
hotheads of the community have been
restrained by cooler counsels from
wreaking summary vengeance upon
Herring. 1t has been freely stated that
on Saturday night Herring was to have
been the chief mourner at whipping
bee scheduled then to take place. The
further programme is said to have in
volved a pedestrian march across
country, in which Herring was also to
have been the star performer.
Under these circumstances the more
conservative citizens felt it would be
best to place in operation the machin-
cry of the law and Michael McEvady,
leader among them, came to the city
and swore out the warrant for Her
ing's arrest before Magistrate Naugh-
tin.
Armed with this warrant Chief Dep
uty Sweeny and Deputy Fennell left
the city at 4 O'Clock yesterday after
noon, and upon reaching Pooer
promptly and without noise or excite
ment placed Herring under arrest. The
man was in the hands of the officers
of the law before he had an oppor-
tunity to think of effective resistance
and he submitted, when he found Re
would have to do so, quietly enough.
Herings sons, against whom no war
rant had been sworn out, We're not
molested.
Herring Not Too Sorry.
Probably Herring was not altogether
sorry that he had been arrested. for
murmurs of the intense Indignation of
which he was the object must have
reached his ears. and there is little
doubt he realized that he was safer in
Chatham county Jail, under the charge
of officers of the law, than in his own
house at Pooler. At any rate he made
no kick when he was placed under
arrest.
Herring claims to be able to estab-
IlSi HIS ilIIlOCeIICe VI any guilty COIu-
plicity in the effort to effect the es-
cape of Wise. He says now he had
no knowledge of the crime with which
Wise was charged, and that all he
knew from Wise was that he was be-
ing pursued for some crime, of which
he was innocent. This does not tally
with the recollection of those who
talked with Herring after the arrest
of Wise. According to them Herring
admitted he knew of the crime with
which Wise was charged. but shielded
and protected him because he be-
heved him to be innocent.
Left for the Grand Jury.
1t is scarcely probable that any pre-
iminary investigation of the charge
against Wise will be made before Mag
istrate Naughtin but rather that the
matter will be left for the considera-
ton of the grand jury. To warrant
the return of the indictment it will be
necessary to prove Wise guilty of
criminal assault upon Mrs. Smith, as
well as Hering's guilty completely in
his effort to escape arrest.
This will involve bringing witnesses
from Bryan county to give evidence
and as these witnesses will have to
be brought twice at any rate once be-
fore the grand jury and again at the
trial of the case, the authorities will
probably balk at a third journey for
these witnesses.
A session of the grand jury will be
held shortly. probably this week, and
Herings case can then receive atten-
ton. Should an indictment be found,
as is likely to be the case, the trial of