The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-11-13
CONVICT HYPNOTIzED
Savannah Negro's Strange Story
of kurd,rs Given a Test.
DRIVES STRAIGHT TO The SPOT
Where Bourquin and His Faithful Old
Servant Were Foully Assassi-
nated-The Murder is
Fully Described.

A week ago last Sunday Gugle
Bourouin, the head of an old French
Huguenot family and owner of large
landed estates, including one OF the
finest game preserves in the SOUTH
was assassinated in his buggy On A-.s
lands seven miles from Savannah, Ga.
In the buggy with him was an aged
negro retainer of the name of Fred
Taylor, who had been body servant
of Bourquin for more than forty years.
The bodies of both master and servant
we're found with heads and backs RID
died with buckshot. There was no
clew to the murderer.
A few days later an escaped CONVICT
of the name of Miller was picked up
by the officers. At the police sta-
ton he made a most vehement decla-
ration that he had shot and killed
Bourquin and Taylor. His story was
that he had been hired by a White
man Of the name of Sapp to commit
the murder on the promise Of a pay
, ment of SIS.
The convict is illiterate; can neith-
er read nor write. According to MS
statement the murder must have been
committed eight miles from where the
bodies were found, and'it must have
been accomplished in manner Whol-
ly at variance with the facts.
Miller's story was so remarkable
and was adhered to with such We
hemence that it was determined to put
him to extraordinary tests. AT the
police station Monday morning he was
put under hypnotic influence by a
leading physician. In his trance he
said that he had not fired the shots.
but that he had heard them and knew
who had fired them Again, later in
the day, he was hypnotised and made
to go through what he alleges to be mis-
own connection with the tragedy. Up
on being brought under hypnotic influ-
ence he was placed in buggy with
two officers and given the reins He
drove the horse skillfully through the
most crowded streets of the city with
CGC the slightest hesItance or error
and took a road leading into the coun-
try. On the way he pointed out OBJ
jects and places that had attracted
him while on the alleged murderous
errand.
His Hypnotic Story.
"Mr. Sapp came out from behind
8 game bag. He made me take them.
a game bag. He made we take them.
Mr.. Sapp showed me white man and
a niger in buggy coming down the
road He said the white man had
killed his dog and one of his friends,
and he was going to kill him. Then
Mr. Sapp went off. Directly I heard
two shots from gun After little
while Mr. Sapp and three other white
men came back. One of them said:
Now, let's kill this niger. Mr.. Sapp
said: No; he can help US; let him
They promised me S125 if I would
say I did it. l said 1 would say it
was me, and Mr.. Sapp said I must
meet him at Burgers store next day
and get the money. was at Burgers
store two days for the money, but Mr..
Sapp did not come. was waiting for
the money when the detectives caught
me-"
"Why, here is your money" said
the physician who was conducting the
experiment placing his hand in that
of Miller. The convict assumed an
injured air at once.
"Why didn't you give it to me
when you promised?" he demanded in
dignantly. Closing his hand quickly
he stuffed the imaginary bills into
his pocket.
Miller, in his hypnotic state, de-
scribed the alleged Mr.. Sapp and his
three companions SO minutely that
four men with whom Bourquin is
known to have had trouble are under
surveillance