The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-02
LIKE TRACY FOUGHT
NEGRO DESPERATE EXCHANGED
SHOTS WITH OFFICERS.
He HELD UP TOM MURPHY.
ARMED WITH A WINCHESTER HE
DEFIED THE OFFICER.

detective wall and PatrOIman Muir
ply Went to Arrest Negro who
Had Held Up Railroad Men and
Thrown Boy Into Canal, and n
Hard Fight Ensued-WaII Opened
Fire and the Man Replied with
Three BuIIets-NegrO Escaped Into
Tall Grass-Another Attempt WIZ
BE Made TO Capture Him To-day.
Mounted Patrolman Thomas Murphy
was held up at the point of a Winches-
ter rife, and together with Detective
Frank Wall engaged in pitched bat
tie with an unknown negro desperate
yesterday afternoon. Shots were ex-
changed at about 200 yards. with no.
body hit, so far as known. and the bat
tie broken up on account of darkness.
The officers fired four shots from their
repeating rifles. and the negro shot
three times.
About an hour before dark the po-
lice received information that a negro
armed with a Winchester, and with a
heavy revolver strapped around his
waist, was acting queerly by the wa
ter-works near the Ogeechee canal. 1t
was stated that the man, sitting down
with the rife resting in the hollow of
the left arm, had made a couple of
freight conductors of the Seaboard
make a wide detour. When they ap-
preached the place. they had been hail
ed, and at the point of the rife, made
to go around, the negro warning them
loudly to keep away. ~
About the same time woman went
to Mounted officer Murphy and told
him that her little boy had been
thrown into the canal by the negro
who got mad when the boy went near
him
Murphy went to the place where :he
man was said to be, but as he had net
heard of the rifle and the story the con-
ductoIs told, he was unprepared for
anything like what happened. AS ne
got close and before he could draw a
weapon, the Winchester was raised,
and he was told to go back or get a
bullet. He tried to parley with the
man, telling him that no harm was in
tended and at the same time tried a
ruse.
Gently squirting his horse, he tried to
get the animal close enough, step by
step to grapple before the gun could
be used. But the negro saw through
his plan. He put his finger to the trig-
ger and again warned the policeman,
saying, Don't you come so d---n near,
or I'll blow your head Off" Finding
that all attempts to get the better of
the desperate man were vain, the off,
Ger turned and walked his horse off UNI
til out of range and then spurred off
at full speed to the nearest call box and
sent in the alarm. He was told to
come in for gun.
Arrived at the barracks. Murphy
donned citizens clothes. and with De-
tective Wall returned to the place
When they got near, the negro, who
had not moved far, ran for a tangle
of high weeds near by. AS he did so
Wall shot once with his Winchester.
The fugitive fell into a small gully as
If wounded.
The officers separated to reconnoiter,
Murphy going, around from the west
and Wall advancing from the north.
When Wall was within 200 yards the
man raised up, firing thrice in rapid
succession. The detective fell back and
the man ran for the weeds. AS he
reached the edge of the patch, Wall
fired again and Murphy. who had come
within range, on the other side. also
opened up with MS repeater.
The negro disappeared in the tall
grass. AS it was rapidly growing dark
it would have been the hight of rash
ness for the officers to have followed
him, since he could have killed them
without their being able to do a
thing. Waiting until darkness had
enveloped the scene, they withdrew.
1t is not thought that the man was
hit and the pursuers escaped without
a scartch. The neighborhood was
kept under close surveillance during
the night, and to-day another attempt
will be made to capture the desperate,
if he is still in the same locality.
The police do not know who the man
is. Neither of the officers recognized
him as wanted" nor can they imagine
what caused him to act as he did. The
supposition has been advanced that
he is some lunatic and if that is true,
1t may be necessary to kill hini. 1t
was rumored that he was a man named
Watson, wanted in Bullock county for
the murder of the sheriff some time
ago, and for whom there is a reward of
$3.50. Asked of this last night, the
superintendent of police said there was
nothing on which to base this suppo-
siiton. He might be Watson or he
might be somebody else 1t was all
guess work, so far as his identity went.
To-day another attempt will be made
to capture this local, dark-skinned
Tracey, and if he is still in the tall
grass, a lively fight is expected.