The Brunswick daily news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1903-1906, 1903-06-04
RUSH STAFFORD
DOES RASH ACT
-
Walked to Canal Bank
and Ended Life with
Bullets

Following story from yesterdays
Savannah Press will be of interest
bn this city, where Rush Stafford
resided for a number of years, at
one time being assistant chief of po-
lice:
That Rush Stafford met his death
by his own hand on the bank of Mus
grove creek Monday there can now be
but little doubt. The story of young
Jimmie Moore, who lives at 651 Bis
marck street, and who was fishing on
the canal bank near where the tragedy
was enacted, told reporter of the
Press yesterday afternoon for the
first time, shows conclusively that
Stafford went to the place to take
his life and that he accomplished
his design as he had planned.
Jimmie Moore's story, just as he
told it, is as follows:
81 was fishing in the canal yester-
day when saw a man come up and
begin walking up and down the canal
bank. He would come up towards me
and he would look so wild out of his
eyes and talked to himself, and didn't
seem to see me when he came near.
that he frightened me, and ran from
MIN when he got close to me.
He walked up and down for over
an hour, guess 1 saw him first about
half-past one o'clock. He walked up
and down and looked in the high
bushes about 25 times.
HE didn't have any hat on and
he walked and moved his hands about
funny. After he had walked up and
down long time he went into the
bushes and didn't see him any more
Then l got up and walked to where
l saw him go in and he was lying
down, still, way back in the thick
bushes. l watched for minute and
then he moved and l was afraid and
| ran away.
Four Shots Were Fired.
"A little while after that | heard
four shots fired. Two close together
and then they stopped, and then two
quick ones. l didn't go up there any
more, but | waited where was.
Soon boy came along and | saw
him turn and look into the bushes
and then turn and run. That fright
ened me some more and | didn't go
to see what made him run.
"A good while after 1 saw thebgwky
"a good while after that l saw the
policemen come, and then I went with
them and saw the man that I had
seen lying down. They said he was
dead. Then l went home and didn't
tell anybody"
The boy, when questioned, said that
nobody was near either before or af-
ter the shots were fired. Back of the
path, of which he had good view
all the time from where he was, there
is a swamp that is almost impossible.
This would show that there could
hardly have been anybody near with
out Jimmie Moore seeing them.
The gestures described by the boy
in the hearing of several of the dead
mans friends were declared to be
characteristic of him when he was
excited. His hat, they think, must
have been thrown from him in a mo-
ment desperation. 1t is known that
he was suffering with his feet, and
it is thought that even in those mo.
ments of extreme mental anguish he
pulled his shoes off and threw them
In some secluded spot, where they
afterwad found and taken or where
they still are. The absence of the pis
tol can be explained by the heavy
growth in which hes lay, which had
never been thoroughly searched, or
may have been taken by some one af
terward
One of his friends present yester.
day told of how Stafford had come
to him few mornings ago and told
him thai unless things turned out
better he vas going away in the
woods and shoot himself. That the
unhappy man put his threat into ex
ecution there can be no doubt.
funeral took place yesterday
on from his residence, 71s
5y-fifth street west. Many of his
aa'mer friends and companions follow
= IFS last resting place ant