The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-15
FORK IN HIS HEART
JOE FRASER STABBED TO DEATH
IN YAMACRAw.
KILLING WAS UNPRoVoKED.
NEGRO KNOWN AS "sHUT EYE IN
DER ARREST FOR THE MURDER

He Is Believed to Have Struck the
vicious Blow That Caused Fra
ser's Death-Denies That He Is
Guilty of the Crime-whiIe the De-
tectfves Searched the Woods He
Was Found in "A House by Uni
formed Man-Afrny Occurred Near
Orange and Farm Streets-Mur-
killing Was witnessed by
Brother of Dead Man.
With an ordinary steel table fork,
Joe Fraser, aged 20 years, cOlored, was
stabbed in the heart in front of his
home, No. 571 Orange street, last night
shortly after IL o'clock. So far as is
known TO the police the negro did not
speak after he fell. A man believed to
be the murderer was arrested three
hours after the killing.
The murder is supposed to have been
committed by a negro known in Yam
acraw as shut Eye" He made his
escape. Detectives and uniformed
men were engaged in searching the
surrounding country for him until an
early hour this morning. Although the
homicide was reported at police head
quarters with reasonable promptness it
took the officers nearly an hour to Sc
cure evidence enough to warrant them
in even suspecting the identity of the
man who had used the fork.
But One Witness.
With the single exception of Rich
ard Fraser, the dead mans brother,
no one could be found who would adj
init either having witnessed the as
sault, or having heard anything about
it. Richard Fraser told the officers all
that he knew, but was unable to give
the name Of the man who had killed
his brother. He was willing enough,
and furnished the officers with d fair
~ accurate description of the negro
known as "Shut Eye" The neighbour
hood of Orange and Farm streets was
thronged with negroes, but no one
would admit knowing anything at all
about the homicide. The dead man
was from South Carolina and the West
Side negroes were not disposed to feel
sorry because of the manner in which
he met his death.
Murderer Had Been Drinking.
Richard Fraser said that the man
who used the fork had been near a
fruit stand on the corner for several
minutes, and pretended to be under the
influence of liquor. He had "a cord
whip and amused himself by striking
persons as they passed the fruit stand.
The unidentified man, seemingly Shut
Eye, was with several others, whose
identity is also unknown to the Off
GERS. The man supposed to have been
Shut Eye cut Fraser with his whip and
a war of words followed. Shut Eye, it
is alleged, made an effort to throw
Fraser to the ground, but was unsuc-
cessful. The two men scuffled for a
minute or two, when a member of
Shut Eyes party, supposed to be
cousin, handed him a fork.
Broke Away and Ran.
About this time Fraser broke away
from his assailant and ran towards his
home on Orange street, half block
away. The man supposed to have been
Shut Eye followed. and there was an
other conflict in front of Frasers home
1t was at this time that the fatal blow
was struck. 1t was a vicious thrust
and the three prongs of the fork went
straight to the heart. Fraser fell on his
back and his assailant escaped. In the
meantime the brother was being held,
party. The wound made with the fork
did not bleed externally. and it was
several minutes before it could be dis
covered where the negro had been
stabbed.
''Shut Eyes" Capture.
The negro known as "Shut Eye" was
arrested shortly after l o'clock, in a
house on the West Side, by Patrolman
Tim McAlpin. The suspects name is
James johnson. He was sober when
sent to the police station house and
denied all knowledge of the crime. At
the hour of his arrest the detectives
We're in the country searching for him.
and it was not known at police head
quarters what direct evidence they
have against the man in custody Uni
formed men were endeavoring to secure
witnesses at an early hour, and the
superintendent of police, who was on
the scene early, issued orders for the
arrest of a white boy who is supposed
to have seen the killing