The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-19
WILL INDICT OUTLAW
ED. HAZEL, NOTORIOUS NEGRO
DEsPERADO, TO BE PRESENTED.
GRAND JURY TOMORROW.
NUMEROUS CRIMINAL MATTERS
WILL BE INVESTIGATED.

Hazel Has Been Branded an Outlaw,
and Was Only Captured After
Three Attempts in Each of Which
Many shots Were Exchanged.
Three Were Shot at time of his
Capture-Three White Men and
Two other Negroes May be In
dicted for other Ofenses-SessiOn
VIII be Interesting.
The grand jury of the Superior Court
will meet tomorrow afternoon. No
tees to the members will be sent out
to-day by Judge Barrow. The princi-
pal business before the body will be
the consideration of the case of Ed
Hazel, the negro desperate whose law
lessness has caused him to be known
as the BLACK Tracey" On more than
one occasion the negro has held the
officers of the Law at bay with a Win
chester rife, and was only arrested
after a pitched battle, in which three
were shot, and an officers arm broken.
Hazel had been branded as an outlaw
by the Governor and a reward offered
for his capture.
The particular charge against him
which will be investigated by the grand
jury will be his assault on Mounted
Patrolman Thomas Murphy last Oc-
tober, on which occasion he sprang into
notoriety. He was not captured at
that time, a second effort to effect his
arrest proved futile, and it was on the
third attempt, about ten days ago,
that, after a fierce fight, he was taken
in charge by the officers of the law.
Detective Frank Wall and Patrolman
Murphy will be the principal witnesses
before the grand jury, their evidence
in itself being sufficient to warrant the
return of an indictment. Other
charges will probably be preferred
against him. Hazel claims self defense
as his motive for assaulting the Off
GERS, and the trial of his case will, no
doubt, be very interesting.
The Charge Against Him.
The affair which will be subjected to
the light of investigation tomorrow
afternoon occurred on Oct. 2 last.
Hearing that a man armed with a
Winchester rifle and pistols was mo-
nopolizing the right of way near the
Ogeechee canal, in the vicinity of the
waterworks, and had made pedestri-
ans make wide detours in their jour-
neys, and had thrown a young negro
into the canal Patrolman Murphy
went to the scene to investigate. AS
he rode UP to the negro he was COW
cred by the Winchester, and was forced
to retire.
Subsequently on the same afternoon,
about dark, he returned to the spot, in
company with Detective Wall. The Of
ficers separated to reconnoiter. The
negro opened fire on them, and after
shooting a number of shots disappear
ed in the high weeds. 1t was then
about dark, and the officers, deciding
that it was not best to hunt a man in
ambush in the approaching darkness,
withdrew and returned to the city.
His Final Capture.
Early In February Chief Deputy
Sheriff Sweeney and Deputy Sheriff Ed
of a white man at Monteith, were fired
upon by Hazel, and with difficulty
succeeded in getting away with their
prisoner. Hazels apprehension and
arrest in a house at Meinhard. after
a fusiiade of shots had been exchanged
and the door of the house battered
down. by the officers, is still fresh in
the minds of the readers of the Morn
ing News. It is probable that other
indictments VIII De returned dBdlnSl
the negro outlaw, if not at to-morrow's
session of the grand jury, a little later
Hazel has served a ten-year term In
the penitentiary, and at the time OF
his arrest was wanted for assault with
intent to murder.
There are other cases which will
claim the attention of the grand jury.
The case of Young Farmer. a well
known young white man, will be inves-
tigated by the body. 1t will be remem-
bered that he is charged with having
obtained goods under false pretenses
from NJ. DrYfus.
For Car Robbery.
]. L. Meigs and j. D. Stewart, both
white, may be presented. They are
charged with breaking the seal of a
railroad car in the Central of Georgia
yards on Feb. 2S for the purpose of
gaining an entrance with intent to
steal. The arrest was made by Spe-
cial officer J. P. Murphy, who is the
only witness summoned to appear be-
fore the grand jury.
Two indictments for burglary will
probably be returned against Adam
Wallace and Marion Williams, the for
mer of Ssapm is charged with breaking
and entering the dwelling of William
Sheehan on the night of March 4, and
the other, with burglarzing the estab-
lishment of knight and Co. on the 1st
inst.