The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-25
DREAM PROVED TRUE
Doss, SECOND VICTIM OF GAMBLING
ROOM TRAGEDY,
DIED AS WOMAN FoRESAW.
BULLET HAD LODGED IN HIS
SPINAL COLUMN.

Scene mt the Gamblers Death BED
at ST. JOseph's neutrality-suspicious.
WaS Performed as Last Resort.
Doss Left All of His Property to
the Woman with Whom He Lived.
His Real Name Was HenshaNv, but
He Was known Here as "Blg Jim
DOss."
Surrounded by friends and physi
clans, silent in the presence Of death
and the grief of a woman whose life
was left desolate by the consumation
of the inevitable, James L. Doss, the
second victim of the shooting affray
which took place in Doss gambling
room Wednesday morning, died at st.
Josephs Hospital last night at IL
o'clock.
Since the first examination the ply
sicians entertained little hope for his
recovery. The wounded man was con-
scious all the while, but there was
gradual reduction in energy and he
was slowly sinking.
At noon an X-ray examination of the
wound was made and the bullet was
located near the second member of the
vertebra, lodged in the spinal cord,
which it had penetrated, but had not
severed. 1t was the position of the
bullet which caused paralysis of all
portions of the body below the wound.
Operation as Last Result.
After the examination showing the
location of the bullet a consultation
was held among the physicians, and it
was decided as a last resort to under
take an operation to remove it. Prepa-
rations were at once commenced. and
at 4:3O o'clock Doss was carried to the
operating room. Anasthetics were adj
ministered and the operation continued.
for two hours 1t was found necessary
to remove the vertebra, after which
the bullet could be felt 1t had pene-
trated the spinal cord, and after it was
removed the wound was closed.
Doss came very near dying on the OPP
Grating table AS soon as he was taken
back into his room an infusion of salt
was made.
His Inst Request.
Ten minutes before he died the pa
tient seemed to revive. In addition to
the nurses and physicians in the room
there were Nat Evans, Billy Cannon
almost constant companion. She dis
played remarkable fortitude. Evans
was standing near the bed when DosS
opened his eyes and asked him to bring
some water or ice. He was given a
piece of ice, which he crushed in his
mouth. He then complained of being
hungry and asked for something to eat.
After that he lapsed into unconscious
ness, from which he never recovered.
At 1880 everybody was asked to leave
the room as it was believed that the
presence of so many might disturb the
patient. They had no sooner gone than
one of the nurses came out and told
them that the end was at hand. 1t was
then that the companion of the dying
man gave way to the grief that was
in her soul. 1t was not wild outburst
of weeping, but the half-suppressed sob
of one in the most acute anguish.
Death Was Certain.
The operation was undertaken by
the physicians as a last resort Ali
believed that he would have died be-
fore the night was out if the bullet
had not been removed. 1t had pene-
trated the left lung, which in itself was
enough to have caused death. All The
while the wounded man was growing
weaker, and it was only a question of
a few hours before he would have died
anyway.
With the bullet in his spine he could
never have regained the use of any
portion of his BODY below the wound.
and this would have eventually caused
death, even though he had recovered
from the immediate shock.
At II O'Clock the remains were taken
to Dixon's undertaking rooms, where
they will be embalmed to be sent to
the home Of Doss' mother at Writ,
Va.
Woman Had n Dream.
-Four or five days ago Doss' consort
had a dream in which Doss was en-
gagged in a fatal shooting ARRAY, and
received wounds from which he after
wards died. She told him about 1t at
the time and he laughed at her. In
her lamentations after his death she
referred to this, deploring the fact that
she had not guarded him more closely.
In his will, which was made the day
he was wounded, Doss left all of his
money and jewelry to the woman.
When Rev. A. M. Williams spoke to
him at the hospital Doss said he want
ed to make him a witness to his final
wishes as to the disposition of his
property in case he did not recover.
No one knows exactly what he was
worth, but it is known that he had
been unusually prosperous. He own
ed some of the handsomest jewelry in
the city, and an interest I'm several
good paying business concerns.
Lived Under an Aims.
No one in Savannah ever knew Doss
as other than Big Jim" Doss. He
came to Savannah from Colorado
twelve years ago and went to work for
one of the gambling rooms He soon
had friends, and established business
for himself.
Doss real name was James Henshaw.
ana mis- parents live at Writ, Va. a
telegram was forwarded to his mother
last night, but the Office at that place
had closed, and no reply has yet been
received. Preparations are being made.
however, to send the body there for
burial.