The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-24
AT THE HANDS OF
UNKNOWN PARTY"
JURY SAID MAN WAS KILLED.
TON YOUNG, CHICKEN THIEF, MET
TRAGIC DEATH.

Inquest Held Over Remains of Man
Fired On by SerGt. Murphy, Pa
trOlman BlumberE and Mr.. Rob-
ert FennelI-YOung Was One of
Most Notorious Chicken Thieves I'M
savannah, and Had Served Several
Terms on Chaingang.
we, the jury. find that the deceased
came to his death from gun shot
wounds at the hands of unknown par
ties"
This was the rather paradoxical
verdict returned by a jury impanelled
by Coroner Keller last night to in
vestigate the death of Thomas Young,
a notorious chicken thief.
Young was shot early yesterday
morning by one of three persons, and
from the evidence before the jury
there is strong reason to believe that
Mounted Sergeant Murphy fired the
shot which caused the death of the
negro. Neither of the three, however,
could say with any positivenessf that
he was not the man, and none would
was resisting arrest, and the general
supposition of those who fired at him
was that he had fired at some other
members of the arresting party.
Watching for Chicken Thief.
According to the evidence adduced
at the coroner's hearing Mounted Ser
geant Murphy and Mounted Patrolman
Blumberg were watching in the neigh
borhOod of West Broad and Cuyler
streets at o'clock yesterday morn
ing for party or parties robbing
chicken houses in that neighborhood.
These robberies had been going on for
several weeks, and many complaints
had been made to the police.
The negro who was afterwards shot,
was first discovered in the yard of Mr..
Henry Smith at Thirty-ninth and Guy
Ter streets. Patrolman Blumberg went
around the back way to intercept the
man, but was discovered and the ne
gro, holding to the chickens, COM
menced running.
He ran into the yard of Mr.. Robert
Fennel, on Forty-first street. In an
ping Patrolman Blumberg fired his re-
volver. Mr.. Fennell, hearing the fir
ing, and seeing the negro running into
his yard, also fired at him.
Shot i'm the Neck.
Hearing shots in different locations
Sergt. Murphy concluded that the ne
gro was firing on Patrolman Blumbeg,
and he ran around near Cuyler and
West Broad streets. The negro was
running through the yard of Mr.. H.
A. White, and Sergt. Murphy COM
manded him to halt. He paid no heed
to this, and the sergeant commenced
firing. The negro climbed to the top
of the fence and sprang over just as
the sergeant fired his last shot. He
ran about half way across the street
and fell.
When Sergt. Murphy got to the man
he was dead a bullet having entered
the left side of his neck, ranging
slightly upward, which would seem
to indicate that the shot fired by
Sergt. Murphy just as Young was
springing from the fence is the one
which took effect.
No other shots had taken effect in
the Negroes person. There was little
surprise expressed when the man was
turned over and it was seen he was
Tom Young, one of the most notorious
and successful chicken thieves Savan-
nah has ever produced. Even after be-
ing shot to death he had two chickens
tightly clinched in his hand. A
large number of others that he had
stolen were scattered in the yards
through which he had passed. -Four
We're carried to police headquarters.
Was a Desperate Negro.
Young had served a number of
terms on the chaingang for stealing,
and on one occasion told the officers
who went to see him that the next
time they went to arrest him they had
better have a cannon with them, for
he certainly would kill them.
1t IS not definitely known whether
Young fired any shots. Patrolman
Blum berg is under the impression that
he did. No pistol was found on his
person, although several cartridges
were discovered in his pockets when
he was searched.
The inquest was held at Coroner
Keller's office on Perry street. State
ments were made by Sergt. Murphy
and Patrolman Blumberg, which were
substantially as above.