The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-05
COOK CHASED
BUTLER WITH FORK
BULLET ENDED THE PURSUIT.
LIZZIE CHAPLIN KILLED BY JOHN
ROBINSON AT TYBEE.

Shooting Took Place Directly in
Front of DIR. Dunn's Cottage, the
Trouble Having started in the
Kitchen and Robinson Having Re-
treated Before the Woman
Through the HOuse-PistOI Looks
Like Toy and Has Attracted
Much Attention Among the Of
ficers, Its Barrel Being Only "a Lit
tie over an Inch Long.
With a little 22-calibre pistol that
closely resembles a toy, John Robin
son, a negro butler, shot and killed
Lizzie Chaplin. the cook, at the cot
tage of DR.. NJ. F. Dunn on Tybee
Island, where both negroes were en-
ployed, yesterday morning. The shoot
ing took place directly in front of the
cottage. the negroes having started a
quarrel in the kitchen, and the wom-
an having followed Robinson through
the house with a long carving fork,
with which she was threatening him.
The bullet struck the woman in the
fright side. Annie Rivers, another
negro employed at the, house, had
hold of the woman trying to keep her
away from Robinson, when the shot
was fired. The Rivers woman as
sisted her into the house and put her
down in the hall, where Robinson
placed pillow under her head and
tried to do what he could for her.
The dying woman told him to go
away, and he left her, though he wait
ed at the house until the Tybee mar
shall arrived and placed him under
arrest.
Died in 10 Minutes.
The woman died in about ten min
utes after she was shot. She talked
but little, nor was any statement from
her needed as the Rivers woman wit
messed the shooting.
According to Robinson, he and the
cook had been quarrelling for three
days. He says when he went into the
kitchen, the woman picked up a carv-
ing fork, after they had had some
words. He rereated, he claims, and
when he went back later to take the
dishes for dinner to be served the
woman picked up the fork and started
towards him, at the same time looking
around like she was searching for
something. He kept turning around so
as to face her and finally retreated.
He claims she followed him and
called him a coward He still retreated,
through the buffers pantry, dining
room and the hall. At the front door,
he said, the screen door was fastened
and this he had to break in order to get
away from her.
Followed Him with a Fork.
The Chaplin woman followed him out
on the porch, and the Rivers woman
grabbed her. Butler said he was stand
dng on the ground at the end of the
porch when the woman made at him
with the fork. The Rivers woman still
had her hands on her, but could not
restrain her, AS she lunged at him
with the fork, he fired. The fork
grazed his hand. as scratch
viii testify
Chief Deputy Sheriff Sweeny, De-
tectives Bostick and Stark and Coro-
ner Keller went to Tybee and made an
investigation. The inquest will be held
Ibis morning at 10 o'clock at DIR. Kel-
ler's office. The witnesses were sub
Poenaed and the two weapons, the pis-
tol and the fork, were brought to the
city when Robinson was brought up
last night
The pistol is the smallest ever seen
here in a murder case. The barrel is
not over an inch and a naf long. 1t
is a seven shooter and carried a 20
cartridge. The negro says he had Dor
Towed the pistol to shoot chickens
with.