The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-08-27
INQUIRY STARTS INTO
 GEORGIA LYNGHINGS
CAPTAIN HITCH OF THE MILITIA
 ON THE STAND.

Testifies That Plans of the Mob Were
 So Carefully Laid That Not Even a
 Regiment of Soldiers Could Have Suc-
 cessfuIly Resisted Them-DecIares
 Deputy Seized Him and Threw Him
 Into Hands of Mob.
 Savannah, Aug. 26.-The first evil dence was introduced to-day before the court of inquiry appointed by Governor Terrell to Investigate the conduct of the two companies of Georgia state troops that were on guard at Statesboro when the mob took away from the soldiers Paul Reed and Will Cato, convicted of the murder oe Henry Hodges and his family of four, and burned the negroes at the stake. @
 Lieutenant Colonel w. L. Grayson, the first witness, exhibited the orders from the governor, directing him to-ais- patch company of troops from Savan- nah under Captain Robert M. Hitch to join the Statesboro guards in the pro- tection of the prisoners.
 Captain Hitch testified that the plans of the mob had been so carefully laid that not even a regiment of soldiers could have successfully resisted them. The plans, he declared( ecen contem- plated the destruction of the railroad leading to Statesboro in order to pre- vent the arrival of endorsements should they have been ordered to the scene.
 His own experience as a military man reaching over fourteen years was recit- ed by Captain Hitch, who told of hav- ing before participated in riot duty and Of having observed the moral effect ups on a crowd that the command load carries. This command he had intend- ed giving at the proper time, but just before that time in his opinion, was reached, he was seized by a muscular deputy sheriff, who threw him down stairs to the mob below who promptly disarmed him. It was to this seizure that Captain Hitch attributed his fail ure to make a more desperate effort for the defense of the prisoners.
 Captain Hitch said he had had no in timation of the purpose of the mob to seize and lynch the negroes as soon as they should be convicted.
 Members of the court asked why Captain Hitch had not ordered up his reserves of fort yor fifty men from the jail, and if he did not recognize the need of them, to which he answered that he did, and that he was praying or them to come.
 "Then why did you not send for them" asked member of the court.
 Because I could not think of every- thing at once,' answered Captain Hitch.
 According to his testimony he dis patched Lieut.. A. A. Morrison to the telegraph office to request that more troops be sent from Savannah.
 Captain Hitch and on-commissioned officers and privates testified to the al legged collision of the sheriff and some of his men with the mob. Some of the soldier swore that Sheriff Kendrick had himself opened the door of the guard room and pointed out the prisoners to the mob, which was hard upon his heels. The sheriff, moreover told the two sergeant son duty, according to their testimony, that he had seen Captain Hitch and was acting on his instrue- tions in turning over the negroes to the lynchers.
 Probably on Tuesday and Wednesday the court will adjourn to Staetsboro where the evidence of members of the company there, of the sheriff and dep .uties, and of all whose testimony may