The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-26
KILLED HIS PART
NER IN CRIME
OYSTER THIEF SHOT DEAD.
TWO NEGROES WE'RE CLUBBING
WATCHMAN WITH HIS GUN.


Liche aRsI, warsaw Island
Waterman. Caught Two Oyster
Thieves and Was Attacked by
Them-HeId by Emanuel Prey
while Hector Davis dubbed Him
with His Gun-In the ARRAY Ii
Was Discharged and Prey Fen
Dead-Dnvis Fled and Red Was
Brought to the Savannah Hospital
in Serious Condition.
While savagely beating Liche Red.
white Waterman on Warsaw Island,
early Yesterday afternoon, a shotgun
in the hands of Hector Davis, colored.
which was being welded as a club. was
discharged. and Emanuel Prey, Davis
companion who was holding the watch
man, was killed.
The negroes had been caught steal
ing oysters and Red was making them
unload in front of his house on the
island. when one of the men asked
him for chew of tobacco. AS Red
reached into his pocket. Prey jumped
upon him, pinioning his arms. Davis
seized the rifle that Red was carrying
and wrenched it from his hand.
While the men struggled. Davis
threw the rifle into the river. A ham,
Jnerless shotgun nearby, also belonging
to the Waterman. was taken by Davis,
as soon as Prey had the white man
firmly in his grasp. While one negro
held him. the other beat him until his
head, face. shoulders and back were
covered with blood. The stock of the
gun was shattered and the negro turn
ed it around to continue the assault.
Prey killed Instantly.
AS he struck the first blow the gun
was fired, the load entering the second
negro. Preys death was instautane-
Gus. second blow was struck the
white man, and the other barrel of the
gun was also discharged. Leaving his
victim bleeding and moaning beside
the dead negro, Davis fled.
He made his way to the house
of "Parson" Davis, the old colored man.
who found the Schwartz boy, who was
lost for days on Warsaw.
last summer. Parsons says
Davis told him Mr.. Red had kill
ed Emanuel Prey and would have kill
ed him, if he had not run away. The
negro secured boat and left
the island. 1t is believed he went to
Skidaway. where he lives. and officers
have followed there, having left the
city shortly after 10 o'clock.
Was Almost Exhausted.
PEARSON" Davis, the old negro to
whom the alleged murderer told his
version of the tragedy did not make
an investigation. He says he told
Hector to go and report to the coroner.
The man had said nothing whatever
81 na tnla4 faVa M
it was not until nearly an hour later
that Red, covered with blood. and
staggering from exhaustion, made his
way to the old mans house.
There he told what had happened
and begged the old negro Waterman
and his wife to dress his wounds.
This was done as best the darkies
derbolt in a boat as quickly as pos
sible. There he was placed in a wag
on and brought into the city. The
wounded man was taken to the Sa-
vannah Hospital for treatment
Reds head, face and shoulders had
been beaten until they looked like raw
meat. Though weak, the Waterman
a statement of the affair to Deputy
Sheriff Sweeny and a representative
of the Morning News.
Had Hand in Pocket.
Il caught the men with oysters in
their boat and ordered them to dump
them out" he said zone of them
asked for some tobacco, and they
jumped on me while l was feeling for
1t. Emanuel Prey held me and Hector
Davis beat me. They beat me until
j thought they had all but killed me.
He broke the stock of my gun. 1t was
cooked, and when he caught it up close
and struck again 1t went off. The
man holding me was shot, but he
struck me again quickly and ran. The
second barrel went off when he hit me
again.
Red was suffering intense pain and
could scarcely talk. "They beat me,
again. After few minutes talk the
wounded man gave up trying to tell
further about the assault, giving way
to groans as his pains increased.
Though seriously and very painfully
hurt, there appears little danger now
of Reds wounds proving fatal.
''ParsOn'' Davis story.
"Parson" Davis, the old negro to
whose house Red made his way, tells
a clear story of the affair, as told to
him by Red before he became so weak
and his wife washed the blood from
the white mans wounds and bound
them up for him, while he told the
story of the beating and shooting.
1t appears that Red, who was direct
~ in front of his house, had two guns.
He was carrying his rifle, and his
shotgun was leaning against the house.
He saw the negroes with the oysters
in their boat and stopped them, COW
ering them with the rife Red is en-
ployed by Capt. Augustus Oemler, who
owns the oyster lands there, as a
out for oyster thieves and other tres
passers.
Wanted Piece of Tobacco.
The negroes were told to bring the
oysters ashore and dump them in
front of the house. This they began
to do. They appear ed to take their de-
rection good naturally and Red told
them he would give them bushel of
the oysters, when they had dumped
them out. One of them asked for a
chew of tobacco, and as Red felt in
his pocket for it. he leaned the rifle
on the ground, retaining only one hand
on it. Davis seized the rife, as Prey
threw his arms around the Waterman.
The rife was thrown into the river by
the negro. When they had the man
down, Davis seized the shotgun and
began the assault.
Old "Parson" Davis says 1t was fully
three-quarters of an hour after Hec-
tor Davis came TO his house that Red
himself came into sight calling for
help.
wounds Temporarily Dressed.