The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-03
FIRED TWICE
AT CROWDED CAR,
WANToN ACT OF A NEGRO
LOAD OF SHOT RECEIVED BY MO-
TORMAN FLOYD SHATTERED ARM.


Eighty Passengers Including
Many White Girls Returning
From wOrE-TrOubIe on Mill Hav-
| en- Line.
With a fiendish malice which caused
the serious wounding of the motorman
and which endangered the safety of
nearly one hundred passengers, an IN
known negro fired two loads of bird
! shot into a Mill Haven trolley car
! shortly before o'clock yesterday after
noon.
The first load landed in the arm and
side of the motorman, and was fired
at such close range that it did not
have time to spread to any extent.
The second shot was aimed at the car
and it's occupants from a greater dis
lance. but fortunately the shot all but
! missed the car.
With the discharge of the two shells
the negro evidently had exhausted his
ammunition, and though he threaten
ed his pursuers more than once, he cid
| not fire again. He was finally lost in
the thickets not far from the scene of
the shooting
The Mill Haven car was an extra put
on to accommodate the employees of
the various manufacturing plants west
of the city, and had picked up about
eighty passengers before the shooting
| occurred, including about twenty white
girls at the time the car had reach
ed point about midway between the
Central viaduct and the extension of
Bay street. on Lathrop avenue.
Trouble with Negro.
Conductor A. E. Conner had some
words with a negro passenger, who
rendered a IS bill for his fare. The
conductor took up the bill and as he
did not have a sufficient amount of
change told the negro he would give
him his change later
At this the negro, who was armed
with shotgun grew boisterous and
began to swear and abuse the conduc-
tor, who handed him back the bill and
told him to get off the car. This the
negro refused to do and the conductor
went forward to request the assistance
of the mOtorman, E. l.. Floyd, and
according to a passenger, asked the
| motorman for his pistol.
By this time some of the women had
off the car at the front end. Motorman
| Floyd. with the assistance of his
brother, who was standing in the door
| just behind him, would not let the
girls off, but instead stopped the car
and went back to aid the conductor
in dealing with the unruly negro.
The negro at this demonstration of
force sullenly and slowly got off the
| car, and as he did so stepped behind
the dashboard and suddenly raising his
| gun fired the load into the body of
| Motorman Floyd, who presented an
exceptionally easy mark. He fell back
wards into the arms of his brother, L.
| M. Floyd.
While the short range at which the
| shot was taken prevented the scatter
| ing of the leaden missiles and most of
them landed in the arm and side of
| Floyd, quite a number found Judgment
! in the persons of the passengers. Pc
| ter Days, colored, who lives at No. 119
Guerard lane was struck in the hand
by several shot, and a negro woman
nearby was also slightly injured.
Down through the car the shot plow-
ed their way and while no one else was
badly hurt, it is reported that blood
was flowing pretty freely and that a
number of the passengers were con-
tributing their share to the stream.
Angry Negro Fired Again.
After firing the first shot the negro
| circled around the side of the car as
| If looking for some one, presumably
Conductor Conner, and at a distance
of about twenty-five feet, let drive an
other load of birdshot towards the car.
One or two of the shot struck Con-
| ductor Conner in the back, while some
of the passengers, whose names could
not be ascertained, were slightly in
jured.
BY this time the excitement among
the passengers was at its hight. One
woman tainted as the crowd surged
towards the front door seeking a
means of escape from the car. The
negro who had been shot in the hand
was calling on somebody to let him
have a pistol, and was anxious to get
to his assailant. The passengers were
unarmed, and the negro received no re-
Spouse.
Some distance nearer the city. the
outgoing car was on the double track.
waiting for the extra to come in. on
this car was Car Inspector Young. who
finally decided to go forward and see
if he could see the car which was
overdue.
inspectors Was Armed.
As he came in sight of the car he
saw that shooting was going on and
started on a run, drawing his pistol
as he went along. The CLEAN of a
| gun seemed to have an encouraging
! effect on the male passengers, for they
! Immediately pointed out the fleeing ne
gro. who had crossed over into a corn
| field.
| Inspector Young, without waiting for
! particulars, turned his attention to-
wards the negro and. followed by a
small but determined posse. gave chase.
| In the crowd was the negro who had
| been injured and who was one of the
most enthusiastic in the chase.
Two shots were fired at the retreat
| ing negro who was once almost over
| taken by the party. Twice the negro
| turned and leveled his gun as II to
| shoot and twice the crowd "ducked"
and stopped for a moment. After
! crossing several wire fences. the ne
! gro finally ran into dense thicket and
the pursuit was abandoned.
Car started to city.
Meanwhile the car was started back
! to the city by Conductor Conner, and
/ run for some distance. when something
/ broke and the passengers were trans
ferred and brought in.
Motorman Floyd was placed in a cab
and driven to the office of Dr. George
NJ. Norton, where his wounds were
| dressed. II was found that a number
of shots had entered his right arm and
side, INJECTING very painful but not
dangerous wounds. The injured man
was then taken to his home No. 1913
Anderson street. west The arm, was