The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-04
SHOT FROM AMBUSH
BY HIS COUSIN
NOT FAR FROM STATESBoRO
JOHN WATERS WAS INSTANTLY
KILLED IN AN OAT FIELD.

Was Whetting His Cradle scythe
when the FatlI Shot Was Fired.
Alex Waters Charged with the
KiIIing-He Fled From the Field,
| Carrying IA DOubIe-BarrelIed Shot
Gun-A Difference of Long stand
ing Believed to Have Been the
Cause of the Shooting.
Statesboro, Ga. June 3.-The people
ce Bulloch county had been congratu-
idting themselves upon the lawabiding
! tendency and the cessation Of crime in
! this section. when the county was
shocked last night by the killing of Mr..
John Waters by his cousin. Alex. Wa
tiers. If the information received here
is correct it was a cold blooded murder
o2e OF the worst probably ever COM
iaitted in Bulloch county, and up to
now Mr.. Waters slayer has not been
captured.
John Waters and his brother, Leon
Waters, brothers of Little" Tom Wa
ters. who was tried here about two
years ago for the alleged poisoning of
his wife, but who was acquitted. were
| in the field late yesterday afternoon
cutting oats, Leon Waters doing the
rcdping and John tieing the bundles.
offered "a Drink.
The neighborhood road runs along
by the oat field and as the men work
ed out to the road. Alex Waters came
along with a bottle of whisky and ask
| ed them to have drink. Leon drank,
! but John declined. After some conf
monplace words the boys in the field
resumed work and Alex passed on, and
was supposed to have gone home.
| When the oat reapers cut through TO
| the other end of the field bordering
on the woodland, Leon said he was
| tired, and sat down by the fence 10
| rest and asked John to whet the oat
cradle blade, which the latter began TO
| do.
Fell as shot Was Fired.
At that instance a gun was fired and
| John fell, shot through from the left
side with load of buckshot Leon
| Jumped to his feet. Not more than
| twenty feet away Alexander arose from
the outside fence corner with a smok-
| ing double barreled shotgun in his
| hand. Leon thought the other load
| was intended for him and started to
run home, but instead of shooting
| Alexander dashed off through the
woods, and went to his fathers home.
|
night, saying that If Sheriff kendrick
showed up around there to tell him
he would see him later.
All three are young men, and have
families John Waters leaves young
wife and two children. Alexander has
been separated from his wife year
or more and has been in Florida and
| lately returned home.
| A Family Affair.
The men in the difficulty are cous-
sins No cause can be assigned for
the killing While the boys had had
some disagreement some time ago, 1t
was considered only a minor family
affair, and no trouble was anticipated.
Alex asked the boys when he first
came up to them in the field IL they
were all good friends, and it appeared
that Leon showed his good will by
taking a drink with him, but because
John did not care to, it is thought
! Alex took 1t as an indication that
John was not in good humor. Leon
says that no more was thought of 1t
| after Alex went away until he am
bushed them and shot John down from
his hiding place in the fence jam.
The parties live about seven miles
! below Statesboro and the shooting was
! done on John Waters farm.