The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-30
NEGRO KILLED
HIS SWEETHEART
WITHOUT WORD OF WARNING
SENT BULLET CRASHING
THROUGH HER BRAIN.

Murder Was Committed in Jones
Lane Near Union Station-RObert
Brown Made His Escape After
Shooting Jessie Hurley-Girl Had
RepeIIed Advances of the Man and
He IL supposed to Have Shot Her
in Jealous Rage.
Without a word of warning, Robert
Brown. colored. walked in the back
door of a room in which Jessie Hur-
ley, an 1S-year-old negro girl, was cook
ing supper yesterday afternoon at 5
o'clock and blew her brains out with
a 3S-caliber revolver.
The shooting occurred at a house one
door from Prendergast lane. in Little
Jones lane, occupied by Mary Griffin.
who boarded the negro. and was wit
messed by two negro women who were
sitting in the room at the time.
From statements made by these wom-
en-, who were arrested and detained at
police headquarters until 10 O'Clock at
night as witnesses, the murder was
cold biooded, and without the slightest
provocation.
ShOt from Ben1nd.
The women who were sitting in the
room at the time are Ida Evans and
Florence Green. One was sitting near
the stove reading and the other was
washing some dishes near the window.
Mary Griffin. the woman who rents the
house was in a front room scrubbing
the floor.
Brown went around to the back door
of the house and was inside the room
before anyone saw him. Jessie Hur-
ley was busily engaged in preparing
some food on the stove. with her back
to the door. AS she heard a step be-
hind her. she Strengthened UP and be-
fore either of the two other women
could utter a warning cry Brown had
raised the revolver. which he carried
in his hand, and fired. The girl fell
backward without a sound, and was
dead in a few minutes.
The ball entered the back of her
head near the center of the skull and
came out just over the right eye. Aft
not move. and was left in that posi-
tion until the coroner arrived.
slayer Had Been Drinking.
AS soon as he had fired the shot.
Brown walEed out of the front door
and made his escape. Several persons
who saw him about the time the shoot
ing occurred stated that he had been
drinking.
Mary Griffin stated that the girl was
Browns sweetheart, but that she did
not seem to care much for his atten-
tions He had quarreled with her on
several occasions because she would not
go out with him.
She was a good girl" stated the
woman, and was left here by her
mother several months ago. 1 believe
her mother is in Florida. The first I
knew of the shooting was the sound of
the shot.
Girl Cooking supper.
Jessie had been helping me scrub
the floors. l complained of being hun
CRY, and she said wait a few min
utes and she would get me something
to eat. She built a fire in the stove,
and I continued with the scrubbing
Robert walked out of the front door.
I don't know which way he went. as
/ ran back to see what the matter
was"
Patrolman Reisen was soon at the
scene of the shooting, but was too late
TO catch Brown. He Immediately
cleared the house of the hundreds of
curious people who had gathered, and
soon had sufficient information for the
detectives, who arrived a short time
to Yamacraw, where he was seen just
before dark. and it is believed he will
be arrested before night.