The Savannah morning news., 1904-11-21
MADE SON SEARCH
FATHERS BODY
AT POINT OF HIS REVOLVER
NEGRO FORCED COY EDWARDS TO
Go THROUGH HIS POCKETS.


Charles G. Edwards, Cousin Oi
Murdered Man-Wns In Daisy AT
Time-Brnvery of Young Eugene
Edwards. who Avenged Fathers
Murder-Whites Wanted to Burn
Body.
Mr.. Charles G. Edwards, of Travis &
Edwards, returned to Savannah yes
terday morning from Daisy, the
scene of the tragedy which end
ed in the death of Mr.. Edwards first
cousin, Mr. A. Joseph Edwards. Sew
eral details were brought out that have
not been contained in the Morning
News dispatches and Mr.. Edwards
says the people of the county are in a
turmoil.
During the afternoon said Mr.. Ed
wards. Il plead a case before a jury
on which my cousin, Joseph Edwards,
sat. After the session of the court he
and his son Coy left for their home a
plantation a short distance from Daisy.
AS they drove up the roadway to the
house they noticed a wagon, to which
two mules were hitched. drive to the
home of a negro, Charlie Davis, who
had gone there from Bulloch county as
a cotton picker.
AT the suggestion of Mr.. Edwards,
he and his son Coy walked down to the
house to see what was going on. They
called for the negro and he came out,
a large 44-calibre revolver buckled
about his waist. In response to a
question he stated he was going to
move away and he wouldn't pay cent
of the money he owed my cousin.
MY cousin then spoke to him about
the revolver and told him he did not
like to have his help going about the
plantation carrying such deadly weap-
ons Without another word the negro
drew the revolver and fired into my
cousin the bullet entering the right
side of the body, passing through, and
lodging under the skin on the left side.
Without a word the unfortunate man
fell to the ground and died an instant
later.
Searched Fathers Corpse.
"Then came one of the most horrible
features of the terrible tragedy. In
an instant Davis turned the heavy re-
volver on young Coy and ordered him
10 empty MS pOckelS. L MS ne Qlu,
throwing three or four silver dollars
and some odd change on the ground at
the Negroes feet. The boy, like his faith
er, was unarmed, and even had an
opportunity been given him, he could
have made no resistance.
mot content with his work, the
black fiend then ordered the poor boy
to search his fathers body and turn
over the money. With the revolver
in his face, the helpless young man
bent and turned over the dead body
of his father and went through the
pockets. He found nothing and this
enraged the negro to such an extent,
that he began beating the boy over
the head and face with the butt of
the weapon.
An Duel to the Death.
Mrs. Edwards, standing in her
home about a quarter of a mile dis
tant, had seen the trouble and heard
the shot. AS she started out for help
she met another son, a boy just COM
ing of age, Eugene, who was return
ing from a hunt. When told of the
trouble the boy started down toward
the Negroes home to aid his father and
brother.
THE negro saw him coming and at
once started up the lane to meet him.
He struck Coy Edwards twice more
over the head, exclaiming - -,
were all going to die together Then
he rushed toward the advancing Eu-
gene, and as soon as he came within
range he began firing.
1.-The boy replied with his shot
gun, loaded with small shot as it was,
and the first shot wounded the negro
in the breast. He staggered slightly
and then with an oath, advanced.
Again the boy fired but this time he
missed him. In the meantime the
negro had emptied his revolver and
was stopping to reload.
shelter of the Wagon.
''In order to be protected while he
reloaded his shotgun, young Eugene
stepped behind a wagon that was In
to the heads of the horses. The Negro
reloaded first and began firing. One
bullet struck in the side of the Wagon
and threw a shower of splnters into
the boys face but he stuck to hi:
work, though painfully wounded.
Twice he fired at the negro, bu
could not hit him, and again the dead
ly fire of the A began. Finally tn,
boy knelt on the ground to load agar
and the negro stopped and began fir
ing under the wagon. The horses werl
becoming frantic and the entire seen,
was one of turmoil.
1.-The boy rose and fired again. Thi
time the shot struck the negro in tn
face, part of the charge entering tn,
jaw and face of the horse near which
he stood. Wild with rage he theI
stepped from cover and attacked open
ly, with the cry I'll kill you yet, -
you He again fired at the boy blu
missed him.
stamped His Life out.
''They boy then fired again, and thi
time with good effect. The negro reele,
back against the fence, and the DO,
rushed at him. loading as he ran. A
he approached the negro again at
tempted to raise the revolver and fir,
but before he could pull the trigger
Eugene emptied both barrels into hi
head.
with a groan the negro sank I
the ground. and then the boy cauRh
sight OF the bleeding corpse OF hi
father. His brother Coy, was nowher
10 be found, and, wild with grief. Ecu
gene jumped upon the negro and liter
ally stamped out what life remained
the black fiend.
White Men Are Frenxied.
Shortly after Coy returned with
gun. When the negro had uncovere
MIN 70 attack Eugene he had ru
TO a house about half a mile dista
and asked for a gun. He found non
put did secure mule and on tn
rode TO another house, secured
weapon, and rode back 70 the seen
OF the tragedy, but too late to be ,
any assistance.