Year: 1879

NORFOLK POLICE THAT POLITICS AND RACE
PREJUDICE PREVENT THEIR BRINGING Gull
PRITs TO JUSTICE.


NORFOLK, Va, Feb 26, 1879.


In the early portion of the present month q COM
munication forwarded to the Editor of the NEW
YORK HERALD. which. to quote the language of the
writer. was "for the purpose of making known to
you the manner in which colored people shot
down on the streets of Norfolk are murdered by
being knocked in the head with slaves or other
bludgeons." The writer then made special
reference. to two of murder in
which colored men were the victims,
and complained that the police Of this city "cannot
trace ferret out the real criminals. because they
used to belong to the same fire companies and are
known to each other" and ntimated that all this
the result Of political feeling. because the oolored
men republicans and the police democrats.
This communication was sweeping. denunciatory
and grave in its charges that it was referred to
HERALD correspondent with instructions to investi-
gate the referred and report the facts which
are accordingly set forth below


MURDER FRANCIS coRNIcK.


The first case mentioned by the Norfolk writer
was the unprovoked, but unpremeditated murder Of
an old negro woodsawyer named Francis Cornick.
1t occurred on the afternoon OF September IL, 1878
in the broad light Of day. and was certainly most





negro seated eating his dinner at the stand of
negro woman in the neighborhood of tho market,
when drunken white man. who held a stave in his
hand. came up from behind, and without word
dealt him terrible blow the head with the stave
which felled him to tho ground. Several persons
who Witnessed the murderous assault ran TO
the assistance OF the negro and raised him mp,
but he expired in few moments. The murderer.
whose name OssiahCook. white Of thirty
years. after gazing stupidity at his victim. staggered
rather than walked off toward the fish stands below
the market. Then seeming to realize that he had
done something wrong he threw away the stave ana
ran up the market. pursued by Policeman Dickson.
In his course he picked up brick. with which he
threatened the officer. but he was quickly secured
gone through. and an indictment for murder
was found by the Grand Jury OF Norfolk city.


A STRANGE VERDICT


The trial took place at the November term of the
Corporation Court aud occupied three days. 1t be-
gan on Wednesday. 9th, and ended Friday, November
s. 1875 when the jury returned a verdict of voun-
tary manslaughter and sentenced him to imprison-
ment in the Pententiary for one year This verdict
occasioned the greatest surprise owing to its lenency
and the enormity of the crime; but no effort
made to set aside the verdict as the murder was
garded as the terrible freak of man frenzied by
liquor There was neither race feeling nor politics
involved in this murder.


MYSTERIOUS MURDER


Tho second mentioned by the writer from
Norfolk is still shrouded in mystery. On the
ing of January 81, at about seven o'clock, negro
boy, stranger in this city. engaged at the livery
stables OF Perry Co., of Union and Nebraska
streets. was shot through the heart and instantly



youth was known by the names of Charles Wade
Bill Savage, and was supposed TO be native of
the city of Richmond, which, however, has not
since been ascertaincd to have been the fact.
The murderer. who believed to be wharf
laDorer named George Ives, white man, fed, and
has not since been heard of. One colored man was
arrested suspicion; but to this day nothing is
known OF the circumstances attending the murder.
Every inquiry failed to connect this crime with
politics. to disclose any completely Of the police
with the murderer us charged; but on the contrary,
1 em informed that every effort has been made TO
eff he NJ Of llprif
The murder took place in a most disseputable To-
cality, which is frequented by the characters
known to the purlicus OF great seaport.


REPUBLICAN, OPINION.


The HERALD correspondent asked distinguished
republican resident in this city whether in his
opinion the murders above narrated attributable
to political feeling neglect of duty on the part
of the police. He replied, From what can learn
the killing of the old man Cor.ick was in drunken
ment of the public here is however. strong against
the verdict Of the jury. The jury thought. sup
ness and responsibility. The murder of the other
negro in the most disreputable part OF
seaport town at night and in a sudden rencontrc
The best opinion Is that 1t was committed in q
between negroes about disreputable negro woman
and that negro was the murderer. Politics had no
more to do with il in my opinion than tho man in
the moon. Such things sometimes happen in such
places among whites even. and are hushcd up by
reason that the parties to them obscure
hide themselves readily. deplOre the average white
rowdys callouspess in regard to tho rights of
groes, but believe that those two exhibitions OF bru
tality sporadic and bear little relation to that
feeling and temper IN the whites..


Another republican. who Is Official OF the
United States III reply to q similar inquiry said -
"In regard to the two cases you mention satis-
fed that politics had nothing to do with them They
are both Of unprovoked and seemingly unpre-
meditated murder aud may be the outgrowth of an
unhealthy feeling which i'll many cases exist toward
the negro. OF late years politics have been partic
ularly quiet here and nothing has happened in the
outrageous character. These the facts as ascer
tanned by your correspondent.