Mr. John Morris

 
The Courant American Newspaper
Cartersville, Georgia
December 8, 1898 Page 1:
 
Transcribed and submitted by: 
 

Mr. John Morris

Knees On His Back,

His Victim Powerless Beneath Him.

In This Plight

Hackett Shoots John Morris

Killing Occurs Near Home of Wince Stone, Where a Dance is in Progress.

On Wednesday night of last week a dance was given at the house of Mr. Wince Stone, a tenant on the farm of Mr. Levi Reeves. Quite a party of congenial people had assembled, and it was noticed that some of the male guests were quite hilarious, and especially so the fiddler for the evening, Bud Hackett. He grew more turbulent in his manner and tried to get up a difficulty with first one and then another of the men at the party, and finally turned his attention to the young man who was beating the straws on the fiddle, John Morris. He invited Morris out and away from the house, and Morris, as is supposed, hoping to humor him of his seeming purpose for a difficulty, went with him, others following. When about seventy-five yards from the house Hackett turned to Morris and asked him what did he talk about his sister for. Morris denied saying anything about Hackett’s sister, when the latter said: “you are a d---d liar.” Then pulling out a revolver, pointed it at Morris. One of the men present saw what was coming and threw Hackett’s arm up and the pistol went off in the air. Morris then attempted to run, but Hackett grabbed him in the collar from behind. Then he pushed him to the ground and as Morris lay helpless with the man’s knee on his back, Hackett fired two shots into Morris’ body. He then got up, and the crowd, now awe-struck, merely let Hackett do as he wished, none caring to have a difficulty with him. He stayed around, it is said, for almost an hour flourishing his pistol, saying he had some more cartridges in the pistol and fifty more in his pockets.

The young man was taken back to the house, where he was placed on a bed and Dr. Turk was sent for. Both bullets were probed for and found in the front part of the body; one penetrated the body. He lingered in great agony until Friday morning at 7 o’clock, when he died.

Morris was only nineteen years of age and was known as an inoffensive boy, rather frail in stature, and it is said he stated before dying that he did not know Hackett had a sister and there had never been any feeling between them. Morris was a son of Moses Morris, living on the Thomas Bufford farm.

Hackett is a married man, has been in that section of Bartow for several years, coming originally from Cherokee. He was living at the farm of Mr. Richard Harris. After the shooting he went home and had a settlement with Mr. Harris, leaving the farm about daylight.

 

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