Web posted Friday, June 23, 2000

Letters to the editor

Savannah Morning News

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'Delia' of early song was Savannah resident killed in lovers' quarrel

How many Savannahians know or have heard the song "Delia," or "Delia's Gone," with the tag lines, "Delia's gone ... (one more time) ... Delia's gone"? Many, I suspect. This world famous song has been recorded by Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and many others.

How many know that Delia was a Savannahian? I doubt that there is any memory of this in the general population, although I hope that there may be someone in Savannah who has heard tales or songs about Delia handed down from family or friends.

Song collector Robert Winslow Gordon, who worked for the Library of Congress, spent considerable time in Darien, his wife's home, in 1925-28, collecting and studying songs. In 1928, he wrote back to the Library that he had traced "the Cooney Killed Delia song" to Savannah, that he had interviewed Delia's mother and the detective who investigated her murder, that he had 50 pages of court records and that he had collected over 20 different versions of the song.

He gave no further details and his papers from his stay in Darien are lost, along with them all he had about "Delia." Thus, Delia has remained a mystery.

Acting on this information, I searched for Delia in Savannah newspapers and I found her. She was Delia Green, age 14, and she lived on Ann Street, near Harrison, in Yamacraw. Her killer was Moses "Coony" (newspaper spelling) Houston, age 15. He shot her with a .38-caliber pistol at a location on Harrison Street, near Laurel, possibly the home of Willie and Emma West, who were witnesses at Coony's trial.

Coony had been seeing Delia for several months. Late Christmas Eve, 1900, around 11:30 p.m., Coony claimed that Delia was "his girl" and evidently that he had some control over her. Delia objected, apparently in very strong terms. Without another word, Coony took West's pistol, which was lying on a table, and shot her in the left groin. She was taken to her home, where she died on Christmas Day.

Coony was tried in March, 1901, found guilty of murder and given a life sentence.

This is truly a tragic case, involving children. Coony came to his trial wearing short pants, I would guess at the suggestion of his lawyer, Raiford Falligant, to emphasize his youth, which is probably what kept him from being hanged.

I hope that Savannahians will identify with this song and murder case. It could be a theme song for those protesting youth violence, violence against women or the factors that generated a poor, violent culture. The centennial of Delia's death is this coming Christmas. I hope that Savannah will remember her in some outward way.

JOHN F. GARST

Athens

Cheating scandal was handled in correct way

Three cheers for Armstrong Atlantic State University and its staff.

Presentation by the local media seems to be a little more than one-sided when it comes to the recent cheating scandal at AASU. We saw in "Vox Populi" on Monday an anonymous accusation that the students may not have received a fair hearing because the students on the court had to take future courses from the accusing professor.

Since the court is made up of several students, and since the vast majority of students at AASU are not majoring in computer science and thus should not be influenced by the accusing professor, it would seem that the accused students did receive a fair hearing by their peers.

We have seen the matted faces and heard the altered voices of students accused of cheating to protect anyone who may be innocent, yet we throw in an open media the unprotected name of the professor who had the professional ethics to bring this incident to light.

The media reported the anonymous students' comments and their quotations, which used terms such as "witch hunt", etc, without rebuttals from AASU. What happened to facts or the other side? We failed to hear or see reported that, due to ethical standards, the professor and the involved staff at AASU gave up personal time and vacation, and left themselves open to the harassment of those accused, with no intent of personal gain.

We didn't read or see on the local TV that a fair percentage of the students that were accused of cheating admitted their guilt and implicated others.

We, as parents, seem to get angry whenever we feel that the schools are not following a moral and ethical path in the teaching of our children. We attack the school boards and teachers, and become outraged when the schools do not follow our moral dictates. Why are we so hypocritical when it comes to reporting facts?

I would like to cheer for AASU, the professor and others who still have a professional sense of direction and have the courage to stick to those aspirations in the face of prejudice. They are setting an honorable and responsible direction for the future by instilling in all of us the fact that we are responsible for our actions. I would like to think that is where the future is headed since I have to spend the rest of my life there.

JIM BROWN

Should we cast those who pray to the lions?

Since the Supreme Court has ruled that it is illegal to have a prayer before a public sporting event, what shall be the penalty?

I have heard several news comments about the decision, but have heard nothing about the way the justices intend to punish us.

In the sixth chapter of the Book of Daniel (a book of the Bible), Daniel violated federal law by praying to God. The king deemed it to be fair punishment by throwing him into the lions' den.

Since those of us today are breaking the same law by having a public prayer before a sporting event, then why not give us the same punishment. I am not anxious to be cast to the lions, but what is fair for one is fair for all. At least the punishment would convey to the public the hatred that our nation now has against God.

The fact that it is against the U.S. Constitution is merely garbage. If you think that our government is really so interested in preserving the U.S. Constitution that it is willing to punish those who hold public prayer before a sporting event, then I would like to sell you some farm land 50 miles east of Savannah.

The fact of the matter is that prayer before a sporting event is protected by the U.S. Constitution. It's what is known as free speech. If they want to defend the U.S. Constitution, then let them defend the Second Amendment. If Americans have become so gullible as to let our government make laws against God, then just dip me in butter and go ahead and cast me to the lions.

ERMAN HAGER

Ellabell

Coast Guard deserves appropriate funding

Your feature concerning current U.S. Coast Guard budget problems ("Troubled Waters," June 17) was timely and accurate in reporting inadequate operating force funding.

There are larger issues in funding new equipment for the Coast Guard's missions that will have a greater effect on both the cost and the performance of these missions.

The Coast Guard has initiated the Deepwater Program to study, define and provide the forces and equipment required to continue performance of their missions. Funding this program will be a challenge at the federal level but it is critical to the success of Cmdr. Jim McDonald and Cmdr. Ray Miller and all the members of U.S. Coast Guard Team Savannah as they strive to serve our community.

We need to support both the current and the future funding requirements of the Coast Guard, the sea service that is an integral and important contributor to the safety of our port, our shores and our environment.

TOM WRIGHT

President

Savannah Council of the Navy League

It's not the Baptists who decide the limits

After reading and listening to the uproar from those who are on the Southern Baptists because they will not ordain homosexuals or women as pastors, I wish to respond.

Those who wish to ordain women and homosexuals as pastors, priests or clergy have a problem with the Holy Bible, not the Southern Baptists or the pope. If one reads the scriptures, the teachings of Peter and Paul limit a woman's or homosexual's place in the church.

Believe what you want, it is a free country, but how can you be a Christian and question the foundation of Christianity, the Bible?

NORMAN DAVISWORTH

Glennville

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