Weekly Clarksville chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 185?-1857, 1857-08-07
MISCELLANY.
BLOC ny RIOT IN EVANSVILLE
ATTACK ON THE NEGROES-DES-
PERATE CONFLICT.

From the Evansville journal, of Mon
day morning, we CLEAN the following ac-
count Of bloody conflict between the
whites and negroes of that city. tits as
follows: tls1 o
Our town and vicinity have been under
an intense excitement since Thursday last
growing out of the negro violence COM
mitted on the Edmunds family in the
Bayou. The admission of the negro to
bail, and long series of offences which
their neighbors have been trsasnring up
against the colony Of blacks, who live in
the bottom some FIVE or six miles below
town, had aroused the people of the neigh
borhood to determination to get rid Of
the clan of blacks, at all hazards, and on
Friday night preconcerted attack was
made on them and their dwellings by q
body Of white men gathered, no one knows
where, numbering so or rs. The negroes
it appears-were prepared for them, and
had armed themselves, aud loop holed their
cabins. Which party made the first as
sault or fred the first gun is not known.
About IL o'clock at night brisk fusil-
ade was opened and kept up for some min
utes, after which rush was made at the
house, and the door broken in, when a
hand to hand struggle ensued, in which
bowie knives, clubs and cleavers were the
weapons used. Many on both sides were
severely cut and beaten. A man by the
name of Alexander Maddux received three
cuts in the head, the shoulder and arm
Another man by the name Of Joseph Glass
received ball in the head. Glass is re-
ported dead, and Maddux in very criti-
cal condition. A German was shot in the
thigh, and had one of his fingers shot off
Many others were slightly wounded II
was exceedingly difficult to get at the truth
of the matter amid the excitement and
conflicting statements. Both parties were
seriously beaten in the engagement, but
we have not heard of any fatal wounds ex.
cept those mentioned
An old black woman, the mother of the
family, received severe blow upon the
head from gun stock, and black boy
was knocked down with pistol barrel
One white man was severely cut on the
head from blowwith cleayer, which left
large lock Of his hair and pool of blood
on the floor. Lysles house is half mile
from the main road, in secluded spot il
the woods. At the time of the attack the
blacks say there were but five or six black
men in the house; the other inmates wert
leight or ten women and children. The
lhouse exhibited the marks of rife ball:
and charges of shot in four or five different
places. The door which was strongly fas
tened was beaten in by fence rail. The
negroes declare they did not fire till after
the door was forced open. The other par
ty say the persons shot received theil
wounds outside the house and before the
door was forced in
1 On Saturday the excitement was incrcas
ed by the above occurrences, and more
serious and wider combination was evi
IDENTIFY forming to drive off or exterminat,
the blacks, who form community of on,
hundred and fifty or two hundred in tn
f bottom, Serious apprehensions were fel
that bloody drama would be enacted
Several judicious citizens addresseda not
10 Sheriff Gavitt, who, aided by Sherii
Hall and Sheriff Mcbride, repaired pri
vately to the cabins of the blacks, in an
ticipation of the movements of the whites
and induced the offending negroes to plac
themselves under their charge, and the
were brought to the city in the afternoo
and placed in secure quarters, and ont O
! harms way. The community, by this ju
, dicious movement, well executed, hav
$ probably been spared painfuland blood
tragedy.
=, Maddux is in a very precarious condi
> ton, and young Edmunds, the victim o
the first assault by the blacks, is not OK
pectcd to survive, as lockjaw is likely t
5 superyene The severest wounds were in
ficted upon the whites as they attempte
9 to ascend the steps of the house, and wei
n dealt by butchers cloayor.
1t was expected on Saturday cyenin
9 that the houses of the negroes would /
. burnt during the night, but the desig
d seems to have been abandoned, and as ii
;, negro men are now in Jail, and the publ
: are satisfied that the assailant of Edmunt