Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-12-02

] saw the difficulty on last Friday week petN &c
1Iessrs Hall and Poindexter. l was on Cherry
street that morning and went into the Ne1cs Office.
While was there Poindexter and HAYWOOD IN com
pany with Whitthorne as they said, came 70 the
Netrs Office door, and Poindexler inquired II NAT
was in. Mr. Barry told him he did not Know anu
went back to see. When he came back al a few mo-
ments stepped outside the door, and ne SAID tnat
Hall was not in and it was not quite time ior nun
to come down Poindexter remained there rev
moments at the door, Haywood and Whitthorng
standing on the pavement few feet from hiii-
stepped into the door of Dr. Briggs othce anu re-
ma;ned tbere n few moments and WhItthorne re-
marked to Poindexter that it was not worth Whiie
to wait They walked off down the street re-
manned a few moments and went across toy aushhs
office and remained there few moments anu Weh'
down to Mr.. Seaburys and remained rev lnolicnn,
don't know how long. | then saw FolnoeNteF
coming from towards Cedar street. lie came on,
think tn about opposite Ewing's Office door. ABOUT
that time Hall came Rout of his office and hahCeo 70
him to stop | don't remember the exact WoruS
he said something like stop, tell you, stop!
then looked 10 see what PondeXter was DONG ana
don't think he discovered Hall the first time ne nal
Ioed. though | don't know he then started 10
draw pistol from his bosom or the breast pocket
of his coat and as it came out 1t either huhg OF ne
did not get a good hold. But he recovered ~ anu
broucht il M | think it lowering at the time
the Gnn fred in the direction of Hall lie had an
umbrella in his hands also. When l first
saw Mr. PoindeXteP he bad II IN MS right
hand. Where he changed 1t don't know when
be was shot the umbrella was in his left hand he
had it then think. inclined back on his left should
er. They were standing nearly face to face.
could not state exactly where Mr.. Hall stood After
he stenped out Of the door, turned my attention TO
Mr. Poindexter. Mr. Poindexter was nearer the
curling thanhe was the building, am SATISFIED Oh
that from the position in which he fell nave no
doubt that Mr. POndexter had pistol in his hand
at the time he was shot When the gun nred ultl
not see at the moment what become OF inc pistol
When the gun fired saw something white fall from
his breast and did not know what II was MI Nea u,
bury remarked to me- " let run and pick HIM up
As ran over the umbrella had turned bottom up
wards and the pistol was lying inside OF the UNI
breIla 1t resembled the one exhibited here. 1t was
a revolver did not examine IT, but just saw II
living there Mr.. Hall spoke either twlee or ''iree
times The interval was not great don't know
that could say exactly, but he said, 'stop-St0p'
tell you-Stop about in that way, (as the witness
repeated it) He held the gun before him, when he
stepped OFT Il was not pointed at any one when
he came out.
Cross examination by Gen. Bate.
went 10 the NelcS Office soon after breakfast. l
suppose | generally take my breakfast about half
Z past seven | don't know exactly the hour that
morning At the breakfast table that morning ano-
Their gentleman told me about the article IN the
NeiUs did not go there expecting tn see difficult
" Nv visit there was to the article in the AecS.
When / firss went into the AelrS Office don't re-
! member exactly who was there, but think Barry
| and probably Fisher. l remember Barry perfectly
| we'll for ( remember what he said to me when
went in O. F. Noel came in next did not see
! Allen A. Hall nor did | see him come there while
was there. / don't know who in the hack
/ room. 1 saw Barry walk back there when Pom
/ dexter asked him if Hall in. Lellyett came in
| about that time POindeXter asked if Hall was IN,
and Barry first went back and then replied to him.
! don't remember whether the door was open or not
! There are two rooms, with partition. and thin
folding door. 1t is between the two rooms.
don't think saw Hall at all until he came IN with
| the gun. | almost in front of the Office
! when | was at Naughn's, and then l walked to
Seabury's some forty or fifty feet distant. could
see the office all the time. was expecting diff
J Guilty after | left it, and that what kept me
there l saw several persons go into the Ners ofhce
}, saw young Mr. Hall, but did not see the old gen.
man. might have seen the AelrS office at any time
at my position | was in, but at the same time oc-
casOnally looked to see if those gentlemen were
| coming back looked more to see Mr.. POindeXteT
come than did to see Mr. Hall, from the fact that
| expected the attack to come from him. saw Mr.
! Barry 90 down the street, towards where POindeX
! ter had gene after he left l don't remember wheth
er | saw bin return or not did not see Barry and
cannot tell whether he there not at the time OF
| the shooting. saw young Hall about the NeIcS of
fee door soon after the shooting or just before,
! don't remember which. There was some person
standing lust in front of Hail. l don't know. His
face was towards Hall and when he (Hal) came out
! he got off of the pavement Mr. Seabury was
standing near at the time of the shooting.
went into the door and told him there would
! be some fun directly l don't know whe"C
! Mr. JEFF. Seabury was. Mr. Seabury had the same
| opportunity for seeing that L had When
! first saw Mr.. Pondexter l think he had his
| umbrella in his right hand; he was then about
! Deaderick street. When he shot he had his
umbI ella in his left hand Mr.. POindexter did not
stop at the first exclamation. am not certain what
position his umbrella in at the first exclamation
it was hoist ID and him II was raining. The
first thing POndeXter did to start TO draw his
pistol He never turned at all. His right side was
| towards me, He mad his pistol in his breast some
! where. The moving of his hand was not, to my
recollection, the changing of the umbrella His
/ hand did not 90 behind. | cannot tell when he
changed his umbrella Just as he was at Deaderick
! street tN gentlemen got between US. don't know
| if he cooked the pistol. whether | saw HIM at
tempt to cock it, When he pulled it out. he either
did not have a good hold of it, or it hung. He
caught his hold and brought it up and was in the
act of bringing it down on the other hand-the
umbrella LAYING on his shoulder The hind that
held the umbrella was close to his body. II II
was cooked did not him cock it. saw il
wing in the umbrella. stepped at one time to pick
up but did not do it. | don't think 1t was cooked
but could not swear to it, don't know of my own
knowledge who picked it up-l only heard. cine
pistol was handed him. I should guess iii be five
or six inches long, though am not accustomed to
measure. / am not much acquainted witt pistols,
and have not frequently seen them, but think 1t q
him don't know anything about the gun being
there think Hall had his coat on. am not GER
tain about that don't know whether heard 1t or
not, but it seems to me his hat was off would not
swear that it was. because have heard so much
said abont it and don't know whether 1t IS OF my
own knowledge not.
Isaac Skinner. Direct examination by Gov. Brown.
/ saw none of the difficulty last Friday week. /
met POindeXter on the corner of Deaderick and
Cherry streets. He was going towards the AeloS or
UNION Office and was going down Deaderick street
was coming from the direction of the Post-Otfce.
1 did not mark the time-it was in the morning al
ter breakfast. | think POindexter alone. He
had an umbrella and it spread up. 1t was,
think raining little. He held it IN his left hand
did not see him do ANYTHING but he held pistol in
his right hand. | think it was inside of some of his
garments | saw what believed to be the buttend of
apisOl, his hand being on his left side. was going
TO Mr. Craigheads. heard the report of a gun.
thought, soon after passed him. | could not state
where was-I think between the Patriot Office and
the corner.
Cross examination by Mr.. A Ewing
l was alone when met Poindexter. l have no
particular place of business now. Twas going to Mr.
Craigheads. ! think had known POindexter some
thing over year | made his acquaintance on the
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. when he was
going to Washington, in com any. think, with Maj.
Eastman, Gen. Anderson. and some other gentleman.
/ had seen the article in the NeloS that morning.
did not not apprehend any difficulty, though had
my own opinions about it. 1t was the article in the
Ne1oS that had read that attracted my attention |
think the umbrella in his left hand. don't say
his right hand in his bOsOm,-it was on his left
side. IcannOtsay whether his right hand was inside
outside of his clothing. | think he had his hand
Tapped around the handle of the pistol under his
arm. | could not say whether the pistol was out
side or inside. | am not sufficiently acquainted with
pistols to say whether it was of metal or of wood
/ saw something abOubit that bright. / passed
the outside Of the pavement, on his right side.
My umbrella touched his as passed. | give it
my impression that saw pistol. l cannot state
whether it was under or outside of his coat |
think | distinctly saw his hand which was not COW
cred up.
Direct examination resumed.
(The pistol was shown him. ] could not state
that that looks like the pistol feel satisfied that
something thai looked like pistol and that he
mad it in his hand
James A. Fisher. Direct examination by Gov
Brown.
do business at the NelrS Office in the capacity of
bOok-keeper. Mr.. Barry is there also connected
with the Office. The prOprletors of the office are
Don Cameron, William Cameron, r. H. Barry and
myself Mr.. Lellyett is employed there also, and
Mr.. Allen \. Hall Is the principal editor. l was
there on last Friday week | generally have husi-
in the Office about six o'clock every morning
| generally come up from the printing office about
seven TO attend to business in the counting room
About twenty minutes after seven Friday morning
| came to the office and met Mr. Barry there and
was informed that Mr. POindexter and Mr. Whit
FL, Ill -