The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-06-12
Highway Robbery and Attempted
Murder.

Murder.
One of the most outrageous highway
| robberies and illustrations of rufianism
that ever disgraced Memphis, occurred
between ii and y o'clock on Friday
night, by which a gentleman was robb-
ed of large sum Of money and nearly
beaten to death.
The name of the gentleman is Mr.. J.
NJ Freeman, and the circumstances, as
nearly as we could obtain them, are as
| follows:
Itseems that Mr.. Freeman, who has
been in the city about a month, de-
signed leaving for Illinois on the eight
o'clock train yesterday morning, to
make an investment in real estate. He
had $4,000 in money. During the day
he placed it in belt worn next TO the
skin, where he intended keeping it.
Ordinary precaution would have sug-
gested converting the funds into ex-
change, but we learn he feared he
could not so readily use the exchange
in the interior town where his business
called him, and the train was TO leave
too early for the amount to be drawn
out of one of our banks, if deposited
there for safe keeling over night.
A number of gentlemen and ladies,
Mr.. Freeman among them, spent Fri
day evening at the residence of Mr.. j.
w. Page, Jr., on Third street, above
Exchange. About ii o'clock, in COM
pany with Mr.. II. J. Lynn, he left Mr..
Pages The two walked down Third
street to Court, where they separated,
Mr.. Lynn going to his lodgings in the
Ayres Block. Mr. Freeman, who boards
at Mrs. Gibbs, in the Greenlaw Block,
Madison street, soon turned the corner
and entered Madison on his way home
He had proceeded probably as far as
the intersection of DeSoto street, when
he was suddenly approached from be-
hind by three men, one of whom felled
him to the earth with a blow from a
slungshot He arose and struck one
Of the highwaymen, who fell from the
effects Of the blow. Another deserved
the same way; whereupon the third
rushed upon him with knife. A des-
perate struggle ensued, and at one time
Mr.. Freeman obtained possession of
the knife, but was quickly overpowered
by the entire party, knocked down,
kicked and beaten until insensible.
The desperation of the struggle may be
imagined from the fact that Mr.. Free
mans vest and hat were cut in several
places.
While lying on the pavement sense
less, he was robbed of the $1,000, his
gold watch and Masonic ring known
TO those familiar with the higher de-
grees of the craft as the "32d Between
one and two o'clock yesterday morn
ing he appeared at Mr.. Gibbs door,
covered with blood. He was then con-
scious, and upon reaching mis- room he
narrated to Mr.. Gibbs the particulars
of the outrage. In walking from the
scene of the robbery to the house he
fell several times from sheer exhaus-
ton.
Upon being placed in bed Mr.. Free
man again became unconscious, and has
been so, with the exception of few
moments few hours later in the morn
ing, ever since. The Masonic brethren
have taken him in charge, in coujrInc-
ton with his other friends, and every
possible attention is being shown him.
Mr.. Freeman is unmarried, and ID a
resident of New York City, and until
recently was stockbroker. He has
quite a number Of friends here, the
most intimate Of whom are Mr.. Page,
of the Commercial Bank, and Mr..
Ainsler, of the German National Bank.
He is spoken Of as a thorough gen.
tleman in every respect.
This outrage, for coldblooded deter
mination on the part Of its author, has
scarcely a parallel We have no doubt
that the hiehwaymen in some manner
learned that he had a large sum of
money on his person, that they
tracked him to Mr.. Pages, laid in
wait, and followed him on the way
home, being compelled to defer the
assault until Mr. Freemsn's company
left him. That the scoundrels meant
to murder him, their conduct goes to
prove; but we have little hope that
any of them will be apprehended- 1t
is q melancholy commentary on the
efficiency of our police that man
could be senseless on one OF our
most public streets for two hours
without being Observation-Disclosures
ArguS, 10th.