Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-23
RETRIBUTION..

Jury and the Magistrates COurt--A
Revolving Story OF Crime, Treach-
cry and Revenge.
The Radicals held a meeting and ate Of
a big barbecue, on Sunday, at the little
village of Goodlettsyille, situate about
fourteen miles from this city, on the Dick
erson pike. Everything in connection
with the political demonstration passed off
pleasantly to all concerned, and the varie-
gated audience, with their stumpers and
drummers, dispersed quietly at its close.
This fact really has no connection with the
sad story we are called upon to relate, and
is only necessary TO show that politics had
nothing whatever to do with the terrible
trsgedy Of Saturday night.
The first chapter of our story, were it
chronicled Alright, would date back as far as
1865, when William Scruggs, citizen of
| Goodlettsville, as well as member of a
band of guerillas who had been the terror
| of all the stockowners for many miles
around, was visited by the notorious James
Hurt, brother in crime, who went to him
for settlement, Scruggs having been the
receiver and salesman Of all the stolen
| stock. Hurt rode up in company with one
or two others, and not finding Scruggs at
| home repaired to the orchard to await his
return, in the meantime helping himself to
the ripe peaches which hung temptingiy
from the branches above Scruggs was well
aware of Hurts presence, but he had never
entertained the slightest notion Of dividing
| the spoils, and in a few minutes he erept
| stealthily from the store, gun in hand, and
secreted himself in the orchard, within
easy range of the unsuspecting visitor.
| Having secured this position, he raised his
weapon, and taking deadly aim, fired. As
| the fire flashed from the muzzle of the gun,
Hurt sprang bleeding from the tree under
which he was standing, and with bound
cleared the stone-fence and fell dead in the
road outside.
Scruggs surrendered himself to the au-
| thorities on finding there was no hope of
| escape, and at preliminary examination
before Justice Enoch Cunningham, he was
committed for trial before Criminal Court,
but since that time nothing has been said
or heard of the affair, Scruggs having sub
sequently joined the BroWnlow party and
become as blatant Radical as ever cursed
good principles or good men.
At about half past nine o'clock of Sat
1 L
| in company with Major Parham, was pass
ing the saloon or grocery store of Scruggs,
| that individual ran TO the door with
| double barreled shotgun, and drawing it
on them, shouted, 'By Cd, if you are
for shooting, here goesW They bawled out
to him that they were friends, when
Scruggs came out to them, seemingly much
mortified, and explained the cause of his
| strange conduct.
He stated that just before dark T. J.
| Womack, better known as Dallas Womack,
| had, with several others, entered his store
and called for whisky. This, he said, he
furnished them, but on their refusing to
| pay for it, he ordered them out. At this,
| one of them manifested a disposition TO
l draw pistol, when he ran to the house,
procured double barreled shotgun, and
swore he would shoot them if they did not
leave the place at once. They then had
| left, he said, and added: "Them id ras-
Gals have been walking by here with
double-barreleds shotgun, and if they come
back id if l don't shoot them,
for Pll be id if | shall be
driven off by a set of id rascals."
| Mr.. Porter advised him to shut up the
store and go home, but Scruggs said that
if he should do so the building would be
burned. All they wanted, ne said, was TO
get him out upon the pike, when they
would kill him and burn his house. Por-
ter and Parham advised him to be quiet
and prudent, and after some further con
versation Scruggs parted with them, bid-
ding them goodnight as he moved back to-
ward the store. Hardly had he taken a
| dozen steps, however, before the two were
startled by a sort of double explosion, as
if a double.barreled gun had been fired,
and Scruggs fell dead in his tracks A
faint wreath of smoke rising from little
shed near by was the only sign TO indicate
from whence the death-shot had come, bat
no human being was visible in its vi
cinity.
The body Of ScrUggs was soon surrounded
by a crowd and conveyed to his house,
when Justice Enoch Cunningham sum-
moned coroners jury. 1t was found that
four buckshot and FIVE small shot had
entered the back of the deceased, and a
verdict was rendered to the effect that he
come to his death by shot from a gun in
the hands of some person unknown. The
wound was examined by DIR. Reid, of Nash
vile, and DIR. kirkpatrick, of Goodletts>
Vile The members of the jury were DIR.
Reid, DIR. Kirkpatrick, DR.. A. K. Mathes,
j. G. Mathews, Andrew Milan, A. z.
Mathes, Reese w. Porter, Major Parham,
A. p. Mathes, K. A. Mathes, Z. H. Kemper
and q. W. Blakemore.
Dallas Womack and Andrew Pike being
suspected Of the shooting, were arrested,
but after preliminary examination before
Justice Cunningham, 1.-THE very officer who
IA o,,,p,sffaI CO triol for ba
killing of the guerrilla HURT they were
acquitted, four OF five witnesses swearing
they we're the men who fred, and ten others
swearing that the prisoners were at another
place when the shooting was done The
funeral of the deceased took place on Sun
day afternoon at three o'clock.
Scruggs was about fifty years of age, aud
during the war was as rampant a Rebel
as he has of late been boisterous for Brown
low. His son, James Scruggs, who was in
this city yesterday, and declared that he
would see his fathers murderers
punished, cost what it might was
in the Confederate army. 1t is gener-
ally believed that the person who COM
mitted the murder was a friend Of the
guerrilla Hurt, who like Scruggs, was shot
by hidden foe. So Well-known were the
former principles OF the murdered man,
that it was with great difficulty he procured
a certificate of registration at the Office of
Major Alden in this city, and the state
ment in the Press and Times that he was a
Union man, astonished every one who
knew him of yore. He was born and raised
in this county, and has been to great ex-
tent a dealer in live stock. Five or six
years Of his life we're spent in Kentucky.
Some months ago, an ex-federal soldier,
A. J. Quinn, addressed a card 10 the Press
and Times, stating that, in consequence Of
his loyalty, he had been warned to leave
GoodlettsYille, in which place he had To-
Gated and gone into business, and men
toned Mr.. Scruggs as one of his persecu-
! tors who wished to drive him away
Scruggs replied in a letter to one of the
Nashville papers in which he displayed
ANYTHING but the Radicalism of his latter
days.
Womack, one of the parties arrested, had
| Just returned from Kentucky, whittier he
| fled some eighteen months since, having
been charged with committing a rape
| Pike, the other, had been absent from Good
lettsyille FIVE wears, and had only recently
returned. The families Of both have al
ways been considered Union people.
| The matter has bapn remarked 70 the State