Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-26
rmE aOoDLErrsvILIE TRAGEDY.


nsOny fer the Prosecution.
/ The second preliminary examin alton in
the case Of Z. J. Warmack and Andrew
Pike, charged with the murder Of William
scruggs, a saloon-keeper at GoodlettsyiIle,
opened Yesterday in the Criminal Court
room, before Justices Wilkinson, Mathews
and McCarty.
Mes5rs. McCIanshau and Glare appeared
for the State, and Judge Guild, Gen. Bate
and E. H. East, Esq, for the prisoner.
/ Counsel for defense submitted the fol-
loving sworn statements:
NASHVILLE, July p, lS67.-Affiant
makes oath that he is innocent of the crime
with which he is charged that he returned
| from Kentucky about ten days before the
/ alleged murder OF WIN. Scruggs that he
/ had been absent from Tennessee since Sep /
! TENDER, 1865. Afhant states that be had
no difficulty with deceased, and the only
! dispute that he recolleets ever having with |
| deceased was on the evening Of bis death, |
| when he (afiiant) was very drunk, and has |
| no distinct recollection Of what occurred |
! in regard thereto; has no recollection of |
| making any threat against him. The last |
| thing that afiant remembers to have oc-
CURED that evening was his taking |
! drink with Col. Steve Bowers, on the pike, |
! between Scruggs' and brakes groceries, |
except that he was very sick and vomiting |
| at his mothers house, and was put to bed, |
! from which he did not get up except when |
/ removed from the pallet on the porch TO |
| his bed Up stairs sometime during the |
night. Afiiant states that he had no reason |
! to desire the death Of Wm. Scruggs, and |
did not desire it had no gun that day, and |
| did not own one, and if there was one at |
| his mothers he did not know it; did not |
! know Of his death until next morning; was |
| surprised to hear it, and equally so to be |
arrested on account thereof next morning. |
| Affiant further states that he was tried and |
! acquitted Of the oaense the morning Of his |
| arrest and the morning after his (Scrugg's) |
| death, before 4. Cunningham, Esq. and !
| that, being conscious of his innocence, is |
! ready and DESTROYS for another investiga~ |
| ton, though il is a great hardship upon |
him, as he is poor and unable to bear the !
| expense Of such trials, to say nothing of |
the modification and annoyance that such |
| an allegation necessarily subjects any man
| 70, similarly situated.
I. J. WARMACK.
The ahiant Andrew Pike makes oath |
that he never had any difficulty or words /
Of dispute with the deceased VIM. Scruggs. |
That Thomas Warmack was so drunk The |
evening Of the death Of VIM. Scruggs that |
he could not walk by himself, and about /
dusk the afiiant and Mat Warnack carried |
the said Thomas WarIaack from Goodletts- |
vile to Mrs. WaunacI's house, which was |
about three hundred yards in the upper |
edge of GoodLettsyille This was before |
dark. We put him in chair, he fell over /
on another chair, and he yomited.an lay |
on the chair some few minutes, and then |
his mother put down pallet, and Thomas |
Warmac< then was laid on the pallet, |
where he remained until about 10 o'clock |
and then afiiant and Mat. Warmack carried |
him mp stairs, where he remained all night. |
Atliant here positively states that neither |
he or the said Thomas Warmack, had any |
thing to do with the shooting of VIM |
Scruggs and are entirely innocent of his /
death. That neither of them had shot |
gun that day, and there was no shotgun |
about the house that he saw or knew of. |
ANDREW PIKE.
Fifty nine witnesses were then put under |
the rule, and the following testimony was
adduced
FOR THE PROSECUTION.
ames +. Scruggs (son Of deceased)
VIM. Scruggs was shot last Saturday night |
| on the turnpike outside his house. Two |
shots were fred. He died Immediately |
after being shot There were either three
or four holes shot through him, and there /
were bird shot too. / was lie the saloon
when the shqoting was done It
wgs about kalf past oine o'clock,
Nv father had Seen drinking, but was moi
drunk or ont D The way" There was a
public meeting al Goodlettsyille that day.
He had a difficulty with T. J. Warmack
during the evening. Warmack, Pike,
man named Drake, and some one else came
up to the bar and asked for drinks
asked Warmack who would pay for the
drinks. he said that he was either a
hummer or barber and that the way he
got his drinks was by beating bar-keepers
He then started towards the bar, behind |
which my father stood, meanwhile fixing a
pistol Father ordered him to leave, and |
went TO the house and got a gun. When |
he returned, Warmack was in the door, and |
still hesitated about going, but soon went I
off up the pike. Fifteen minutes after, he |
/ came back toward the saloon staggering, as
if drunk. He was not drunk when he left /
the saloon. When my father saw War |
mack coming he went to the door with
gun, saying he would shoot Warmack, |
when the gun was shown, appeared to be-
| come sober, and started up toward |
brakes grocery, remained short time,
and started back with Mat Warmack, his /
brother, coming within fifteen PAGES OF the
saloon, and then went back to brakes / |
was sober Mai, Ned, and 7. J. Warmack |
| and Andrew Pike passed the saloon a short |
| time after. Father was in the house. 4. |
j. Warmack and Pike seemed to be fixing |
something under their clothiag. Neither |
Of them appeared to be drunk. They |
walked on few steps, then came back and /
| went up the road together ! next saw |
| Pike and t. j. Warmack pass at night |
near the center of the street; saw them then /
! by the light of our saloon lamp; War |
| mack had shot gun. They were walking |
! slowly, and ] didn't see them after they |
| passed. This was few minutes before the |
| shooting. They wore dark clothes, differ |
| ent suits from those worn by them during /
| the day. The shot that struck my father |
| came from the shed Of the blacksmith shop. |
! Did not see them go into the shed, aud |
! didn't see them shoot, but saw two Aashes. |
| Did not see Pike have a gun. The /
! shooting occurred four or tive minutes |
after they passed the saloon, Previous |
TO that day my father and Pike and |
] Warmack were not friends, but no diff |
| entity had ever occurred between them. |
| When the four men passed the saloon, |
| Mat. Warmaek and Pike were not taking |
! T. J. Warmack to his mothers house, and |
| he was not drunk / WAS armed with two |
/ pistols. Mr.. Porter and MAJOR Parham |
came up just before the shooting; they |
were about twenty 1--we or thirty feet of, |
but we did not recognize them, for they |
/ had not come into the light. Father did F.!
not hear them say who they were; War |
| mack did not ask credit OF my father for !
| liquor There was a public meeting during |
the day, and a good deal OF drinking,
principally by the blacks.
Reese W. Porter testified Said lac lived
at Goodlettsyille; have lived in this county
since 1853; knew Mr.. Scruggs he was
( killed at about half-past nine o'clock the
"a a, IL. /