The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1868-12-25
burglary and Execu ion.

Burglary ana EXecu lon.
On Thursday night. the 18th inst, the
Store house of J. T. Fisher, colored meF
chant Of this place. was entered, and about
one thousand dollars in money stolen. On
Friday. the next day, Alex Mason and
Tyler Clack, both colored,9 were arrested
Oh suspicion at the instance Of Fisher
That night they vera edged in our county
jail, and about 3 o'6lockoin the morning
body OF men 10 Disguise. variously estima.
ted 9from fifteen to fifty, went to the jail
and demanded. The keys Of the jail from
Sheriff Parsons. who was The keeper. and
who being unable, Of course, to resist such
a force, delivered up the keys. They then
opened the outer door Of the Jail, and pro-
ceeded to the cell in which Alex Mason was
confined. from which, after violent resis-
lance on the part Of the prtSoner. be was
taken. Aud as. soon as he reached the
outer door. he attempted TO escape by run
ming, when he was fred upon and killed.
There is nosdoubt that Mason vas guilty
Of the robbery, as We are informed that
when be was logged in jsil, in the evening,
he told a prisoner who was in the cell with
him. that he had Fishers money, and ex-
pected an attempt would be made to kill
him that night, and if he would. help him
hold Che door (Which opens on the inside)
and to defend himself, he would give bin
S3Ooof the money. This ie not The first
Eofense5o Of which Mason has been guilty.
He was under bond for his appearance al
the. present term of our Circuit Court, for
resisting lawful process. and SHOOTING one
of a Sheriff posse. while attempting to
arrest him :upona charge of larceny He
has also been once tried in this Court for
larceny since The war. He has been once
indicted IN Davidson county for horse steal
ing, and remained there tw elxe OF. eighteen
monthsin prison; and once indicted in Lin
coin county for the came offense. No less
than half dozen robberies have been com
smiltee in this place within the last four 81
five months, and it is generally believed
that Mason was the thief, or one of the
thieves, as it is also believed that he was
the leader of a band Of professional thieves,
He had no occupation, save that Of gamb-
ling and the supposed one of stealing
There is no doubt but be wasza terribly bad
and desperate negro. He-bad even becom,
terror 70 his own race, and was alike obi
Gus to both whites and blacks.
But while all this may be so, while he
may have beer. covered all over with crime
still We protest long and earnestly agaiDs
Il tile maSuer Of his execution The civil
law should. and must have its course, elst
no mans life in the land is safe We bav,
always been opposed to moblaw, but ow
ling to the frequency of these summary ex
ecutions, we now more loudly than eve
Eprotest against them. They unsetue GU
social organizations, and startle the safet,
. Of. the whole community, to say nothing Q
the violation Of law involved And, al
though the executed may have deserve,
i his fate, there is a legal way provided 70
him TO meet that fate; and if he meets it j
j any other. public sentiment should. and
does condemn the: proceeding. We trusl
f therefore, thatzWe will never have enolhe
, ons Of these avn occurrences in the. cour
ty Of Giles, as long zas. We have. legal II
bunaIs or the sem blance Of law lelt in. Ii
laud. Let us. oh let us neQer have anothe
one of these startling. tragedies. In pol
: tics, Mason vas q Democrat; he voted 4
y Seymour in the0fate Presidential election
= and used his2infueDce for the Democrat
II ticket