Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-08-20

EdSCuy - M cEhcAOs thG ACSAoSl
of the Negro ASsaSsins, Meet
with RetrfbutIFe Justice Hi
AntecedentS and How he Me
his Death-FuII and COrreC
Details of the Affair.
From the Nashville Banner o..
, The reports which reached here las
!, Sunday concerning the terrible sgedy
at Franklin the night previous, created
, as much, il not more, excitement thai
the riot st that place some months since
All sorts OF rumOrs were rife as TO the or
igin and circumstances of the affair, bu
We found no one who was able TO furnish
: us with details either consistent or salts
factory in their nature. In view of thu
unsettled state of the public mind anC
the probable effect that such an occur.
renee would be likely TO have on what j:
generally termed the "PeRce movement, y
one of the editors of this paper visited
Franklin yesterday for the purpose o.
sui jecting the affair to thorough iuves
tigation. The result of that investigs-
ton appears at length below. As, how
ever it but develops the sequel to pre-.
cediDg events equally as bloody as those
we are about to relate, a brief retrospect
will enable our readers to better cOmpre-
bend the tragic story.
4 About five weeks ago the person of a
I little girl named EZeIf, living seven miles
west Of Franklin, was brutality outraged
by a negro. Immediately after hearing
of the hellish deed the relations OF the
little girl set out to look for the villain,
but failed in their efforts up to the l7th
nit NJ in tho naEnhh nrhnnd
Of Beyd's mill, two or three miles from
the point where the outrage was commit
| ted, learned that boy answering the
| description of the one being searched for,
was plOWing in the corn field near the
I mili, went down TO where he was, arrest
ed him, and Immediately proceeded to-
ward Franklin with him, where he was
COMMITTED to jail.
| About midnight q party Of men in dis
guise appeared at the Jail and demanded
the prisoner, who was, Of course, given
| up by the jailer, but not until the latter
was forced to do so. They then left,
| taking the negro with them. The next
morning the lifeless body was found near
Douglas Church, six miles from town,
on the Lewisburg Pike. -
On the Saturday following the negroes
of Franklin and vicinity, or portion of
them, made threats THAI they would burn
the town when night came on, in rets liza
ton for the transaction Of the previous
night. This reached the ears OF the citi-
zens, who at frat were not disposed to
pay attention TO it. Finally, part of
the plot was divulged, which aroused
every one. The news spread, and soon
every one was in arms. About II O'Clock
several citizens from the country, having
Eaornad q kraa an ffafra fe1
to Franklin to see about IL, and after re-
mRiniDg an hour or two, and seeing no
Indications of trouble, retired toward
their homes. Among the party were
three or four gentlemen who went in on
the CaTter's Greek Pike. These, together
with jeremiah EZell, brother OF the
young girl about whom the whole affair
originated, young man of seventeen or
eighteen years of age, started to return
home, and had reached opposite the gate
Of Mr.. Rostick's lot, about one and half
miles from town, on the Carriers Greek
Pike, when they were fred on from be-
hind stone fence by party Of negroes,
who had concealed themselves there,
and young EzeI1 received ball through
his body. The bali entered the back and
cams out through the bowels, Great
ing q wound from which he died the
next evening hpOuI U ClOCks
For soAe time all efforts TO trace the
Identity of the parties who perpetrated
this foul assassination proved futile. Sew
eral negroes were suspected, but 1t was
not known that any white man had been
concerned in it until few days after
young EzelPs death, when certain citi-
gems of. Franklin received letters from
Nashville stating that the writers had
been of the party and that they had acted
at the instigstion and under the orders
of one Bierfield, store keeper in Frank
lin. Last Thursday, however, the fol-
lowing letter, having the Nashville post
mark on the envelope and addressed to
John NOlln, Franklin, Tennessee, was
shown by the recipient to q citizen OF the
place, who at once saw the Importance
Of Its contents and retained it in his pos
session. We give the document entire
40 Esshvil ten aug9
Mr.. John NOlin-I rite you these few
lines TO- inform you am wei but nifty
bark run hav bin down hear sens Esel
was kilt want you to go to mr. beer
fields store and tel him Ia sen me sum
muny he promist US IL we went into it he
Wuld help Us all the help he hiss ever
giVlls was the powder We had that mite
Esel was kilt /. saw nr bserfield once
sens bin down hear and he promist tn
send me sum m9Dy las week but he
never dun 1t i don't think he is gentle
man he pFornist tn help US in eaise we
got into tFubble he acted the kuoWerd
that mite for he didn't sho up after he got
us into trubble. asls.
Sum Of the boys have gon down the
river to work mr. beerfleld told Us that
we could join the meelish that he was
gwyne tn raise comPynis for yers an
Wuld be wun esptin but beleav he was
only fullen US he sed he had his conf
shun but that he didn't want TO COM
mems until the legislator nneeted so as
the laws wuid protee him but believe he
lied about it when saw him he sed the
laws wernt xactiy past yit but wuid sumo
bee but he scanned nifty Oneesy about ii
and wuIdnt give me any satisfaction
about it tell 10 jurkins tn rite to me tell
all the glrls howdee for me a. ) .H....
IL the mseIish isn't rssed you needn't
Lux for me tn cum back tn franklin sumo
rite me II jury fund bills agin Us for kill
in esel asked mister beerfields abote il
but he was 30 oneesy abote it he wuldnt
tel me anything aote it begun tn bee
Ieeleve that he il Trade of Us eullerd pee
pie give my luv to all inkwiring frens
rite slne as you get this
II ~ your fren isra,l brown (or
- COMMON p q -
tel mistur beerfeld " sen sum muny
cure.
tt may be well imagined that this let
ter occssioned considerable excitement
amonR those who were permitted toread
IT. How it fell into the hands Of young
EzelPs friends We did not ascertain, but
that they were made aware OF its con-
tents, aud to il must be attributed Bier
fields death, we can not for moment
doubt. --.--
BIerfield had small store filed with
goods on Main street, adjoining Bosttok's
livery stable. About eleven O'Clock Sat
nrday night he returned home from the
circus. A few moments afterwards some
four or five unknown men Knocked at
his bach door and demanded admittance.
he refused to permit any one to enter.
The persons outside threatened TO break
the door in. He replied that he would
give them hall If they did 30. There
were with him in the house at the time
two negroes, one Of whom assisted him
n. N oIark IN Gafurdava whafn trada " az