Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-27
A BLOODY WAR I'm OBION
COUNTY.
A Body of MaSkerS Attack q
HCuSe and are RepulSed
With Great Loss.
Two Of Them are Killed and
Two Others Badly
Wounded.
Five Negroes Subsequently
Killed by q MOb---ReIi-
able Statement Of
Persons Con-
cerned.
From the Memphis Avalanche, Nov. Is.

riously wounded. The simple particulars
of the little war were detailed to US last
night by reliable gentleman named
Willis Jones, upon whose plantation in
Obion county, some of the blood was shed,
and the tragedy had its origin. He was
accompanied by ]. FL. Wells, another citi-
zen of ObiOn county, who has large plan
tation near Troy. Mr.. Jones is a mer-
chant as well as planter, and lives at Tip
tonville in the above named county. On
his plantation there are two groups of
cabins-One at the north end and the other
at the south end-and situated about a
mile or so apart In these cabins dwelt
his colored men, most of them his former
slaves. Mr.. Jones represents that county,
and particularly his part of it, as being
very profitable place for farming and labor
as very scarce-in fact there was quite a
rivalry about labor. There is also another
circumstance which seems to have no little
influence in bringing about whatever of
i'll feeling existed there, from which the
present fearful tragedy resulted. On ac-
count of the land being naturally rich,
| and consequently very valuable, number
of white men, who own no land them
| selves, are very DESTROYS of renting.
Many of the planters do not wish to rent
out their land, preferring to work it them
selves by hiring negroes, whose labor they
| find profitable. The landless farmers do
| not like this, and frequently show their
resentment in very rude manner. 1t is
not certain that the present difficulty Origi-
| mated in this way, but, in the absence of
| al, - hanNv,na5
essary to make this explanation, as il may
serve to throw some light or the bloody
events which follow.
On last Monday week, late in the light,
a gang of six masked men went to the
| group of cabins at the northern extremity
of Mr.. Jones' plantation, took out one of
| the colored men and laid him on the
| ground, as if they were about to whip
him. They took the arms which they
found in the cabin, with the view of con
| fiscating them. A son of Mr.. Jones, who
happened to be al the cabins, ran and told
| his father how things were. He went
Immediately to the scene and demonstrated
with the intruders. They alleged as their
reason for the extraordinary proceedings
that the negroes had arms, that they had
no right TO have them, and would not be
| allowed to keep them. Mr. Jones finally
| persuaded them to 90 off, remarking in
his conversation with the principal man of
| the gang that his negroes were peaceable,
that they interfered with no one, and
that he would not allow any one to inter
| fere with them in the peaceable pursuit of
| their business. They then left the place,
| and Mr.. Jones retired to his own dwelling.
| In about two or three hours afterward
they again returned. 1t was now about
one or two in the morning, and as they
passed the cabins they commenced firing.
According to instructions received from
Mr.. Jones, the negroes returned the fire
and beat the fellows away. Thus ended
the first encounter, without any blOOdshed.
Mr.. Jones, who is an eminently re-
spectacle citizen, and evidentlya man not
to be trifled with, had formed the deter
minatiOn, to protect" as he says, his
"cOlOred men from all outrage" He was
a strong Southern man himself all through
the war, had three sons in the COnfeder-
ate army. And he felt it his duty to see
that his people were not mOlested in any
way, and he resolved that they should
not; so he encouraged his six negroes to
resist every attempt that might be made
to interfere with his rights. He taught
them that no man, white or black,
had any right or preteXt TO go to their
cabins at the dead of night and poster
them. When the negroes felt that they
had the moral support of their employer
as well as that of other respectable plant
ers in the neighbOFhOod, they became
courageous and resolved tO.defend them
selves. The week, however, passed off
TRANQUILITY enough, and no fears of rep
| etitiOn of the visit were entertained until
Saturday afternoon, when unaccOuntable
riding up and down the road was OBJ
served. This, with other signs of an I'M
usual character, aroused the fears of the
negroes and of Mr.. Jones. They became
convinced that visit would be paid that
night, and preparations were made accord
ingly.
The cabin in which they assembled is q
dOuble-log, with a passage in the middle,
same as those commonly seen in the
country. Mr.. Jones, with young man
named Albert Nall, son of Hon. R. G.
Nall, formerly a member of the Legisla-
ture, were in the cabin at the time, sitting
at the fire. In the other end of the cabin
were two work negroes, armed with guns.
!, They began to think that no visit would
be made that night, when the door, be
hind which was nothing but brick, was
showed open, and three men stepped, in
some foot or two, and commenced blazing
away at the group round the fire. The
fire was returned with spirit, and the three
men reeled back disCOmftted. The ne
groes in the other wing of the cabin,
being reused up by the sound of the
firing. opened their door and fired a volley
into the retreating assailantS. Young
Nall Jumped in between the cOmbatants,
and called upon both parties to stop.
, This produced a cessation of hostilities,
} during which one of the maskers was
captured, and would have been shot by &
negro but for the interpositiOn of Nall
, | whose mission was for peace. He wa:
allowed to go and join his companions
= some so yards away across a field. Ii
the fight man called Robert DickensOI
: was shot in the face and killed instantly
! | He lived seven miles off across the Ken
2 | lucky line, and was most respectfully con
: | nected. He was about 20 years old
l One of those mortally wounded was hi:
cousin, Benjamin Becham, from the SAINT
7 | neighborhOOd, and about the same age.
: 1t may be proper to state here that dur
ing the war the father and grandfathe
/ | and five brothers and sisters of Dickinson
5 were murdered by some negro Union sol
, | diers. The recollection of such bloody
= deed may have had some influence upOl
e | the present disturbances.
a This was on Saturday night. The PEG
ple about Jones' were well aware afte
: this that a great excitement would b.
e raised, and that the negroes would be r
! great danger. Jones himself was fO
, keeping them where they were and bravinl
!, every danger and resisting every assault
T knowing that he was in the right; but th
! advice and circumstances of friend
s whom he respected induced him TO chang
C his mind, and he allowed the negroes I
e 90 into the woods, where they RENAME
: all night and returned in the morning
It On Sunday the place was surrounded an
) three of the negroes were captured in til
T woods. Subsequently three more wei
taken, and in company with two gentle
8 men named Hines, and some others, VIII
/, undertook to be responsible for the
d safety, the whole six were marched off {
y the county jail at Troy, twenty-five mil'
re distant. After crossing ReelfOOt riv'
At they halted at the Rev. ]. Blacksheari
is thinking they were out of all danger
rs They were not long there, however, WhC
they were surrounded by an infuriate
mob, who demanded the six prisoner
1t would be entirely vain to resist tn
), passionate crowd, SO the prisoners wei
# all given up save one, who was not pa
Al ticipant in the previous fights They we
4 taken some distance from the place al
M the five of them riddled through an