Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-05-27
Intense Excitement Among the Citizens and
Police.
The wOuld-be Murderer Escapes, Etc, Etc.

Last night, just before the performance
| commenced at the Parlor Concert Hail. a
( man named johnson, who, we are told, Is
a carpenter. and has a shop on Thlrd slreet
| between Jefferson and Court, passed IN me
| front door and demanded drink al me
| counter. He was considerably under the
induence of Iiuuor at the time, and Mr..
Jim Schools, one of the proprietors, seeing
this. declined to give it to him. Johnson,
| on the refusal, got very angry, and struck
at Schools, who returned the blow, but
before a fight could occur Johnson was
hustled out of the house, Schools follow
ing him TO the door.
As soon as he got on the sidewalk john
son drew a revolver, seeing which, being
unarmed and wishing toavoid a difficulty,
Schools retreated into the house, behind
the screen which stands before the en-
trance, and as he did so Johnson fired at
him. The ball sped wide of its mark and
struck Mons. Veaudemont, the "only or
iginal can-canist," in the hip, making an
ugly and a very severe wound.
AS soon as he fired this shot, the noise
of which instantly drew a crowd, john
son, still holding his pistol in his hand,
ran toward the corner of Jefferson, where
he was headed OFF by officers Rice n
SWEET, who ordered him TO halt. He did
not obey the order, however, and ran up
jefferson toward the Postoffice, Rice and
SWEET pursuing him.
At the corner of Third he turned at bay,
and as they came up fired on SWEET, tax
ing deliberate aim, end hitting him just
below the heart, on the left side, the ball
passing through and coming out beneath
the shoulder blade behind.
Rice seeing his partner fall, drew and
fired on Johnson, but with what effect is
not known, and the latter on receiving
the fire instantly replied to il, striking
Rfaa IN thu rsubt him The hall ~rauUinU
downward, and making a painful but not
a dangerous wound. Rice, after being
hit, fired two more shots, but the wound
u~nsteadied his hand, and he shot wide of
the mark. Johnson also emptied the
chambers Of his pistol, and then resumed
his flight, and up to writing, eleven
has not been heard from, though
the police are hunting for him in every
direction.
The noise of the firing emptied the va
rious saloons in the neighborhood, and the
streets were soon thrOnged with a dense
and excited crowd, from whom aid was
summoned and the two wounded men
carried around TO the First District sta
tionhouse, where DR.. Lynch attended
them. He found the ball in Swett's
wound lying under the skin of the back
but in Rice's wound he was unable to
find it at the time. At nine O'Clock they
were sent TO their homes, both suffering
severely, but SWEET seemingly far more
so than Rice.
Mons. NeaudemOnt's wound was also
attended by DIR. Lynch and the bullet ex-
tracted. 1t Is, as we stated, very serious
and painful, but not mortal.
As Dol as the news of the shooting got
abroad-which it did with the wings ofthe
wind-eXaggerated and distorted in every
conceivable manner, the widest excite
ment prevailed, and Threats of Judge
Lynch were heard OF every side. The
confusion and excitement were increased
a hundred fold by the ringing of the fire
which many took to be the signal
of a riot.
The First District stationhouse was the
of attraction for the time, and for
hours after the occurrence the street and
were blocked up with crowds
to get the particulars or to hear
from the wounded men.
Every effort is being made by the po-
lice TO catch the desperate, who SO rcck-
lessly ran amuck," and if he is found
before the men cool down it will go hard
with him.