Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-06-27


him again about half-past nine O'clock
and again at the time of the alterca.
ton between him and Col. Crane;
when I saw him at five o'clock he ap-
peared to be q good deal excited, and
spoke of the indignity offered his fam
ily during his absence by Col. Crane.
He asked me to send him a carriage;
at this interview he told me that he
had telegraphed Col. Crane not to ad;
vertise the piano; the next time that
| saw him was about nine o'clock, at
the store door of Ash q I4emly; |
passed him by, merely asking how
did he feel, probably asked him to
! come to my Office; remained in my
Office all the morning, till near one
o'clock, when / walked up to TaylOr's
corner and returned; directly on my
return | met Col. Crane; / remained
in my office about fifteen minutes and
again returned to the corner; on my
return | saw ar. Yerger and DIR. Ca
/ haniss coming up the street together;
I / did not see Col. Crane then, a few
moments afterwards Col. Crane fol-
lowed behind them; as he was about
to pass them DIR. Cabaniss and the
prisoner separated; the prisoner
said something, l was too far off
to hear what it was he then said, | dis
patched You from Memphis; some few
words ensued, l got closer to them, near
the millinery store, where I stood till
the fight commenced; / WAS not close
enough to hear distinctly what was
said; Col. Crane struck Mr.. Ycrger
with q cane he had in his hand; they
then clinChed, as thought, and
fought their way into Browns store;
| ran down and hallOOed and said,
gentlemen, for Gods sake, stop this
thing; | ran up and pulled mynephew
from off Col. Crane, and looked round
for the Doctor. | said to Dr. Caba-
Mss, for Gods sake come here lie
felt his pulse and said, hc is a dead
man, or he soon will be. | turned
and said, Edward go home. He then
threw down the knife and picked it
up and followed him; it was very
bloody, and / got very bloody myself
in pulling him of, | walked with
him to Spengler's corner, and said, go
home. | went into the barber-shOp
and washed my hand; / then went
to my Office and put the knife away.
Afterwards I saw Judge Harris, and
AlltllllbIlNl " lillll llliit 4 ilslAl AAlt
knife; also TO Mr.. Fulton Anderson.
| only washed my han,ls and put the
knife away that it might be had when
wanted. / then concluded to 90
home, and went up to Edward Yer
gers house; some persons passed me, !
walking very rapidly, and l remarked /
that | thought they were going up 10
arrest Edward. When-I got to the |
house, they had him under arrest. /
The first man | met was Col. Mckee; |
he picked up a paper and handed it to |
me, and asked what did il mean; it |
was a challenge; ! said il must have |
fallen out of Edwards pocket. They /
arrested him and took him of. | |
changed my clothes and returned to /
town, and telegTaphed his mother the /
facts. 4 short time afterward. Mr..
Isler came to me and got tie knife
Gn crOss-exammation Mr.. Yerger /
stated that to the outside world the /
prisoner was regarded as insane. L /
have heard his peculiar conduct dis /
cussed in the family, and the impress
sion was that he was insane. Heard /
his mother and wife discuss this mat /
ter. My wife told his mother; if that /
was her QpiniGdii she ought to have (
him rOhfned in M asylum. Have |
frequently heard other membcrsseX-
press the opinion that he was not in
his right mind. During our inter
course, he always went armed think.
He was prone tOJgct angry; was die
tatOrial and arbitrary: hardly any (
reasonable obstacle would hare. pre- +
vented him rom carrying his p0int.-3
l met him often after the receipt of
his message saying ne would not re-
cOgnize me. ! was never impressed
satisfactorily that his mind was affect
ed. Ny conduct would have been the
same if had regarded him a. an in
sane person, for l alWay5 considered /
him dangerous man. to- me, and ] /
tried to keep away from linn 1t /
would not have been my province to
have arrested him; ] might have sug-
gested II. | would have acted differ
entity had | believed hewas dangerous
to the community.
Witness related a number OF Incl !
dents that went TO prove the insanity
of the prisoner. Ills mental condition
has beena subject of conversation in
the family for four or five years;I l have
said 10 different members
of the family that he was certainly
crazy. There are hereditary traits of
in his family; we always un-
derstO0d that some persons on the ma
ternal side were very crazy. l know /
something myself in reference to these
things; it goes back 4 good many
years, to his great grandfather who
died in 1921 or ID. He was of the
prisoners temperament, very eXcita-
bic. | saw him particularly on one
occasion inhicting punishment on
himself, whipping himself; he aban-
dOned his family in one of these moods
and lived With the Cherokee Indians
for many years, Ny uncle sent for
him and had him brought to his
house, and there the old man died. [
have always understood from the fam
lily that at times he was quite crazy. \
i think there was another member of I
the ialnily crazy, a female member.
1t wastle general impression Of the
family that some of the maternal an
cestGrs of accused were deTanged. |
only know of my own knowledge the
case of old Mr.. HaineS. | knew
Judge Edward Scott; he was one
of the most eccentric men / ever
knew; one Of the most violent men in
his Younger days, though q great man
in his profession; he would imagine .
he would imagine himself I
one thing, then another; l have heard /
that he Imagined himself teapot
once, OF late the prisoner has drank
a little toe much, mere than was ne
cessary at times. At the time of his
when Mr.. Taylor was
called in 1t was some family matter,
] don't know what; his wife said he
had been drinking. [ regarded him
at that time as a crazy man; his crazi-
ness might have been augmented by
liquor. Persons in the house were so |
that they did not know what
was the matter. | do not know that /
/ ever saw man with deleriun tee-
mems. I am not acquainted with the
of the disease. DIR. !
Craft said it was excitement of the {
brain; he had net been drinking a I
great deal before that that l know of.
He takes a little something every day;
l would think a person in delirium /
tremens was crazy; | think his family |
were always proving upon