Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-19
TIE sIMONs HOMICIDE.
A Correct Statement of the
Facts.
simOns Selects His Coffin Before
Death.
Curious Affair.

The Southern Eagle, Of Water Valley,
Mss, gives the following account Of the
tragedy which occurred at that place q
few days ago:
Since our last issue in which we gave
an account Of the lynching OF a negro
ravisher) our town has been the scene Of
another shocking tragedy, which &C.
Cured soon sitter dark on the evening Of
the llth ius5., in front OF the Collins
House, and vas the immediate result Of
a |rencOntre between John W. Markham,
= citizen Of the place, and q Mr.. Doe
Simons, q stranger here, OF whom moth
lag 10 positively known save that be vas
the hired roller man u of the " kenop
gambling concern OF which Markham
WAS one OF the propriat9rs. Nor is any
thing positively known Of the origin Of
the difficulty, though il Seem 10 DC Uai-
verssily understood that it grew Out OF
the determination OF Eim0ns to quit
" rolling" for the "keRoD players, which
determination Markham, his employer,
bitterly opposed, When the |genc0n5re
began, by Markham ~asssulting Sim0ns,
the spectators thought they were "scui-
ding merely for fun" or " playing make
believe CT a ight.n Soon, however, il
was discovered that they were in earnest,
the parties clenched. and after a bFiei
struggle fell TO the grUuDd-SimOHs fail.
ing on top. While 10 this position,
Slua0ns - according 10 several OF tie
bystaDders, with mis- knee resting Oh
Magkham's chest, bis left baud grasp
ing his collsr-wEs heard to say "
DO not intend to hurt you, nor
shall you XII me,'l at the same time
feeling about MATkhGmls person, as /.
looking for, or trying to get hold of his
lMaTkham's) pistol. At this moment. |
Two of Aarkham's SONS came running
up, and Z Of them presenting a pistol
ut Simons, ordered hin to get eff his
fatheT-accompaDying the order with q
threat OF Instant death. At this point,
the evidence is somewhat conflicting (
but it seemst to be certain, that Simons
young MarkhGn's order, that be
got up, anu, while endeavoring to retreat
within the hotel hard by, was fired on |
by the elder Markham With q pistol. the
bail from which taking effect in his
breast, caused his death within twenty |
minutes,
No arrest aCGs made until the neat day, |
when, subsequent to the COrOner's in
qusst, young Arthur Markham, who
came up during the fight (but not the
one who presented the pistol ct Simons,) |
was arrested rs accessory to the hOmi-
cide-his father and elder brother having |
~abseOpded.
This is q bare outline of the leading |
ia this case, as developed by the
testimony bef5re the Coroner's Jury.
Simons, it seems, had q cane in his hand
the fight or scUf1i9, and though il
was not proved before the jury that he
used it, yet MaTkhamis friends, we hear, |
claim that he did and, furthermore, |
that while Markham was down, SimOns
beat and stamped him about the chest.
The mystery" about this tragic af-
fair referred to in the caption, il this
On Monday morning, some ten or twelve
hours before the reneOntre, Simons went
10 the store CT Messrs. Darrell 81 Chance, |
undertakers and furniture dealers, and
selecting n coffin which he thought you'd
ut his body remarked that he believed
that those people were going tn kill him
l0ng.n Who he meant by "thOse
.peoplep was not clearly indicated 81
first, but before leaving the store Mr..
Darrell ia certain that he heard him de-
John Markham. The name Of
the other proprietor of the Keno ma
chine "a Mr.. BRc0n-was not men,
at the time, or IN connection with
Be this as it may, however,
should not omitto mention that said
Bacon stopped running his "deadfalin
ST once, and bundling up his fatal tools
and traps, ttst0od not upon the order OF
bis going,n but left mex morning on the
irst train, for Memphis. And so, fare
well We hope, a long farewell, to Ike
1op'
Simons, we understand, claimed to be
ihe son OF g wholesale dry goods mer-
chant now doing business in Cincinnati
md represented that, being out OF mo
Iey, he only temporarily. engaged, st
g so a day, to "roll" for the Keno
nen-Markham 81 Bacon-to relieve inn
Mediate, pressing necessities; that be-
the drst employment worth accept
ng that offered. Whether this be true
II not, it is now positively certain that
Keno was the way to death Tor him, as
I has been for many otbers-others, too,
letter known, and with fE more friends
han he, poor unknown, unfortunate ST.
nons seems to have had.AA