Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1869-12-23


coming forward that his company
left him in disgust, and followed
the fiery Grover, whose company
had gone home to dinner. Davis
still could not make up his mind
to go home, but 'sgot into Calvin
Coles wagon and followed the
boys at distance;" SO that he
had at last the luck to be in at
the closing scene, and the honor
to be indicted with the rest. The
speeches Of Grover and Sharp
were rather vague; the purpose
of murder does not seem to have
been limited. They protested a.
gainst "being made the tools and
puppets of Tommy Ford" They
were going to Carthage to see the
boys, and talk things over. Some
of the cooler heads, such as DR..
Hay, surgeon of the regiment, de-
nounced the proceeding and went
at once back to Warsaw.
While they were waiting at the
shanties, a courier came in from
the Carthage Grays. 1t is i'm
possible at this day to declare ex-
actly the purport OF the message.
1t is usually. reported and believed
that he brought an assurance from
the officers of this company that
they would be found on guard at
the Jail where the Smiths were
confined; that they would make
no real resistance merely enough
to save appearances.
This message was not commu-
nicated to the men. They fol-
lowed their leaders off ON the
road to Carthage, with rather
vague intentions. They were an
noyed at the prospect of their
picnic coming SO readily to close,
at losing the fun of sacking Nau-
VOC, at having to go home without
material for q single romance
Nearly one hundred and fifty
started with their captains, but
they gradually dwindled in num-
Der to seventy-fve. These
trudged along under the fierce
summersun of the prairies towards
the town where the cause of all
the trouble and confusion of the
last few years awaited them.
The farther they walked the
mere the idea pressed itself upon
them that now was the time to fin
ish the matter totally. The un-
avowed design of the leaders COM
municated itself magnetically to
the men, until the entire compa-
ny became fused into one mass of
bloodthirsty energy. By an ex-
cess eff precaution, they did not
go directly into the town, but
made long detour, so as to come
in by the road leading from Nau-
VOC.
The Jail where the Smiths were
is situated at the extreme
northwestern edge of the dismal
village, at the end of a long, ill
kept street whose middle is a dusty
road and whose sides are gay with
stramonium and dog-iennel. As
the avengers came in sight of the
mean.looking building that held
their prey, the sleeping tiger that
turks in every human heart sprang
up in theirs, and they quickened
their pace to a run. There was
no need of orders-no possibility
of checking them now. The
guards were hustled away from
the door, good-naturedly resisting
until they were carefully disarmed,
and while their commander, Lieut..
Frank Worrell, was struggling
with his friendly assallants, as ma
ny as the narrow entry,would hold
had rushed into the open door
and up the cramped little stairs.
Smith and his brother had been
that day removed from their cells
and given comparative liberty in
large airy room on the first floor
above, This afternoon they were
receiving the visits of two Mormon
brethren, Richards and Taylor
They heard the row at the door
and the rush on the stairs, and in