Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-09
RIOT, MURDER AND FIRE.
Serious Disturbance M Drummonsi-
town. Va.-One Man Wounded, An
other Killed. the Hotel and other
Buildings Rurned

for Aeeomac county, and, knowing
the proverbial good name of tn
people of Drummondtown and vi
cinity, and their utter condemna
| ton of all lawlessness, we regret t.
say, was also the scene of riot anC
murder, and terminating, before the
following morning, in arson-re,
ducing to ashes the large hotel occu'
pied by Henry Overton, and the
surrounding buildings thereto be-
longing, and also the storehouse
and contiguous two-story residence
belonging to DR.. Edward J. Young.
On the occasion of every August
Court, q dense concourse of peo-
pie, both white and black, assem-
bic at the county seat, irrespective
of business, age or condition in
life; and on last Monday the crowd,
all told, must have numbered at
least two thousand, for every street
and vacant lot in the vicinity of the
courthouse was moving mass of
human beings.
Notwithstanding the dense crowd
seeming to us more like an old
fashioned camp-meeting than a
mere court day-everything was
passing off in quiet and harmony
and the citizens, having experienced
some trouble in August, 1868, were
felicitating themselves on the good
order which existed among the
white and the colored population.
But sometime between the hours of
4 and 6 P. NJ, bad whisky and sour
cider began to develop their perni-
eious effects upon the brain of a set
of young, irresponsible country
boys, ranging in age from fifteen to
twenty years, who imprudently
went in among the negroes who
had selected an unoecupied square
opposite the courthouse, where they
might enjoy themselves in their
own way without molesting or be-
ing molested and while the boys,
who were, perhaps, over mischiev-
Gus, were mixing in with the ne
groes, some slight difficulty occur
red, and negro woman was seen
to have q revolver and q knife,
when one of the boys, not over six
teen, thought himself particularly
called upon to take the pistol from
her, and in the act of so doing
the woman, of course, resisting
he got one Of his hands severely cut,
and when we saw him vending his
way to DIR. Wise's Office, his hand
and arm were as bloody as though
he had dipped both into a tub of
blood. This was the signal for,
seemingly, a general row. The
word was handed around that ga
negro woman had cut q white boy"
when number of indiscreet young
men, all hailing from the country,
made a general attack upon the
negroes, and one young man by the
name of Marshall, in the general
scramble, was pierced through the
side with a knife by negro man
named Jacob Guy. Jake was
singled out and pursued, and chas-
tised at every step by some one OF
the party, while another fired upon
him with revolver. The ball took
effect between the knee and groin
passing clear through the leg, sew
ering, in its passage, the femora
artery. There being no bone
broken the negro was still able to
retreat into the store of Colburn &
Co. !; passing from thence into the
street and over the fence into the
courthouse yard, where he fell from
the loss of blood. The wound was
examined and the blood stayed by
DR.. Fitzhue, who pronounced the
chances of life against the negro
and we here add, being an eye wit
ness, that while the Doctor was en-
gagged in his examination, Jake's
guilt was established of having
stabbed young Marshall, by the
finding of a bloody knife, some
twelve inches long, upon his person.
The negro's wife was soon on the
spot, cart was procured, and she
started home with him; but he died
on the way. A coroner's inquest
was not held until W ednesday, when
verdict in accordance with the
facts and circumstances was rem
dered.
While this tragedy was being
enacted in one part of the town
another of 8 less magnitude wa
going on elsewhere, which resultet
in the beating of q negro who haC
drawn either o knife or pistol OF
| a white man. The negro, however
would have been killed had not ;
few gentlemen of influence of tn
village promptly went to his rescue
In almost one short hour iron
the commencement of this terribl
affair the town was as quiet as
Sabbath morning. A general STAN
pede took possession of the ne
groes, men and women alike, an
scarcely one was to be seen on tn
streets at seven o'clock.
| Presuming all to be quiet in an
around the village, and fearing n
other outbreak, the citizens, at thei
usual hour, without even SO muc
as taking the precautionary meas
ures of organizing night watch
retired to rest. But ere the ligh
of the following morning ha
dawned, they were aroused,
about 3 A. NJ, from their peacefI
slumbers by the ringing OF bel
and the cry of "fre." In the darl
ness and still of night, the incendi
airy applied the torch to the abov
mentioned hotel, and it, tOgethC
with the store-house and the dwell
ing also mentioned, were soon
heap of smouldering ruins. III
wind being favorable, the incend
airy, no doubt, contemplated con
plete destruction of the entire tow
but in this particular his hellis
purpose was banked, for the stor
house and dwelling were scarce
enveloped in the deVouring elemel
ere the wind changed to almost 6
opposite direction, measurably for
ing both heat and flame from off Il
, courthouse, clerks office, and adj
, cent attorneys offices /; therel
, saving them, with much exertiC
on the part of the poop
and, consequently the balan
of the town. None of t
/, | ooDoupoa6 ,1rOTarfu puaS iDaure