Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-14
THE MACON RIOT.
The Facts as Elicited Before the
Justices Court.
The True Cause OF 1.-THE Negro
Desire for AScendenCy.


Z ting court up to the taking of the cas-
Il Of number of freedmen, charged ali
u with shooting at parties attempting
quiet the rioters and with firing the ri
house of Mr.. johnson. The testimor
was closed on Friday, and upon an off
on the part of the prosecution to subm
the cases without argument, the defend
, ants, number of whom were defende
! by Messrs Sneed & Norman, elected [
: 3 have their cases argued by their counse
The court, after hearing the argum emit
: on Saturday decided as to part of tn
defendants and held over the other case
until Monday. To sum up the result
twenty-five of the guilty parties ar
now in jail and about the same humble
are at liberty.
The prosecution in every case state
to the Justices hearing the causes, tina
if there was any doubt as to the guilt 0
any of the defendants, to discharge such
A trial conducted with more fairness anC
leniency has never been witnessed. Tn
facts developed clearly show that baC
and corrupt influences had induced thu
freedmen to act in the manner they did
and in truth that the large portion o
those engaged in the disturbance cared
nothing for Collins TarPley, who wa.
killed, but simply seized on the incident
as pretext for violence cherished and
fostered towards the white citizens o.
Macon and vicinity.
The three young Tarpleys Zone o.
whom was killed., were raised by DR.
W. II. Tarpley, a citizen of Macon, and
having no children they were petted and
INDUCED by him in their boyhood, and
developed into lawless, turbulent, wicked
young men. The one, Tom, whom the
Memphis Daily Post, of the Both ult., has
represented as being beat "inhumanly''
by Boswell and johnson, declared and
stated to his uncle, Henry Tarpley, that
he was not at all hurt on Saturday before
the shooting took place. These Tarp-
ley negroes on Sunday, armed with pis-
tolls, paraded the square in Macon with
the ends of their pistols now and then
exposed, cursing and jostling around
young Boswell and johnson in a manner
calculated to provoke a collision, and
when spoken to, Collins put his hand on
his pistol with the remark that he would
give his pistol up to no ID white
man, and made an effort to draw it, not
to give it up, but to use, and then it was
that he was shot and thus provoked the
collision that caused his death. The other
two brothers, Tarpleys, are aroused and
frenzied, and not knowing who was shot,
madly and impotently fire off their pis.
tolls, and when DR.. Tarpley, who had so
tenderly raised them, commanded them
to put up their pistols and become quiet,
he is answered by violent curses and
total disregard of him as a peace officer.
And yet on trial both Of these young
Tarpleys are discharged and not held to
answer for any Offense.
The efforts of DR.. Tarpley as Justice
of the Peace, and of the quiet, orderly
citizens of the town failing to quell the
increasing turbulence of the negroes,
and while party is being made up and
and organized to pursue and arrest Bos~
we'll and johnson, armed with guns,
pistols and clubs, avowing boldly their
intention shoot, hang and kill them if
arrested, messenger is sent for Mr..
Matthews, a constable, mot by the ne
groes however, but by an order~obserying
citizen, to come and 90 with the crowd
and try and control them and keep them
from violence He does go, but the ne"
groes were ahead of him, two miles to
the house of the father of young BJs-
and surround and picket the house, and
r,rah fhrnunh Fhn W M
and closets, turning up beds, cursing
and abusing the females of the houses
hold and breathing curses and threats
of numbering young Boswell to his moth
er and sisters. When told by Matthews,
the officer, not to riot over the house he
is answered by bowls and curses. Not
finding Boswell or Johnson here, they
haste to the house of the father of young
johnson, cursing and abusing the elder
johnson, shifting and changing guns and
weapons, avoiding the light Of candle or
lamp to escape recognition, and on arriv-
ing at Johnson's, eursing and abusing
visitors at the house, and causing some
young ladies who had retired for the
night to get up and permit them to search
their room--and here, to end the matter,
fire is put to the gin house of johnson,
and when discovered and asked to aid in
putting it out, derisiVe laugh is the
reply, and but one of their crowd went
to aid in subduing the fire, viz: freedr
man, EmaRuel Thompson, who was dis
charged from custody upon this fact being
elected in the examination
They return to Macon, and all night
parties are coming into Macon armed.
Next morning citizens, white and black,
are stopped and halted, and not suffered to
pass in or out Of town, guns being dis
| played. The inquest is held by the coro-
| ner, and when advised and told by him
to put up their guns and dispense, they
res0utely and sullenly refused to do so,
saying to some citizens the time had come
| for them TO take the law into their own
hands, and that they, The negroes, outnumA
| bered the whites five 10 one. And again,
when the coroner, with some seven or
eight men, entered the town, the negroes
| gathered their guns with one accord, and
| when told not to fire, that they would not
be hurt, volley of fifty shOs ID the re-
ply, ami then, when the pose fire, they
| scatter in every direction, and are picked
/ w dilu hIEESlCt hhu kbSASs
! No violence is committed on them or
allowed, but they are brought and turned
over to be tried by law, and the action of
the officers and court trying them is by
the 'let US have peace, lying, insurrec-
tionary sheet Of Memphis, declared to be
an effort to humble the colored people
living near Macon, Tenn, who dared tC
be independent 1t is independence to
wantoniy abuse citizens, male and fe-
male, at their homes at the hour of nigh
to fire houses, curse and abuse the te'
males of the household, defy the officers
of the law, and declare that death shall
follow their arrest of parties sought by
them2 This is all right and very indie
pendent" on the part of "colored eth
zens;" but when arrested and tried by
the law and the evidence, it is pronounce (
an effort to humble the cOlOred citi
zens.
A newspaper editor who thus wanton
ly eutrages the peace and quiet of PEG
pie by upholding lawlessness, and per
verting the facts alleged as an excuse 70
that lawlessness, deserves the unqualife,
execration and scorn of all orderly
, well.dispOsed persons. No better evi
dence of the settled and fixed purpose G
the whites to observe law and preserv
order can be produced, than the fact tina
a newspaper can be published in thei
, midst containing such incendiary false
9 hoods as contained in the articles ap
t pearing in the issues Of the Memphi
/ Daily Post of the 30th ult and 4th inst
E and yet that paper be allowed to exist AN
that without provoking irrepressible VI
, olence. Still this sheet lives, lies an
: has its being in our midst without inter
u ruption, and its publications are made il
T directly exciting exciting discord al