Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-03
The Roach Murder.

! From the Vicksburg Herald of the
1st inst. we gather the following par
I ticulars Of this murder, of which we
have heretofore had but a mere ru-
NOR by telegraph. The Herald quotes
Mr.. McDowell's testimony, as follows
"AbOut two o'clock pm. Wednes-
/ day, the 26th inst, witness was with
| the deceased and his brother David,
on the Good Hope plantation, on
/ Wolf Lake, in YaZOO county. Hav.
| ing sat down to dinner deceased helped
! David Roach to ham, but without eat
ing, he, David, left the table and the
room. Witness and deceased, after
| dinner, went into a bedroom adiOin-
! ing, and were sitting, one on each
| side Of the fireplace, reading newspa-
| pers, when David Roach entered and
| took a seat between them. Mr.. Nc
! DOwell is somewhat deaf, and states
/ if David made any remark after COM
] ing in and sitting down he did not
hear them. Says he heard deceased
remark that he would put a
/ stop to such conduct A mo-
| ment after, glancing up from his
/
/ his pistol presented, and before he
/ could make movement to prevent
! the act, Benjamin Roach was shot
/ through the head. Witness then
! seized David, and endeavOred to hold
him, till in scuffiing they reached the
/ gallery, when witness seeing about
forty steps off, Street, Cover and
| McCOrkle, called to them to come
and assist him, but they paid no at
| tentiOn to him. Witness also called
/ to some colOred men, but they
| seemed too much frightened to rem
| der any assistance. David Roach
| then looked over to where
| those white men were and
said, "If you don't befriend
me as you promised, [ Will
| tell who gave me the pistol. Then n
/ b. Street came to David and took him
by the collar, saying, 81 want to talk
to this man; David has to take care
/ of himself" and took him off. Wit
/ ness says all these men had been
| drinking and were armed, so he con-
cluded to let David go. McCOrkle
was on horse, but got off and Cover
| rot on, and witness hallOoed to Cow
/ doctor and to take David to town, but
Cover declined, saying the horse be-
/ lOngeu to Mr.. Street. Soon after this
witness saw David on the horse, and
| Mr.. Street talking to him from the
| ground, and in a short time after, saw
| David riding off through the field.
This testimony of Mr.. McDOwell'S s
was cOrrObOrated by other witnesses.
Report says that David Roach was ad-
| dicted to drinking, the use Of drpgs,
and gambling, and had sGuandered
/ his property and become deeply in
vOlYed, and surrounded with the
/ worst associates, In this condition of
atiairs, Mr., Benjamin Roach, who was
/ one OF the executors of the fathers
! will, decided TO take charge of DaVid's
property and endeaVOr to restore his
! affairs 10 sound condition. David's
mind was so injured by his eXcesses
! that he was in fact incapable of the
necessary mentaaetfort to do this.
Benjamin HOaSh, with Mr. mellow
ell, an old friend and Overseer in the
! miniiy, arrived at the Good Hope
/ Plantation about the 1st of January,
! 1870. It was Benz. ROach's design to
| get rid OF the associates David had
upon the place, and TO recover him
! from their Influence. Street and the
other associates that David had there
were angered 1t this, and Street is re-
puted to have said he would have
revenge and then hunt tall timber"
The general talk among the people is
that Street and Others are in some way
implicated in the affair, Street is
in confinement ana so is Roach.
Roach looks terribly bad, During the
trial he preserved a silence yet seemed
attentive to the examination, and oc-
casionally wept. His face is pale and
hair disOrdered, and the veins OF his
forehead exhibited great mental suf.
fering. The impression was general
that Daviu was too much uader tbs
influence of liquor and drugs to bC
conscious of his action at the time o.
the killing, ana that he was but too
of Others.