Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-12-19

4 rsar1al Hana . D, Hana Elsh..
The Owner Of the House Badly
r - Wounded
Arrest of q Suspected Party.

Arrest OF q Suspected Party.
deperate conflict, ever recorded occurred in
this city yesterday morning at the residence
of Maj. j. d. Nancy, corner of Broad and
South Spruce streets, in relation to which
we learn-the following interesting circum-
stances. Between 8 and O'Clock yesterday
morning Maj. Nancy was aroused from his
sleep by what seemed to be the noise OF
some one moving stealthily about the room.
Owing to the dim light of the gas he was
unable to see any one, but awoke his wife
and told her he thought there was a mani
his room. Nor in this was he mistaken, for
hardly had he uttered the words ere he dis
tinctly heard the footballs Of man, the
form of which was indistinctly seen retreat
ing through a door opening into
back hall from which a winding
staircase leads to the ground floor and by
door into the kitchen. Springing out Of
bed Mai. Nancy hastily seized pistol and
then turning on the gas rushed after the re-
treating form, and as he reached the head
of the winding stairway fired one shot. The
noise having then ceased Maj. Nancy came
back through his room, Lit a candle that had
been left on the table by some member of
the family the evening previous, and de-
scended the stairs that lead from his room
to the main entrance hall. Throwing open
the door of the dining-room he entered, but
saw no one. Without waiting, he next
opened the folding doors between the din
ing-room and the kitchen, and here he
saw, by the light in his hand, a
large negro man standing in the halfopened
door at the opposite end of the kitchen,
which is there reached by the winding stair
case leading up to the back door Cf the
sleeping room in which the negro entered.
Mai. Nancy Immediately fired at tie negro,
who attempted then to close the door and
thereby protect himself from the shot.
While trying to close the door, Maj. Nancy
fred again, and thinks the shot hit the ne
gro, who now opened the door, and, after
staggering as if about to fall, aimed pistol
at Maj. Nancy and snapped three times, the
pistol failing to go off. Finding his pistol
would not fire, the negro endeavored to con-
ceal himself behind safe, which was sit
ting by the side of the wall
almost in straight line between
him and Maj. Nancy, who again fired.
Either thinking Maj. Nancy had exhausted
his loads or being reduced to desperation
by the close quarters in which he found
himself, with no avenue of egress save one
and that in the direction of where Maj.
Nancy was standing, the negro made bold
rush upon him. Realizinghis situation and
knowing full well the consequences, Maj.
Nancy had already cooked his pistol, which
presently, he awaited until the negro got
within foot of its muzzle and then pulled
the trigger. The pistol only snapped
and ere he had time to try it again
the demon quickly knocked it and
the candle from his hands. Then a
struggle for life commenced. TIE negro with
giants strength grappled Maj. Nancy
around the body and before he could ex-
tricate himself dealt him terrible blow be-
tween the eyes with the butt end of his
pistol. For several minutes the fierce strug-
gle continued, Maj. Nancy endeayOring to
free himself from the fearful grasp and
death-like embrace of his foe, who dealt
blow after blow with his pistol upon Maj.
Maney's head. Fortunately the last time
he struck him, the cylinder rod of the pistol
broke, and not yet satisfied with the work,
the negro hit him in the breast with his fist.
This together with the last blow from the
pistol on his head, felled Maj. Nancy
to the floor, where he lay sense
less for about five minutes, during
which time the negro made bis escape
through door on the back porch. Regaining
consciousness, Maj. Nancy arose, and still
weak and exhausted, managed to make his
way up stairs and into his room. He was
almost blinded by the blood from his
wounds, which bled profusely where he was
knocked senseless. His wife, in the mean
time, was much terrified, and opening the
window as soon as she heard the pistol
shots below, screamed for help. A negro
man living on the premises came to her as
sistance, but not knowing in her fright but
what he was the one who had entered the
room, she refused to tell him what had oc-
CURED, and asked him to go quickly for the
police. This the negro did, and succeeded
in meeting with two police officers on
Church street, who arrived about
fifteen minutes after the desperate
conflict had ended. In the scuffle
Mai. Nancy received seven severe though not
dangerous wounds in the head, commencing
on the forehead and extending on the left
side of the head above the temporal artery
to the ear. The wound that stunned him
was on the top Of the head, between which
and the ear was long cash. His nose was
also SCARED, and notwithstanding the skin
was cut in every place, yet no fracture Of
the skull bone was made. Maj. Nancy
thinks he would have been killed had not
the negro become weak from the supposed
wound he received when fired at in the
kitchen. DR.. Currey was summoned in
stantly, and rendered the necessary medi
cal assistance. The Major was sitting up
yesterday, and thinks he will be sufficiently
well to venture out to-day or tomorrow. The
barrel Of the negro's pistol was found in
kitchen and the butt was found picked up
in the yard, having been dropped in the
hurry of escape. His boots, Nos. I, were
found down stairs at the foot of the stair
case, and as he run out of the sleeping
room he dropped his hat, coat, and also one
of Mai. Maney's that he had Just taken
from the wardrobe, which was near the bed.
In the back hall was also found bag of
clothing, which the negro had taken from
cedar chest in the hall, for the purpose of
carrying off. A bag containing large bunch
of keys of various shapes and sizes was
also found, indicating that he is ar ex-
pert or professional burglar. About
O'Clock the police went out in force and sue
ceeded in tracking him a few yards from the
gate. An examination of the windows in
the rear part Of the house shows that, after
trying to open Several, he finally succeeded
in getting through a window of a lumber
house, which, at one end of the back porch,
communicates by means of another window
with the kitchen, going through which he
easily found his way up the winding stair
way into the hall. Here, after storing his
bag with clothing, he found no difficulty in
going into the sleeping room, neither door
of which was locked. He might have easily
escaped, had he not closed the window in
the kitchen after entering through it.
A negro man named George Brigham was
arrested as the guilty party by the
police on Broad street last night.
Brigham has served term
Of Imprisonment in the penitentiary and
after being arrested was locked up for
further examination. he Is a very stout
negro and the fact of his having very small
feet somewhat answers the description of
the burglar whom Maj. Nancy says had
powerful chest, large muscular arms, and
was very strong. Though he had never
seen the negro before he thinks he would
recognize him if he ever sees him. While
we regret the occurrence and are panied to
learn of Maj. Maney's injuries, we are also
pratified TO know thew are of no serious