Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-01
A BLOODY REN0ONFRE.
Very Interesting Details Of the Desper.
ate ARRAY at DR.. McGayock's.
A Triple Murderer MOrtally Wounded
--.Arrest and Escape of
Ace0mpliees.

A Triple Murderer MOrtally Wounded
--.Arrest and Escape Of
AceOmplices.
From the Memphis Avalanche, Sept q.
From gentleman thoroughly cogniZant
OF the circumstances we obtain the follow
ing particulars of the bloody rencontre at
DIR. McGavock's plantation:
THE CAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY.
Some days ago, Greene Bennett took up
and marked in his mark, five of Grundy
McGavock's hogs, which had been running
wild back of Benefits place, and then
hired the men who helped him mot to tell
the Doctor" But the fact became known,
and when Bennett came to the mill, he and
Bennett had some words on the subject,
the latter denying the charge, and the Doc
tor simply remarking that he intended to get
what evidence he could in the matter, and if
he could prove what he thought he could,
he intended to have him arrested. DIR.
Nc Gavock then began to collect evidence,
and as he thought, ''fixed things" on Ben
nett pretty clearly. He remarked to
friend that "as far as he was concerned, he
intended to put stop to this stealing, and
he Intended to go over to Judge Williams
and get out warrants for Greene Bennett
and two others, whose names are not
necessary to mention, for hog and cattle
stealing.'
Some of the parties to whom he immedi-
ately mentioned his intentions in re-.
gard to Bennett on Friday, Immediately
informed the latter of it, and on Saturday,
he and his brother Henry went over to La
Fonts grocery store on Frenchman's bayou
where there were to be quarter races.
CALLED OUT FOR SLAUGHTER.
That evening DR.. McGayock, Captain
Frank James and Jim and Billy Williams
were at supper at McGavock's. Some one
from the outside called out, ''Dr. McGav-
ock," upon which that gentleman left the
table and walked out. Jim and Billy VIII
liams also walked out into the hall, just in
time to see gang of men standing in the
dark shadows of the cedar trees, and to
hear one of them who seemed to be spokes-
man of the party curse McGavock, using
very vile epithets, and dare him out of the
house. McGavock instantly jumped back
into his room for his pistol and called
James, who soon appeared armed with a
Colts navy pistol, McGavock having mean
while armed himself, and having been
joined by Jim Williams, the crowd which
had entered the yard retreated from it into
the lane. Capt. James ran out, cooking his
pistol as he went, and when out was imme-
diately encountered by Greene and Henry
Bennett, who seeing that they had woke up
a hornets nest, and that instead of finding
McGavock alone as they confidently eX-
pected, (thinking James had gone to Mem
phis,) he was surrounded with friends, i'm
mediately began begging for their lives.
They begged like whipped hounds-indeed
the whole party did, and plead to be allowed
to 90 on their way. James said to the men
that if they would leave Immediately he
could save their lives, and would do so. He
knew, however, that old Jack and the ne
grOeS were arming, and that if they waited
three minutes,
A STORM WOULD BE RAISED THAT COULD
NOT BE QUELLED.
The BENEFITS, continuing the beg, walked
one on each side of James down to-
wards the south gate. McGavOck, with
cooked pistol, driving the two others before
him in the same direction. On arriving at
the south gate, the two men ahead of Nc
Gavock-One on foot and the other on
horseback passed out. At this instant, old
uncle Jack, armed with a shotgun loaded
with buckshot, ran out of his house and was
about to fire on the BENEFITS. While doing
so, one of the men outside, the one on foot,
leaping behind the big gum tree which
stands about II feet from the south gate
(outside) and leveling his pistol at McGay-
ock, again called out: '1GTImdy McGavOck,
YOU damned --, come out of that gate"
He fired at McGavock, almost in the same
moment that he spoke the words, and James
instantly
FELT HIMSELF PINIONED
by the BENEFITS, one on each side, and each
seizing an arm. He had not long been out
of a sick bed (where he was confined nearly
three weeks,) and was lily prepared to strug
gle with two men; but danger made him
cool, and gave him strength at the same
time, and he soon freed himself from them,
and rushed to the aid of McGayock, who
was then engaged in
A HAND-TO-IAND FIGHT
with the ruffian (whO had shot him three
times before he could get into the melee,)
and the other man. McGayock exclaimed
as he came to his aid: my hand is shot
all to pieces" This was all the damages
James supposed he had sustained, as it was
so dark he could hardly tell friend from foe.
In far less time than it takes to tell it, James
had taken the Doctors place in the fight
with the two men. One, however, after
striking him stunning blow with some
heavy instrument, ran off up the lane into
the darkness. The other, as James stag
gered from the effect of the blow, fired one
Shot at him, but missed.
At this moment the door, or window of
Jacks house opened and the light shown
full on his adversary. The other had
jumped back after firing and was trying to
cock his pistol.
THETFoRD SHOT.
James had by this time recovered from
the effects of the lick, and raising his pistol
fired This was the only shot James fired.
His antagonistic reeled around and dropping
his pistol exclaimed Pm hit; I've got
enough" He then ran off into the dark
ness. A moment after one of the BENEFITS 4
was gone, the other, Greene, was there
wringing his hand and lamenting the affair.
He protested that he had only seized James
to keep him from rushing into certain
death, and begged him to 60 into the house,
as the '.balance of the crowd" meaning
those who had retreated into the lane, were
only gone there to reload their weapons.
Meanwhile Jack and somebody else were
carving McGavOck into the house one gore
of blood, and as Margaret, Jacks wife said
.'shot all to pieces"
THE WOUNDED ASSASSIN.
A few moments afterwards, Capt. James
started down the lane to see what had be
come of the fugitives. He met one of the
BENEFITS, who, throwing up his hands to
indicate that he was unarmed, shouted that
Berry Thetford was 90 shot through the body
and was dying in the lane" He begged for
a light and some water, and, with the other
man who had also returned unarmed, swore
and protested that no harm should be done
James if he would let them go to the
wounded man. The latter complied with
the request, and on going to the place men-
toned, found Berry ThetfOrd, well-known
Texas ruffian and desperate, who had, by
his own confession, murdered three men,
stretched on the sand, with bullet hole in
his right breast about an inch above the
nipple, and ranging through toward the left
shoulder blade. There was no hemOrrhage
externally-scarcely enough to mOisten his
shirt an inch around the wound. This
showed that there must be internal bleed
ing. He was suffering considerably, and
,-oS moot oOntrita He UaS nl1t in a narf