Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-14

| snoW AOr UOu sake not 10 burn down the
house. After they done shot he told them
not to shoot; don't know how many
times they had shot; don't know where
he was standing; he spoke out as loud as
he could; the pistols were cooking then.
Berong said they cursed him, but didn't
hear them curse him. Berong told me
that they told him if he didn't 90 in they
would TX him. Mr.. Berong said, ''Wiley,
L am sorry this was done" He said this
after the shooting, and says he, "Wiley,
you was justified in saving yourself" He
said, wiley, don't let the hogs destroy the
body, Tnman's) told him would not let
the hogs have it, or anybody else. called
Berong and he came from his house;
called him while William and 1 was guard
ing the body. After the men left, Berong
was in the yard; it is all one lot; he was
not very far from my house after the men
had gone When I called him he had
done g ne back; when opened the door
he was standing on this side of his yard
fence; Berong was not disguised; never
saw him disguised in my life. The man
that was killed lived about two miles from
there.
Redirect Illumination. never saw
the man that was killed at Berong's house.
l cannot give any account what men they
was on Saturday night
Re-crOss EE-I was summoned as a wit
ness before the Coroner; / didn't state
before the Coroner that Berong said that
Saturday night ''For Gods sake, don't dis
turb my hands"
William Kimbro, the negro who was
with Wiley Kimbro on Saturday night, was
next examined. He testified: came from
Memphis up here Christmas; went to Mr..
Berongs place. l was talking to uncle
Wiley about my moi her's property, (the
calf referred to, and he went to Mr.. Be-
rong and told him he wanted the calf. NY
mother and Berong had traded a heifer
calf for a steer calf Berong has
not given her the calf yet. That
was about two years ago they made
the trade. Bsrong asked me what was
l cutting up with uncle Wiley about? 1
told him about the property had left, and
L was blaming Wiley. Berong told me to
get of his premises end not be bothering
the bands; and l told him that my mother
was there and / would go when got
ready. On the strength of that Berong
and Mr.. Dunn run up. One of them had
rock and the other stick; this was about
week after Christmas. Mr.. Dunn got
his gan and let MIR. BeroDg have his pistol,
and l Just reached over the door and took
my gun in my hand and went of, to keep
from having fuss with them. After that
time the fuss all died away. On Wednesday
night three men came up, but Mr.. BeroDg
went to town; and when they come back
there were three men. Those three men
came up and called for Bill Kimbro, and
told them there wasn't any such man as
that. They asked where Berong was; I
told them 9 was up at the house, / reck-
oned. They asked what kind of fellow
he was; told them he YVES a good fellow,
/ reckoned. They said I'VE will go up
and see the id rascal. Then they came
down and said, "Tell that Bill Miller to
come out"
Then Saturday night they came there;
they were coming from over toward Mr..
Dunn's; there was Only six men. 1 said,
them is women; had never seen such a
Ku-Klux business as that before; but
Wiley says, Them is Ku Klux." They
was marching Just like men going to sur
round place. We told them we couldn't
open tie door. Wiley said he wasn't
going out; they said, ''We amt going to
hurt you, we are mad at that other id
niger that wears white hat" They said,
''God d--n you, we will have you out,
They knocked around there and shot off a
pistol, but not into the house; suppose
they were trying to scare us out They
knocked the window down with rail, and
fred through the window. They shot four
times IN the door, and they shot an over
coat that I have got at the jail They
fred, and we fred and killed one of them.
We told them they could not get the body,
that we would guard him So that we would
be protected in law under the circumstan-
ces of killing that man. Mr.. Berong came
out and said, ''Don't shoot into the house,
for there is a parcel of women aud
children in there" Berong said, 'FWiiey
they amt going to hurt you, they are after
the other fellow. The very words Berong
said was, Gentlemen, don't shoot in the
house, there is a parcel of women and
children in that house He never said
any more, if he did didn't hear il. Be-
rong said they we're not going to hurt
Wiley. Berong and Mr.. Dunn was the
only men had any difficulty with.
Cross Examined Il was raised in Ruth
ertord, and had had no difficulty enly with
them two men. 1 never had any difficulty
before that time. l was shot in Christiana;
Mr.. Miller shot me there; that was
about five years ago. didn't see Berong
that Saturday that Inman was killed; 1
dare not poke my hesd out for would
have had it shot off; could not say that
Mr.. BeroDg was there.
Mr.. Brien, of counsel for defense, then
said that if his Interpretation of the law
was correct, it dispensed with the necessi-
ty of further proof in this law suit. 1Mr.
B. referred here to what is commonly
known as the enforcement act. under the
sixth section of which the defendant was
srraigned Mr.. Brien commended that ths OBJ
iect Of this act was only to protect citizens in
the exercise of the right of suffrage. The
question was argued at length by counsel
on both sides, but the motion was over
ruled by Commissioner Goodwin: snd
Messrs. W. G.. Brien and D. W. Classic.
counsel for defendant, then introduced
TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENsE.
James A. Riddle was the first witness
called. He was examined by MIR. Briep,
and testified as follows; 1 live at Mr.. Be.
rone's house; was there the night of ne
shooting; Mr.. Berong was in bed at the
time the shooting commenced. I was in
bed myself; the shooting woke me up; and
got mp. When 1 got up, Mr.. Berong had
got up and put on his clothes; this was
Saturday night I put on my clothes and
went up stairs and looked out at the win
dow; then came down stairs and stood
in the front door, snd saw Mr.. Berong as
he went out to the porch and towards the
fence and called to the gentlemen. 'fFor
Gods sake, said he, ''don't shoot in that
house" and the gentlemen sold him if he
didn't get back in the yard they would
give him some; and he turned around and |
walked back in the house. Mr.. Berong