Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-31

POllcsman shot BY a Desperate.
A aOod OHieeF MOrtaIIy wOunded.
Thrilling Escape OF the Assassin.
Pursuit by the cancers.

/
1
1t 8 with deepest regret we are called
upon to announce the shooting and mortal
| IL wOunding, by desperate named Bill
| Smith, of officer Samuel Starkey, in this
city, about o'clock yesterday morning.
The readers of the UNION AND AMERI CAN
doubtless remember an account in our COL
umns of yesterday of the robbing of a citi-
zen by woman OF bad character named
Mollie Brown, who lives on North College
street, about two hundred yards beyond the
Louisville depot and next door to the Shaks-
peare saloon. She was arrested and placed
in the workhouse for the night, and as
officer Starkey was coming up
College street about O'Clock
| yesterday morning he stopped at the above
named woman's house to summon one or
two OF the inmates as witnesses in the case.
| When he entered the house he saw Bill
Smith, and Immediately recognized him as
| party against whom there was pending a
warrant for some offence. Approaching
| Smith, officer Starkey asked him if his
name was Bill Smith, remarking that ave
have been wanting you for the last forty
eight hours or more" Smith replied in
| bullying manner, that no policeman could
stick of wood lying on the floor, and rails
ing it, demanded Smiths pistol, a Smith &
Wesson. Smith then said, al will
give it up to you," but hardly
had he uttered the words before he
fired, the ball taking effect in officer Star
keys neck, left of the projection formed by
the thyroid cartilage, thence ranging around
and lodging in the back part of the neck,
hrox II
as ever raped mace, reeled, staggered
and fell MORALLY wounded. Instantly the
news spread, and soon the house was sur
rounded by persons anxious to know what
had happened. The wounded man was
placed in carriage and carried to his house
on North Market street, near JEFF
ferson, where his wounds were
cared for by surgi al aid. As soSn
as the assassin fred the fatal shot,
which, by this time, may have deprived us
of an able officer, gentleman and esteemed
citizen, he fed, going through the back
yard and out to Market street. When
Smith reached Market street it happened
that Jordan MCGOWAN, a colored man, was
riding by on horse. Hailing MCGOWAN,
Smith demanded his horse, telling him three
times to give it up. Not complying with |
bis demand, Smith fred three times at Nc |
Gowan, barely missing him. This so
frightened the horse that he commenced !
rearing ard plunging, throwing the rider,
MCGOWAN, to the ground. No |
sooner had MCGOWAN fallen |
than Smith, running up. seized |
the bridel reins, and moul tin ;, the criminal |
fed at full speed, going down jefferson |
street in the direction of Hyde's ferry, on |
Cumb erland river. The police department |
at once gave chase, and, though having |
much the start of his pursuers, the latter |
pressed on the trail of the flying criminal so |
holly that he had to abandon the horse Just |
beyond Maj. Clares residence, taking ref |
uge it is thought in the large canebrake |
near by, in Cockrilrs bottom. The officers |
and persons who volunteered their services |
spread It in every direction and have been |
using all human eXertion to catch the muir
derer. Some think he is concealed |
in the canebrake, where it is al |
most impossible to penetrate. Officer
Pickett went as far down as Robinson's |
island, fifteen miles below the city and !
waited two hours, thinking that, ii as re-
ported, Smith had secured canoe he would |
most likely be at that point by the time he
arrived there.
A man, unknown, was seen padding
canoe down the river below Hyde'S Ferry, |
and is thought to be Smith.
Another report is that Smith secured
canoe with which he crossed the river near
Hyde's Ferry, and upon reaching the oppo-
site bank met a gentleman on horse,
waiting to be set over. Drawing his pistol |
he compelled the owner to dismount, and |
jumping into the saddle, made good his
escape.
HIS ESCAPE.
Since that time nothing has been seen of |
Smith who is either as above stated,
CONCEALED IN CANEBRAKE
or hidden among the rough country that |
borders the opposite side of the river fifteen |
miles below here. Among these hills a |
party might easily be hidden long while. !
The country is broken and the range of |
wild hills extending from the river up to |
GalIatin. We have reason to believe Smith |
will soon be
CAUGHT.
For wherever he goes there will be power |
to ferret him out, and see that justice be |
melted out. The shooting was deliberate, |
and if murder ever deserved rigid penalties |
of the law, this dastardly act merits it. |
Since yesterday morning we have had at |
least hundred people to ask US
WHO SMITH Is.
To give his history a thorough ventila- |
ton and expose to public light requires |
detail too long to be mentioned in this con- |
nection. From what we learn,
SMITHS LIFE
is stepped in crime so dark that its shade |
would gloom the region of hell itself Rob
berry, larceny, arson and murder constitute |
the infamy of
HIS CAREER,
which has been spent in low dens of vice |
where depravity, misery and every passion |
at war with humanity, convene in guilty |
carnly al to gloat over the downfall of all that |
once was true, and manly, and pure. Bill |
Smith is well known in ''rOugh circles" and |
is by them regarded as 'king among |
thieves" 1t is believed he has large sum
of money, and many sympathizing confed-
crates, whose lives from early youth have
been in unison with his so terribly vile and |
stimulated by the worst passions that ever
stirred the breast of man. By his associ-
ates Smith is known as 'Smittie, Command
ing obedience through fear, and cementing
alliances by means of cowardly intrigues.
HIS PARENTAGE.
Smith was born in Louisville, Kentucky,
from which place he arrived night before
last, and repaired at once to one of the low
est dens of infamy in the city. He is of
mongrel breed, his father being an Indian,
it is said, and his mother a quadroOn. He
is of low stature, about thirty years of age,
very dark Completed, has jet black hair and
eyes. Once seen
HIS APPEARANCE
is never forgotten. Without knowledge
of him, you would at once take him to be
mulatto, the only thing wanting in this re-
spect being the shape of his nose, and by
the time you scan his features you would
feel certain he was desperate man, and
one that would not trife with his conscience
To do q rnaan and criminal act He Is said |