The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-08-19
A MISSISSIPPI TRAGEDY.
Two Families Murdered and two Boats
Plundered.

MEMPHIS, Aug. 17.-Early this morning a
fisherman discovered the little steamer Helen
Brooks floating down stream near the head OF
Cheeks Chute, some one hundred miles above
here and apparently abandoned. He rowed to
the steamboat, made line fast and pulled heI
towards the bank, but before reaching it saw
negro i'll sitting position asleep ON the lower
deck who, as soon as the boat struck the bank,
leaped ashore and ran into the woods. The fish.
erman boarded the steamer and found traces of
desperate struggle, the decks being wet with
blood. He then came to this city and reported
what he had done and seen. Subsequently the
Grand Tower arrived here from st. Louis bring
ing message from the magistrate at Bradley 4
Landing. eighteen miles north of this place,
stating that the crew of the Helen Brooks pro-
Pretors aud families OF 3 trading boat which
the Brooks had towed up there, had been muir
dered and the boats plundered. Assistance was
at once dispatched on the steamer John Over
ton, The report is that Capt VIM. Patt and
his brother, the pIoprietors of the trading boat,
together with their wives and two daughters,
were all murdered and their bodies thrown into
the river.
Later. +t
Late advices from Bradley's Landing are that
soon after the the tug Helen Brooks arrived
there with the trading boat, James Trumbull
went ON board and and being drunk commenced
trlfilng with the machinery. Capt Patt ordered
him to desist, to which order Trumbuli replied
with an -pprobious epithet and threatened to
throw Patt overheard. Patti took up shot
gun and ordered him off the boat. Trumbull
went before Esquire Walt ant swore out a war
rant accusing Patti of retailing liquor without a
license, upon which the latter was arrested by
a colored constable and taken before magia-
trate His wife, leaving her infant with two
women an the boat accompanied him.
After dark Pats brother, fearing trouble.
took the boat over to Island No 40 and made
fast to the shore. That night Downing, COL
ored constable, Trumbull and man called
Hans took skiff pressed two negroes into the
service and ordered them to row across and
land above the steamer, which was done. Ches
one OF the negroes, says that ON the landing
Downing aid party ordered them to remain
quiet under penalty of death.
Downing and party then crept cautiously to-
ward the boat, which they boarded and soon af-
ter loud cry was heard, then several shots in
quick succession. Ches then saw them pursu-
ing Capt. Pats brother, who had jumped ashore
and firing on him. Whether he was killed or
not he does not know. Patt was the only one
seen by Ches, and thinks two other men, one
named Robinson, two women and three children
were killed and thrown overheard. When Ches
and his partner were called to the boat they saw
no one but Downing, TrumbuA and Harris who
broke into the bar and the entire party got
drunk. Charles remembers nothing more till
the boat was landed by fisherman as stated
last night when he jumped ashore and made
his way back to Bradley's where the widest ex-
citement prevailed as nothing has been seen of
Patti or his party, while Downing and his party
had disappeared, and from the fact that the
boat had been plundered it is feared that the
whole party have been murdered