The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1872-04-25
HOMICIDE. ,
A Tragic RahO Of a RrtyolOuk Dispute
One Man Killed and the other Seriously
Injured.

W. AhS pu'b''o W wv N'"SNNJ WIZ ''''
John n. Hammett and Mr.. Robert Tol.
misT bothepRloyses iaihes sRailTaad shop.
npdhoth resaesd by she cOhimuhity ts|
quiet, sobOr, industrious and excellent
citizens. The evidence elected from wit.
nesses BY tho jury of inquest showed that
on Tuesday hast Tohnie visited the work
bench of Hammett and picking up a 6le
from it commenced working on a piece of
babSitPsEh Hspmsty requested him
not to use his file for that purpose. The
precise language used by the parties is
not satisfactorily known as it could not
be Distinctly henFd,0{ ,tRPas, ne7r them
MIR. Hammett, however, was seen to shove
Mr.. TOlmie in an angry manner, and they
had considerable scuffie around the
bench. When they separated, each party
was evids6tly0 aigrS Aftcf ME shop
closed work for the day, Hammett, who
lives about four miles from the city, and
rides on horseback to and from the shop,
morning and night, got hishOise and stprI
ted home, At the junction Of Depot
street with Broad, he was accOsted by
Tomlie on the sidewalk, and dared to
Olight from sshorse and fight him. He
did not stop; and as he got further away,
TOlmie threw several stones after him
without effect. Yesterday morning, about
six o'clock, as Hammett was riding down
Broad street, to the shop, when near the
residence of Andrew Anderson, he was
met by Tolmie who demanded that he
get down from his horse and fight the dis
pute out. The two had some angry talk,
when, rs TOlmie approached still nearer
to the horse, Hammett suddenly struck at
him with stick which had hitherto been
unobserved by the witness. The stick
caught on Hammett's coat tail, and the
blow fell short of striking as intended,
In dOdging the blow, however, TOlmie fell
to the ground, and upon rising up threw
rock at Hammett, which struck the
horse on the head and rendered it unnam-
ageable. He also struck Hammett with
a rock, as the horse was galloping away
with him. When Hammett reached the
shop, utter this had occurred, he had a
stick in his hand and TOlmie was stand.
ing near the door, lie approached him
and struck at him with the stick, which
Tomlie knocked from his hands with a
jack.lever and with another blow felled
Hammett to the floor by striking him
with the same weapon, on the bnck pnrt
Of the head. LIammett was knocked sense
less, and upon recovering, with assistance,
walked across the shop to his cupboard,
from which he took pistol and turning
upon Tolmie, dischargedi it at him. The
shot took efect in the'ceptfe of the fore,
head and proved fatal in few moments.
AS soon as the startled and Mortified
workmen of the shop could realize that
terrible and unexpected tragedy had been
enacted, the officers of the city and coun-
ty we're notified and the vicinity Of the
shops and the depot was soon filled with
a crowd of people anxious to learn the
particulars of the sad affair.
Policeman Cole was the first officer on
thel groppdg butiwhen he sreaeheda the
scene f,ths tragedy, Tolmis vas already
dead. and Hammett so seriously wounded
as to be unable to walk, and formal ar
rest was considered unnecessary, at that
time LPs Alley Bsq, Coroner Of the
county, Immediately summoned jury of
inquest, consisting Of the following gentle
men, VIM. Flynn, foreman. John L. HUI
diburg, W. 7. Osborne, NJ. NJ. Harris,
Jno. L. Warters, j. c. Parker, and j.
T. Ambrose, to. inquire, in the facts lead
ing to the death of Tolmie. After the
examination of six or eight witnesses, the
substance of whose evidence gisa, given
above, the remains of Mr.. Tdlmie were
removed to the residence OF his fatter.in.
law, Mr.. Andrew Anderson, Oh Broad
street, followed by a number Of his fellow.
workmen and other friends Mr.. Ham.
NETT was carried at the same time to the
residence of his brother-in-law, Mr.. Johr
W. Cruze, on State street. The tragedy
cast gloom over our city during the day
The respectability and usefulness of the
parties, the msigni6cance of the origina
| offense, and the hitherto brotherly affec
tion that had existed between the unfor
Y tunate participants in the melancholy af
: fair, were all subjects of conversation.
!. The parties we're each Master Masous
Mr.. Hammett being the present Junio
/; Warden of Maxwell Lodge, No. 433, an,
) Captain of tue Host of Pearl Chapter, R
y A. NJ, of this city. Mr.. Tolmie is
+ membsNof one Of ths Lodgesof Nashville
but has been resident Of this city Afo
years, where he married and now leaves
widowed wife and fatherless child. Nj
Hammett has been resident of this cit
for about fifteen years, and bas wifean
} family Of children. His wounds wer
e considered extremely dangerous, yestci
!; day, though alta late hour last might, b
o was resting easier, and the hope wi
|. cherished that they would not prove fata
y We neglected to state in its proper plaC
J. that Drs. NJ. l.. Rogers and Allen FrenC
10 were called in attendapce upon him !
10 soon as they could be summoned. I'll
t coroner's jury, rendered the foilowir
, yerdiet ,unb 1t uF4 gttI ~ gui rr mp