Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-28

About half past 8 O'Clock yesterday after
noon homicide occurred on the Lebanon
pike. Immediately beyond the city limits at
Williams grocery. A man named Robert
h Spain had been acting as watchman for
the watermelon patch Of Corley and Fos-
sett, opposite bis house, and had had some
difficulty with bis Wife's brother,
Frank Guy, who II Is said had
pulled one or more melons contrary to
the wishes of Spain. Yesterday afternoon
Spain, while, as some say under the influ-
snce Of liquor, came with shot gun in his
hand from his house and went to grocery
Immediately contiguous where he met Guy.
After angry words passed between them,
Spain dwelling his gun snapped the cap
on one barrel and then discharged
tie other one, the contents of which were
lodged in the breast of Guy, who after stag
gering across the street fell headforemost
against a building and thence to Tire ground
dead. Seeing what he had done, Spain
paused awhile and bis wife told him to get
his clothes and 60 away. The guilty man
jumped over the fence, and although there
were five or six men pressnt,
not one attempted to stay his
flight, except colored hackman named
Carroll Napier, who was returning from 3
funeral when thekhomicide occurred. He
started In pursuit but was compelled to
turn back by Spain who Selling a rock
placed his hand in his pocket as if armed.
He ran then across the watermelon patch
and reached the hedge two hundred
yards distant, by which time Ma
pier who had been reinforced
was again in pursuit. Hearing the noise
Mr.. John Apple3y ran out of his house and
with gun started also in pursuit of Spain,
who gave himself up, and when questioned
about the killing said, ssGuy had caused it !;
he regretted the killing but couldn't help it;
he told his wife her brother would cause
it." Owing to the excitement at the
grocery, where large number had collect
ed, it was not deemed advisable to take the
arrested man there. Learning there was no
danger, Mr.. Appleby and others proceeded
with Sp in, who said he would not go
away, but had given himself up and was
unarmed. His wife, who was frantic with
grief, met him while coming back to the
place of the tragedy, and the scene was one
Of pitiable character. She fell at her
husbands feet in p.roxysm of grief, and
refused to be Gained by Spain, who lay
ing his hand on her shoulder said
alt is no use crying; have killed him, but
Iregret it." When the prisoner approached
the pike fence nearly all Of the large num-
Der present rushed towards him, and sever
al seemed DESTROYS Of getting to him. Mr..
Appleby went with Spain up the pike, and
when they had gone about two hundred
yards mounted policeman, Officer Dale,
arrived and took charge of Spain, and OF
fcer Bolton arrested Joe Fossett as an
accessory TO the killing. When Mrs.
Spain returned where the dead body of her
brother lay, she again gave way to her feel
ings, and, falling across the lifeless form,
matted in blood, she chung there uttering
the most piteous lamentations, which alone
the wife and sisters heart, when pierced by
anguish, can feel. The excitement by this
time had become great, and the crowd had
swelled to large numbers.
The parties We're brought 10 town and
carried before Justice Kerrigan, who, in
default of $1,000 for Fossett and $1,000 for
Spain, committed both to jail TO await fur
ther Investigation. There are several YER
sions Of the affair and the cause, which we
refrain from publishing, lest injustice be
done either party. 1t is stated that some
domestic infelicity existed between Spain
and bis wife, whose brother inter fered up
on more than one occasion, and was the
real cause of the terrible tragedy. Frank
Guy was about twenty years of age, and
Spain Is about thirty-f1ve. Both were re-
spectacle men so far as our knowledge of
them extends, - -.-.-..s