The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-10-23
THE MURDER OF YOUNG WOOD
The Facts of the Killing of Mr. Tom
Wood by Sheriff Furbush
(Colored). of Mariana,
Arkansas
IRON the AIeuphis APPEAL

From the Memphis Appeal
we ascertained Yesterday the following
particulars of the Wood-Furbush difi>
Guilty at Mariana, Arkansas, on We'd
nesday night 1t grew out of the politi.
cal treachery of W. Ii Furbush, the col,
ored sheriff of Lee county, at the re,
cent election for county officers Of that
county. A fusion ticket was agreed up
on, with Furbush at the head as a can
didate for reelection to the Office of sher>
if, which he had filed to the satisfac-
ton CT everybody. A northern white
man named Abrahams, and also a Res
publican ia politics, was the nominee
for clerk of the county court. the remains
der of the ticket being filed with DEM
oerats and Republicans alike. Every
body was well pleased with the ticket,
and satisfied that the election would be
a quiet one, and that the ticket was sure
of success A few days before the elec'
ton Furbush had a large quantity of
tickets printed Ia this city, on which the
name of Frank Govan appeared as the
candidate for county court clerk, instead
of Abrahams, as Furbush had agreed.
These tickets were secretly distributed
to the negroes all over the country. and
the fraud was not discovered until too
late to be remedied by the Democrats
and white Republicans who had entered
into the combination. Nevertheless, the
Democrats voted for FuTbush almost sol>
id, and Mr.. Wood the gentleman he mur~
dered, was among the number After
the election Furbush got drunk, and
came across a negro man named Jesse,
who was in the employ of Mr. Rodgers,
who was also under the influence of
liquor at the time they had an alterca-
ton, and Jesse knocked Furbush down.
A cry was raised that fight was going
on, when Mr.. Thomas Wood ran down
to see it. His companions, who had
just returned from supper with him,
went into and fastened up the store Sc
curely and remained there. As Jesse
and Furbush were separated, and the
latter was rising from the ground, der~
niger pistol exploded in his pocket. At
the same time some one cut Furbush in
the neck, and he cried out, Il am cut,
or Somebody has cut me" 4 bvstander
said it was Tommy Wood, whereupon
Furbush raised and fred at him with an
army six, the ball penetrating his right
thigh and fracturing the bone in such a
manner as to necessitate amputation,
from the effect of which Wood died
" OON was oOcaLSAAS o'SO0e
from Furbush at the time the latter shot
HIM, and had no been nearer nor par
ticipated in the muss. As soon as
Furbush fred he fed, and went to the
plantation of Col. w II. Wood, sum-
moned about forty hands on his place, or
dered them to arm themselves and 60
with him and arrest Abrahams, Rodgers,
Wood and others. He found them, and
put them in Jail The two former gentle
men were not present during the diff
Guilty, and took DO hand in it. lturbush
hal sent runners to the csuntry for the
colOred people to arm themselves and
come to Mariana at once, as his life
had been threatened by a mob. He then
repaired to the house of the man Jesse
with the posse broke in, and finding him
in bed asleep, went to his bedside, pla-
ced two cooked revolyers in his face, and
ordered him to surrender. Jesse knock
ed him down, made b S way through the
crowd in front of his house, and while
running away was fred at by the entire
party. 1t was then he received a scratch
in the arm. Colonel Wood came to Ma
rianna, saw Furbush and told him he
was making fool of himself; that he
had stirred up the whole county, and IN
less he stopped and ordered the men IN
der his charge to dispense and 90 home,
there would be no telling how the matt
ter would end Furbush followed his ad
vice and sent the men home, telling them
at the time ne would need part of them
next day. Thursday Messrs. Abrahams
and Rodgers were let out oa bail Fur
bush learning that the young men desired
to bring the remains of young Wood here
for burial, went to a coiored magistrate
ana tried to prevent their departure, de-
elaring that he wanted to be tried at
once, but they succeeded in getting
away, and arrived here with the remains.