Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-12
The Country Picketed and the
Town Surrounded.
Armed Negroes Flocl1ing to the
Fray from All Directions.
White ReinfOrcements Expected
from Memphis by Midnight.
Memphis Negroes Volunteering
to Suppress the Rioters.
They want This FOOlishness
Stopped.

| MEMPHIS, AHg. 1l.-A special 10 the
Appedl from Helena, Ark, rereived at $50
this morning, says: At IL O'Clock last night
three ladies and two gentlemen arrived
here from Austin in a skiff, and report con-
siderable fighting. Late yesterday evening
the commander Of the post, whose name
we did not learn, dispatched scout of
twenty-five men on the road TO Coldwater
Station, on the Mississippi and Tennessee
road, and
Captured n Picket of Twenty Negroes,
who were stationed about two miles from
town, and brought them in as prisoners
and disarmed them. One of them, as they
were being put into the Courthouse yard,
tried to make his escape, when he was fired
upon and killed, and in the melee which
ensued another negro was wounded, but
not fatally.
Later in the evening a large body of ne
groes advanced from the South and attacked
the town,
Driving in the White Skirmishers
to the courthouse, where the main body of
whites were stationed. A charge was made
by the whites and the negroes were repulsed
with loss of several killed. Fighting was
going on when our infOrInants left, and
they were fired upon as they crossed over to
Ship Island.
SECOND DIsPATCH.-Major Horn Chal-
merS, of fernando, has just arrived in
Memphis for the purpose of chartering a
boat to take mel to the assistance of the
whites in Austin. He says a courier from
Mayor WOodsOn of Austin reached Her
nando at day light, stating that the
Town is Surrounded
by 1000 negrOes, and asking for help.
Abont 200 men from fernando and vicinity
will be here at 2 O'Clock, and in company
with volunteers from tins city will start at
4 O'Clock for Austin. DIR. Smith, who is
The Unfortunate Cause
fthe troubles there reached here last night
Some three weeks since he was attacked in
the streets of Austin; drawing pistol he
fred at a negro but missed him and killed
a little negro girl standing by, which exas-
perated the negroes to such an extent that
they collected mob and took Or. Smith
to the woods to hang him, which they would
have done but for the entreaties Of Mayor
Woodson and the Doctors wife. Since
then he has been voluntarily an inmate Of
the jiil to prevent being mObbed, until last
Friday. when some friends GENE and carried
him to fernando, on hearing which the ne
grneS collected in large numbers and nOti-
fed the Mayor that unless DIR. Smith was
brought back and put in jail they
Would Burn the Town.
THIRD DIsPATCH.-TelegTam are be-
ing received from the vicinity of Austin,
asking for men, arms and ammunition,
stating that unless the whites, who are sur
rounded in the courthouse, are speedily re
lieyed they will be forced to surrender or
be captured. The steamer A. j. White
has been chartered to leave al O'Clock,
and viii carry large number of men well
armed.
Another special to the appeal says the
negroes surrounding Austin on the south
were charged this morning by body of
mounted whites, who killed four or five
and captured twenty negroes. The blacks
number about 200, while the whites have |
about 200. Both parties are
Expecting ReinfOreemcnts.
At present the whites have the best of the |
fight. The negro hands on the plantations |
opposite on the Arkansas side are aTming |
and marching on Austin in large numbers. |
Night Report.
MEMPHIS, Aug. 1.-THE excitement |
here in regard to the riot at Austin in
creaSes. The operator at Helena reports |
that negroes have been passing there on the |
Mississippi side all day, marching on Aus
tin. The steamer White left this evening |
at . O'Clock with about three hundred arm |
ed men and supplies, under command Of |
Col. Morgan of fernando, Miss, about |
half of whom are from Mississippi, and |
among whom are some twenty negroes who !
say they
Want this FOOIishness stopped.