Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-09-02
TvsE SOMERVILLE TRAGEDY.
= Fair aud Truthful Account of it.
TO the Editor Of the BW7ctn:

= Fair aud Truthful Account of IL.
TO the E8iior Of the BUictm:
SOMERvILLE, TENN.
Seeing i'm your issue of the 18th inst,
an account Of the shooting at Somer-
vile, and thinking that perhaps you
would prefer a true statement of the
whole affair, I have concluded to give
you true history Of the sad occurrence
After .the shooting of the colored
man Warren, on Friday morning, the
9Th inst, Sheriff Reeves, who wit
messed the affair, arrested the parties,
and they gave bond for their appears
auCe for trial
/ About PIP. ar OF .hat day, and after
the arrest two men came down TO the
Jail iu search OF Sheriff Reeves, and
stated chat there was zoo black men
coming in ON one Of the roads to burn
tue town. They also asked il sheriff
. Reeves would 80 out on the road and
/ keep them from coming in.
Sheriff Reeves and his brother Al
bert We're both i'm the house at The
/ time, and puton their hats and went
out as soon as they possibly could.
/ They had scarcely left when Paul
Reeves came in ana said there WA, a
trap laid to kill Sheriff Reeves, and
for them to give him something to eat
and let him GO.
Sheriff Reeves went on up the
street, which was lined with men,
armed with shot guns, and when half
way to the public square met Capt.
/ Bell, who told him he would go with
| him to stop the negroes. Sheriff
81. 4 IL
/ from the stable, and he would 90 over
to where the men were formed in a
/ line, and they would start from there.
To this Bell demurred and told the
| Sheriff to come on to the stable with
/ him. Sheriff Reeves consented to this
aud upon arriva! at the stable with
Bell, met Oscar Burton standing i'm
the stable, with n shot gun on his
shoulder, and a cooked pistol i'm his
/ hand.
Reeves spoke to Burton in friendly
| way, asking him to put up his pistol
/ as he might shoot some one accident
ally. Burton replied. "I'l shoe,
you, Cd d-n you" and raised the
/ pistol. Some one here stepped between
/ them, and Bell told Sheriff Reeves tC
saddle him horse. Reeves here sta
/ ted that he couldn't saddle a horse
aud watch Oscar Burton too, andiasl
cd Bell to get Oscar to put up his pistol
Some Of the black people in the sta,
bic here called out to Judge Reeves
" massa Judge, for Gods sake 20 GU
of here for Oscar swore ne would xii
you when he saw yOu.N
About that time Albert Reevse cam,
up, and asked Oscar to put up his pis
toi. This iuCensed him more, and Mr.
Bell and Mr.. Robt. Worrell both trieC
to get him to put up his pistol, and Mrs
Bell got him almost to her gate, when
he ierked loose and stepped behind 6
tree and fired n load Of buck-shot into
Albert Reeves. He then fired the 9th
er load of buck.shot into Paul Reeves
Understand that both Albert auC
Paul were regular deputies.)
BY the time that Oscar had sho
Paul, Sheriff j. G. Reeves had go
round so that he could see Oscar, anC
they both fired together. Oscars sho
taking effect in Sheriff Reeves arm
After shooting all three OF tia
Reeves, Oscar threw down his gun
and ran down the walk. Some on
else then shot at Albert Reeves, tn
shot taking fatal effect in his back.
Paul Reeves was shot while he wa
on the ground. There were q numhe
Of shots fired at Sheriff Reeves q loat
of buck-shot taking effect in his back
besides several balls passing through
his hat, one of which cut the band il
two.
There were over twenty shots fired
and all atthe Reeves.
Sheriff Reeves was even followed
and fired at by different men, while be
ing taken to his home. In the face o
all this, the Democracy say tina
there was no plan laid TO kill Judgu
Reeves and his brothers but the fact
make it TO evident. 1t may not have
been known to the older and best mel
of the party, but it was well understood
by many of them that the shooting
would begin that evening. They haC
been preparing for two months.
There are two companies organized
here, and a number Of the men whC
shot the Reeves belong to those com
panies.
That it was a well laid plan for ,
cowardly and brutal assassination
there is no doubt. For instance, whil,
the shooting was going on there was
man standing in the bakery, clea
across the Square, who inquired whicl
was Sheriff Reeves and being informe,
that he was the man in the blue Goa
deliberately raised his gun and fired a
him and Jumped his horse and rod
! Off. Now if this was not a preconcertet
plot why was it that every man was 81
anxious to shoot a Reeves?
/, The Reeves have always been quiet
peaceable, law-abiding men, they neve
harmed anyone by thought, deed O
; action, but because they did not believ
i'm secession and Democracy these as
/, sassins shot them down like dogs.
When a sheriff and his deputies arr
, shot down like this the question may
well be asked what protection has
= private citizen?
As an illustration Of the bitter feelin,
, and prejudice, and the contempt fo
, law and justice existing here, l woul,
! say that a warrant has been issued q
? the instance Of Sheriff Reeves for In