Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-10-26
4 Citizen Of Memphis Arrested by an
Alleged Citizen Of Ohio, is FOrcibly
Held in Custody and Threat
ened with Death.
An Attempt 10 Take Him out of the
State Happily Frustrated by the
Active Intervention Of His
Lawyers.
Taken From the Hands Of His CaptOrs,
Tied Hand and Foot, He is Re
stored 10 Freedom Legal Pro-
cecdingS Etc.


cecdingS-EIc.
The arrest and attempted abduction
of J. VI. Tighe a well-known commission
merchant OF this city, by j. j. SmlLn, Alex
ander NJ. SIN ia, James NJ. Shaw ana JOhh
Trantham, Sunday, was the general thehe
OF conversation among the people hes YES,
able to ascertain this is one OF the
most outrageous acts that has ever been az
tempted under the guise OF lega! authority
Saturday Alexander NJ. Smith, OF ONO, so
said, came here with requiSition from Gov
ernor Porter for the arrest of J. VI. Ttghe,
| charge with obtaining goods under tslse
| pretenses lr IN persons In Cincinnati, ONO.
! In the wit said Smith is AIMED as agent TOR
| the arrest and eXtraditiOn OF Iigne.
THE FACTS IN THE CASE,
| as related by Mr.. Tighe, place ]. j. Smith,
| Alexander NJ. smith, James NJ. Shaw and
! John Trantham in an unenviable position, 50
| fifty thousand dollars, and will doubtless be
| arrested to-day for acts unauthorized by law,
and which could not nave 0een iGGuc9T D
| ed, but he yves confined in the thlfd Story OF
| Smith Il Trantham's store, No. HowaIds
row, denied communication with ms lflGnus
| or attorneys, his life even threatened ana an
| effort made to kidhap him while hhacKled
| and manacled. Slch conduct IN inc very
neart OF a city OF sixty thousand Inhabitants
| is not only bold assumption OF power, put
| demands Immediate and rig Investigation
| general.
THE ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT
! OF Mr.. Tighe, as related to US, are as follows:
After returning from the Catholic cnuIch
with some ladies, he left them at the eOrser Of
Union and Main ets,and proceedec toward
Front row for the purpose OF seeing Inc new
steamer Mary Bell. At the corner OF Front
row ne met the Smiths and Trantham, who
asked him 10 90 down TO their sore, as they
| wanted to see him. Upon reaching the store
| A. NJ. Smith pre- scented revolver at Ilghe,
md CaiI DflSOEeI
| time Constable Matt Shelby came up, and
| TIghe was handcuffed and his legs IDanacled;
| He was then taken into room in the third
| story OF the building. Tghe asked to see his
| LAWYERS, MessrR. Lowe and Patterson, but this
was denied him J; j smith however, WINGED 4fsa
| at him, and then they proceeded up INTO the
room designated, where he was permitted TO
write two notes, one TO his friend DR.. Burleson,
| and another to Lowe and Patterson. One note
was given to the negro porter, Nelson, aud the
other to TraDtham, who promised to deliver
| them, This they did not do but took thu
notes and destroyed them. Tighe found 1t
| i'm possible to gain access TO TINS friend or
| lawyers, but while looking out the
! window saw John Sturia, Charles Palmer and
| another gentleman passing aiOng Cne street.
| He shouted to Palmer, whereupOn J. j. Smith
| presented pistol and threatened TO dow ms
| brains out II he made auotheTiattem9t to com
municate with any one Smith then shut the
window and drew down the curtain, thereby
! rendering ii impossible for his prisoner TO be
| seen or heard from without. He was kept in
| this dark room until night, when the four
| men led him out Of the building and through
| y DARK, NaRkOW AGbE1s
at the back OF the store, where two bug
gies were in readiness. Tigbe, still
Alexander N. Smith, while j. ]: Smith
| and ]. NJ. naw, jumped into the Other.
| The abductors drove rapidly away with their
| prisoner, who did not Know where they in
| tended TO take him or what would probably
| be his fate. However, the Raleigh road was
| soon reached, and the web cles were driven at
| a rapid speed to the Wolf river bridge toll
| gate, which, being locked was broken down
| nv a q
| toIl-gate, being aroused, asked the party to
| desiSt from their act, but tod her they were
| the sheriff and his officers, and had right 10
| break the gate down. They then buried on
| with their prisoner, taking care not to pay the
| tril ng sum due for toll, 50 Jealous were they
| in their
! EAGERNESS TO REACH BARTLETT,
where they expected to take the train. In the
| meantime the scheme of Smith, Trantham &
| Co had been betrayed, and information of
duction communicated to Mrs. Bur-
| Lesson, who notified Colonel Patterson
| OF the fact TheTeupOn MesSrS. Patterson and
| lowe applied for wits of hd6eds corpus and
| sent out Deputy Sheriff Coleman Ou the
| Charleston railroad and Deputy-Sherif Muir
| phy on the Louisville railroad, as the route of
| the abductors was not then known. The
| morning trail on the Louisville road quickly
| reached Bartlett, and hardly had it drew up at
| the station when Alexander NJ. Smith, with
| his manRcled prisoner, j. NJ. TiShe, entered
| the car. AS he did so, Deputy-Sherif Murphy
| served
THE HABEAS CORPUS
| on this official traveller from Ohio, and took
| possession of Mr.. Tighe, who, being unaware
| that his friends knew any hing of his abduc-
! ton, was agTee8bly surprised. Alexander VI.
| Smith, whose eager and, as many think, ma
| nciOus energy in arreSting and abducting Mr..
! TIghe has made him appear very ridiculous,
! was astounded, However, he came back 10
| Memphis, and is now in the city, despite his
| very Ingenious Official endeavorS aud over
| riding of the Wolf river tOll.gate.
Mr.. Tighe was taken before Judge ]. f. r..
| Ray, of tue Probate court, and released on
| bond of TWO thousand dollars to appear tn
morning, when this UerJ interesting case will
| be argued, Whatever may be Mr.. Tighe's
| guilt as to the charge of obtaining goods under
! false pretenses, the severe treatment and the
| Shaw ard Alexander NJ. Smith were unau-
| thoTiZed by law, and should, as they doubtless
/ provides for. such work as this calls for con-
domination and punishment, and nothing but
| the timidity OF the shelby county authorities
| will permit II 10 pass unnollced and unpun-
| ikhed. We understand Alexander NJ. Smith
| last Saturday called upon Depnty-Sherif
! Dreyfus and asked him to arrest Tlgne.
| ALEXANDER NJ. SMITHS PLAY
| was of such a character that Deputy-Sheriff
Dreyfus refused TO have anything to do with
| il. Smith wanted the officer to decOy TIghe to
| the Louisville depot, and Just as the train was
| about TO start he would arrest him and place
| HIN in shsckels. Then he would put him
| aboard the train, before he could have time to
| be assisted by his friends. Deputy-SheriT
| Dreyfus very properly refused TO engage Ia
| thi, plan OF arrest, but said he would arrest
him publicly. However, this did not suit al.
eXander NJ, Smith, and he reSorted to the
method already given above. Learning that
Constable Matt Shelby ad assisted Smith in
the arrest, this officer makes the following
EXPLANATION OF THE ARREST.
Mr.. Tighc was not arrested by me, but by
Alexander NJ. Smith, of the State of Ohio. He
| had a writ and rcquisition from Governor
! Porter for his arrest, and met Mr.. Tighe at
| the corner of shelby street and Front row.
| The arrest was made publicly, being about
twenty steps behind the party; shortly after
he, hon a. NJ
| acted through courtesy and as the law directs
| in the matter
Question How did the law direct you in
| this?
| Answer-The governor OF Tennessee Gov
| ernor Porter in that requisitiOn which Mr..
| Smith has, directs the shsriE or cOnstables of
| the county to use due diligence TO arrest this
| party, Tighe, alleged TO be fugitive from the
| State of Ohio, and charged with obtaining
| goods under false pretcnseS. This l did; the
| writ charging him with obtaining goods I'M
der false pretenses from parties in Ctncin.
natl, Ohio.
Question Did you sse Tighe after his ar
| rest?
Answer-As matter of course did. was
| with him during The evening. Smith was
! deputized on the writ t. arrest him; hence 1
had no charge over him, but was called on
| merely assist him.
Question-Where did they take Tighe when
| they arrested him?
AnsweE-Tney took him up stairs over
smith & Irantham'S store, on HOwaI DIS row.
Quest on How long did you remain there?
Answer-Until l went 10 dinner, say an
hOur il dldn I see any wrong Treatment to MIN,
however. Tighe wanted to see his lawy ers,
but they refused him this. Alter dinner l re-
turned 10 the room where Tighe was confined,
and remained until dark. They accused me
of telling his lawyer that Tighe was confined
in the bui ding.
Constable Shelby made the above statement,
and US that he was not q aTty TO the arrest,
confinement or abduction of Tighe. Being an
officer he thought IL his duty u assist Smith
in arrestlng him, as said Smith was legally
made the agent for his arrest.
FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS DAMAGES.
Yesterday afternoon Messrs. Patterson and
Lowe, as attorneys for J. NJ. Tlghe, instituted
in the circuit court suit against Alexander NJ.
Smith, ]. ]. smith, John Trantham and
James NJ. shaw for fifty thousand dollars
DAMAGES. During the afternoon Deputy
Sheriff Coleman served Trantham and Shaw
with the notice. Mr.. Tighe has several years
been purchasing goods of Proctor & Gamble,
Thomas Emery Bros, Chatfield & Woods, and
Buchanan & Co., of Cincinnati. He has been
engage in the commission busin at No. 3
Howard's row, in this city, for a long while,
but last spring fled a petition in bankruptcy,
Jack Doyle being made assignee. II is said
that Alexander NJ. Smith was anxious TO be
made the assignee, but thai Tighe defeated
his project and consequently Incurred his
displeasure. ThereupOn ne went to Cincin-
natl, m sde affidavit that Tighe had obtained
goods under false pretenSes and obtained a
Tequisition, whether guilty or innocent.
Smith and his afiliators are not justified in
the course they have pursued and will be
made to answer the law. Their outrageous
conduct meets with general condemnation.