Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-11-13

"hAO Vhio "oo PASNtOoo'hk Mio. DCuACi
was standing on the pavement not far
eff, and as the negro man ran of toward
Jackson street he accidentally ran
against Mrs Renrer and knocked her
down. He then disappeared down the
alley, neal the engine-house.
Some gentlemen picked up Mrs.
Beurer, and she lectured the negress,
Lou Thomas, upon improper behavior on
the streets, whereupon the negress be-
came offended, and advancing, struck
the old lady in the face several times,
and it is reported also threw q brick at
her.
THE KILLING.
This row attracting q crowd, the negro
woman ran up the sidewalk toward Jack
son street, nearly one square of. William
Beurer was cutting up meat at the time
in his market, No. SO Main, three doors
from the corner of 0verton street, and
on being informed that a negro woman
had struck his aged mother, rushed out
with butcher.knife in hand he asked
some one, "Where'is she2" and on the
woman being pointed out, he ran up to
the corner of Jackson street to where
she was. He said something to her
which was not distinguished by those
near, but in response the woman cried
out: II did not intend to do it," Young
Beurer raised his knife and plunged it
into her neck on the right side, below and
back Of the ear, severing one of the arte-
ries. The wounded woman fled and stag
gered up the sidewalk to near the corner
Of Commerce street, fell on the side
walk and died in a few minutes. Young
Beurer returned toward his meat market
and gave himself up to patrolman Ma
loney, who, with patrolman Cannon,
conveyed him to the station.house, where
he was locked up. Several hundred
black people and a number of whites
gathered at the scene Of the killing in a
few seconds, but by that time the woman
was dead and lying on her side across
the pavement.
Justice Egnew, being in the vicinity,
arrived and at once summoned a jury
Of inquest. The jury examined the
body and a few witnesses, w~hereupon a
verdict was returned that the deceased
came to her death from a wound made
with a knife at the hands Of William
Beurer." The body Of the dead woman
was taken charge of by the county un-
dertaker for burial.
A CHASTITY SCENE.
Our reporter vas soon IN the ground
and found the greatest excitement pre-
vailing, especially among the negroes
who crowded around the bodySof the
dead woman. 1t was dark, and the black
mass Of human beings was densely
packed in a circle, through which our
reporter made bis way with difficulty.
Getting on the inner side Of the circle a
scene worthy Of the pencil Of Rembrant
met his view. On the pavement lay the
woman; she was a f~ull-blooded African,
aged about twenty-five years. Her hair
was short and kinky, and she wore a
dirty and dark calico dress. Her breast
was covered with blood, and on her face
were red splotches Of blood. On the
pavement around her head and breast
was a thickening pool Of the same red
liquid and the feet Of those sur.
rounding her tramped in it.
Over the body stood a negro woman
holding a candle in her hand, and its
Pickering glare lighted up the bloody
face beneath and the scores of dark
faces peering down from above and all
around. The negress talked continu.
ously in response to hundreds Of ques-
tons. Occasionally she reached down
and turned the dead woman's head over
in order to display the horrible wound in
the neck. 1t was a horrible sight, aud
our reporter worked his way out from the
inner circle.
THE DEAD n THE LIVING,
The dead woman was known as lou
Thomas or Maggie Thomas, or BLACK
Mag" and resided on Center alley near
Commerce street. Like hundreds Of
her race and sea in this city, she was a
dissolute character Of the lowest descrip-
ton and was quarrelsome, and turbulent
in disposition.
The young man William Beurer, who
committed the terrible deed, was born
in this city. His father kept a butcher
shop or market here for years, and his
son follows the same calling. he, with
his mother, keeps a meat market at 55
Main street, near Overton. He has the
reputation Of being peaceable, hard.
working and industrious, and has never
been known to have been engaged in
rows or difficulties Of any kind. His
friends claim that, hearing Of the out
rage committed upon bis mother, he was
reused to extreme passion and commit
ted the act before be had time to think
Of it or its consequences.
Last night Beurer was taken from the
sta~tion-house by a deputy sheriff and
lodged in jail on a warrant sworn out
before Esquire Miller, who will hear the
case on next Monday, so as to give the
officers time to hunt up the witnesses,