Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-05-03
A FEARFBL OUTRAGE.
A Negro Murderer Lynehed by Few
Citizens Of NashVilIe-A Mob Look
ing On and IndOrsIng the Deed.
The State Dlsgraced by Supine set Of
Onleers-An UnmItigated Outrage
against Law and Decency.
A Crime for Which the Perpetrators
Ought TO be Made TO Pay with Their
LiVes-The Whole State De-
mRnds It.

Our dispatches published in Satur.
days APPEAL announced the lynching
Of negro named 10 Reed, by q Nash.
vile mob, last Friday night, the wretch
having that day murdered Policeman
Frazier, in order to avoid arrest. From
what we know Of the structure and
mode Of entrance to the Davidson coun-
ty Jail, aud can learn of the actions Of
the city, State and county authorities
relative to q Illustration Of the intended
and determined lynching of Reed, 1t
81 Ems that the mobbing was disgrace
| fUl act that had been easily prevented
| by due precaution and reJolute meas
ures. Hardly had Reed been lodged In
| Jail before the subject of lynching him
became the subject of general discussion,
and with the app!ehensiOns Of the more
| discreet citizens were heard INDUCED by
| others the regret that Reed had been
taken alive, and the hope that he would
be mobbed. Mayor Howell, Sheriff
Whitworth and others held q meeting
at four o'clock that afternoon to cOnsid-
er precautionary measures, at which
WIS read by the chief municipal execu-
tive letter from Governor Porter, re-
minding him Of the sheriff's
duty to call out the power of the
county when necessary to conserve
the peace. Mayor Howell said he and
the police would preserve the peace and
would aid the county authorities to the
full extent Of their power. Sheriff Whit
worth and Deputy-Sherif Wilkinson
left the meeting for the avowed purpose
Of providing a guard for the jail, but
these county officers became disgusted,
it seems, with their own official pro-
ceedings, for, "after summoning a num-
Der Of men, all OF whom declined to act,
they gave up the undertaking as far as
q pSSSe cOHljtGtus was concerned, de-
spite the instructions from Governor
Porter and the promises of Mayor How
ell" The mob began to assemble soon
after dark. The riot alarm was then
given by the city authorities, the streets
in front of the Jail were soon blocked up
with people, and a large number Of po-
icemen were stationed outside of the
entrance to terrify, by their appear
ance, the lswless crowd, which shout
ed "RallyW and clamOred for the
blood Of the pitiless negro wretch.
Then "Mayor Howell and few citizens
mingled with the crowd, demonstrated
and pleaded with them and tried to get
them to disperse." They would not do
so, but rushed upon the "large number
of policemen" and showed them aside,
as the latter never once offered to shoot.
The mob burst open the outside door
and entered the jsiler's tenement, 1t is
said that here 1.-The policemen, Jailer
Heverin, Deputy Sheriff Wilkinson and
others rallied" and made a peaceful
resistance. This door was quickly
burst open by the mob, which did not
amount to but "about twenty-five men
mainly young men" who were un-
masked. The mob soon entered the Jail |
proper, seized the prisoner, put halter |
round his neck and dragged him out of |
the building, the sheriff, jailer and others |
being witnesses to the iHhuman outrage. |
The negro was hurried to the suspension |
bridge, around the railing of which the !
rope was tied and then he was
hurled off amid frantic yells |
and the firing Of several shots, the |
form was lost In the darkness below. |
The rope broke and it is not known |
whether Reed was dashed to pieces
upon the rocks sixty feet beneath the
bSidge and len sank under the water, |
or fell at once into the river, as no ef-
forts have since been made to recover
but repetition of that of the negro Da-
y
ago, murdered William Murray in
The city council of Nash
vile held meeting Sunday and adopt
ed resolutions cOndemnatory of the law
less act Of the mob. Governor Porter
and Sheriff Whitworth do not agree as
to the official responsibility, and what
measures of q precautionary nature
should have been taken, as will be seen |
from the following extract from Sun
days american and Union:
To the Union and American:
Knowing that the action Of the mob
It the jail Friday night will be attrib-
Ited to the neglect of the governor,
mayor, and myself, as sheriff. desire
through your columns to ley my action
before the public, and let 1t be judged. l
visited Governor Porter at the Maxwell
house on Friday afternoon, about five
o'clock, and requested him to instruct
me in the premist5, ), and to lend me what
aid he thought necessary. He remarked,
'he could be Of no service to me; that
here was not a single round Of car
ridges in the city, and it would avail
nothing to call out the Porter Rifles,
Jackson Guards, or Emmet Guards,
without ammunition" thereupon l left
MIN. At about hslf-past nine o'clock,
after finding such a tremendous
crowd collected in the vicinity
Of the jail, l again called upon the gov
ernor and dem anded aid. I asked for
United States troops, and he told me he
mad no control over them; that they
would have to be ordered out by the
President. He thought there would be
no trouble. also consulted Mayor
Howell, and he seemed to be Of the
opinion that there would be no trouble,
and was confident thai the nnlice Wnuld |