Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-10-09

duties, ! heard some one say, "The negroes
are coming armed" ! Immediately Tan down
and halted them AZ tue entTsucs @ the city,
ana told them Of the plan we mas agreed
upon. They IOid me they hzd uesrd that hey
had intended To hang Mr.. Brown al eight
o'clock that morni as, ana saw 's good macy
viii g men coming in with their guns They
said they thought they mad a right 20 Ering
theirs. I kept them there until Mr. Brown,
Judge Reid aud Major NJ :. AIcgrn arrived.
ttT, Brown maue >hoIl speech 10 illeih, OF "A
lew minutes length, that they had agreed O.
have no meeting furthermore, thai they
should not come into TOW u 4 dlu not eaten
his remark, but saw him have the men hold
up their right hands. presume that he. as
an officer was swearing them in to keep the
peace. Mr. Brown. Major AlcOTu and General
Pease, accompanied BY Judge Reid, OF The
opposite party, Approached them as they
we're drawn up m, m line me- OF sron9sS bat
General Chalmers and others, on behalf OF
the whites, said they were for peace, and
didn't want any lighting, General Pease tOld
ahem that his men didn't come TO nght,
neither did they want to ngnt. General
Chalmers requested them TO diShand or
leave town. 1he same parties. acting IN the
int crest OF peace, IeporJed 10 them What they
nsd done. Sheriff Brown took the lead, and
requested all the men TO follow HIM. He and
Major AlcuTn and Judge Reid took them out
one mile, and then came back TO consult the
other party. They did this two or three times.
The last time Mr.. Brown came back, General
Chalmers said he would give them fifteen
minutes ID leave. l stationed myself about
half u mile from town, to prevent cOlOred
heard them say and tell in the town Ihey
were reporting that Governor AlcOTn and
General Chalmers were up town drilling their
men all the time negOtistiOnS for peace going
on, and were saying ihey meant to give them
a light anyhow, and that they meant 10 fO-
low them after they got them far
enough away from Town. thought that
was cal eulatod TO excite COiOred men; there
tore did not allow them to go out of town 70
convey these reports, Knowing that they In
town had agreed to have no row. Mr.. Brown
had taken the men out TO ClaTks bridge, two
miles and n hslf from town. While ne was in
conversation with them at the bridge, Major
AIcorn and Judge Reid Teturned 10 the other
party 10 report leaving Mr.. Blown behind.
Judge ReiG ana Major Al-oTu met Governor
AlcOrn and General Chalmers with their
crowd of men, near whore l had been stand
ing, TO keep back the citizens of the town. l
was approached By Mr.. irving of that crowd
to know ii MI. Brown meant to return. 1
told him that ne did. \ few minutes after
Major AlCOru and Judge Reid had reported 10
Governor AlcOrn and his men, heard the
command given to maTcn, or something to
that effect. 1 thought that looked fight. /
looked down the road TO see If 1 could see Mr..
Brown. saw him at some distance, coming.
/ left the road for a place of safety until after
they had passed. News came 10 me from
town that they were looking 10 me; that they
wanted Smith and Brown. Before leaving, l
waited about an hour to see il l could hear
the shooting. heard about one hundred shots.
rs they were a long time reaching the cOlOred
men, concluded tnat when they came up
to them that they had left the bridge. l have
since learned that they overlook them half
mile from the bridge, IN Buffers lane. l have
further learned that a crowd OF white men mad
by some means got in ahead to cut Off their re-
treat. When The COlOred men saw that, the
cOlOTed men charged upon them and got out
of the lane being pursued by Governor Al.
corn and his crowd. ! made my escape and
reached Helena " edUGsday night. l made
my way up the river and secured a Skld in
which l crossed over to Arkansas. Before
crossing however, saw several armed bodies
of white men riding up and down the road