Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-04-20
OSCAR BURTON.
Killed at S0merville Yesterday,
On His Eighteenth
Birthday.
The End Of All Tragedies With a
Noted Character.

caused by political excitement and re.
sulting in the death Of Sheriff Reeves
and his brother and the wounding Of an
other is fresh in the public mind. The
excitement ran high both there and
here, and the dread of a threatened con
fict between the races was 80 great that
citizens caused a dispatch to be sent to
Memphis for help to preserve the peace.
All remember how promptly three han.
dred Of our gallant young men re-
sponded and went out there one night,
and how gratefully they were received
by the people.
The principal actor in that affair was
Oscar Burton, a youth under eighteen
years of age, an orphan boy, whose ia.
Their was killed in a difficulty in front Of
the Worsham House, in this city, about
the year 1857, and whose mother died
some years ago. Oscar killed a man
n Christmas, at Somerville, some
years ago, and was tried but acquitted.
He has lived several years with kind and
indulgent relatives, and, as far as we
know, never engaged in any regular bus.
mess. When the difficulties were pend
ing in Fayette county last August Oscar
Burton was found ready for the fray.
He was noted for his GOODNESS
and utter disregard of danger, and was
noted as a dead shot with the navy six,
which he usually carried. To get into a
difficulty with him was to kill or be
killed; consequently, a sort of armed
neutrality was observed between him
and his acquaintance. For the most
part be was p~eaceable and sociable, and
he scorned to take an advantage of any
one. His deadliest enemy was safe in
his presence, if unarmed. This was
Oscar Burton, When it was reported that
the negroes were marching in from the
country to burn and sack Somerville, he
was one of the volunteers for the de-
fence. When the Sheriff and two broth.
ers undertook to disarm him two of
them received their death wounds; an
other was badly wounded, and Burton
received fifteen shsts in his body. His
recovery wal considered almost a mira.
Gle. Since that time he was always
heavily armed.
Last week the Grand Jury found a bill
against him for carrying concealed
weapons. One of the witnesses who
furnished the evidence upon which the
indictment was framed was Thomas N.
Doyle, a young man Of twenty-one or
twenty-five, a clerk in Trimble's store.
Doyle and Burton, it seems, had slept
together, and Doyle had to testify or
perjure himself. Two other young men
also furnished information. On Satur-
day the Sheriff served a notice on Bur
ton, and he vowed vengeance on those
who had testified against him before the
Grand Jury. He called on Doyle and
said in substance: 81 will not kill you
when rnarmed, but l warn you that the
next time we meet l will shoot you"
This meant business, and Doyle knew It.
Monday morning Doyle started from
the store to his breakfast, and to do so
would have to pass the house where Bur
ton lived. AS he approached the house,
Burton jumped over the fence to the side
walk and put his hand in his bosom.
Doyle turned around and walked back
to the store, where he armed himself
with a double-barreled shotgun. Burton
came up the street on the other side,
and when opposite, turned across toward
the store, when Doyle fred a full load of
buckshot into his breast and stomach.
Burton turned to one side a few feet,
when Doyle fred again, and he fell.
Either load would have killed him.
Doyle then ran forward and fred al him
as he lay on the ground three or four
times with a repeater, but without effect,
Burton was dead; he died on his 18th
birthday.
Doyle was arrested and was to be ex.
amined to-day.