Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-08-03
MURDER.
ColOred Man Named BizZell Kills Co.
Iumbus Stewart, COlOred, a Friend
Of the Notorious Mary
Burton.
Arrest of the Murderer-His Statement
He Regrets the Awful Crime
The Inquest and the Evil
dence-Etc.

between IOur aGO uNS U ClOCh y6StcL"
day afternoon Sam BiZZell, the WE'LL
known colored barber, whose shop is at
No. $40 Second street, shot and killed
another colored man named Columbus
G. Stewart, who resided on the south
side Of Calhoun street, east of DeSotO.
The tragedy occurred at the corner Of |
Second and Gayoso streets, and Bizzell, |
being arrested, was visited at the Adams- |
street stationhCuse by an APPEAL re- |
porter, to whom he made statement as |
to the difficulty, which, in substance, is |
SIS follows: Yesterday afternoon Stewart |
visited his barber-shOp and stated that
he had to help BiEzsll to support his
family. Stewart also made use OF Ian
guage regarding Bizzell's wife, and was
ordered by the latter to leave his shop.
Bizzell went into the back OF his chop,
and, upon returning, found Stewart still
talking upon the subject in front OF his
establishment. Stewart detied him to
do anything, and Bizzell walked down
to the corner, where he was followed by
Stewart, who went there to pay man
seventy. five cents for hauling load OF
wood. While standing there Stewart
drew large buck-handle knife and
rushed upon Bizzeli, who at frat showed
him off, and as the assailant
started toward him again, draw a Smith
& WessOn revolver and fired. Both
shots took effect, one in the neck and
the other in the left temple OF Stewart,
who ran obliquely across the street for
distance Of fifty yards and fell corpse
on the pavement in front OF Wallace q
Co. g carriage shop. Biz IL fled, and being
pursued, was not overtaken until ne had
reached Vance street, nesr st. Agnes
academy. He regrets the deed, ard says
he was actuated by motives OF sell. pre-
servation, and wants only fair state
meut and an impartial trial. This is in
substance his statement, but there are
other accounts of the tragedy, the most
reliable Of which is that Stew
art, while partially intoxicated, Wis.,
tied Mr.. Bizzell's shop yesterday
afternoon and wanted to renew diff
Guilty which they had some time ago in
relation to the latter's wife, whom he
(Stewart) compared to Mary Burton,
and ssid that upon the score OF virtue
she was lust as baj. This irritsted Biz
zell, who ordered him to leave, but
| Stewart repeated his remarks and also
had something to say about politics and
| the election to day. He continued to
| indulge in indecent language and to
provoke Bizzell, who finally struck him
| in the mouth with pistol. Thereupon
| s ewsrt drew q knife and rushed upon
BizzelI, who fired twice, anu with the
result already known.
AN INQUEST
was held by Esquire Elliott, who 1um-
moned as q jury Messrs, II. Norris, Il.
| J. Hanson, l.. S0lsri, A. Mills, Charles
GaIlini, r. H. Offert and L. NJ. Dean.
| Several witnesses were examined, but
| none of them could relate anything as
to the cause Of the difficulty, or even
the expressions that prove ked the first
| blow, which all the witnesses stated was
| given by Rizzsn. The testimony before
the Jury OF inquest, in substance, was
| that the two had been qusrTeling hall
an hour before the shooting took place,
but no one was able to give the least ides
OF the nature of their trouble. Those
who saw the shooting say that Bizzell
struck Stewart the fist blow, ard held
him off with his left hand, while he
drew his pistol with the right hand
Some say that Bizzell struck Stewart G
blow with the pistol, which caused him
to turn away as il to leave his assailant,
when BizzelI fired the first shot,
and which is supposed tc
have been the one through
the brain, which caused the mans
death. After the first shot was fired
Stewart did not show any sign Of having
been strack by the ball, but changed his
course down Second street toward Wal
lace & Co.'s carriage shop. When he
bad got about twenty steps from Bizzell
the latter stepped forward a few feet,
taking deliberate aim and fired, this
time hitting Stewart in the shoulder. The
nli Nuh
boGy lay over to the bsrber-shop, oil
which BizzelI is proprietor, and tired to
elicit from the emplOyt there what they
knew about the fl ght, but they were as
dumb as sticks-One made it convenient
to be asleep while all this balf-hour'f
quarrel was going on in ten feet of the
door, which str cted the attention
Of people blocks distant. Another one Of
the employees heard the qusTreling, but
could not say what they were quarrel
ing about. When asked if the two men
had ever bad any difficulty, he said they
had never quarreled about the shop, and
he had never heard that there was any
feeling between them. DR.. G. w. Cor
don examined the dead body and dis
covered that one ball had entered the
left temple and psesed through the base
Of the brain, which was sufficient to
cause death in s. few seconds. He die
not consider it necessary to make fur
Their examination. The jury returned 6
verdict that COlumbu G. Stewart, col
ORE, came to his death by gunshoi
wound inflicted by Samuel B zzsll, col
Ored, in accordance with the facts giVer
in substance above.
OUTSIDE TALK,
From the statements OF several per
sons outside, who were not before tht
jury of inquest, il is very evident that
this difficulty grew out OF the recent raid
on the negroes Mary Burton. Stewart
| r,rnr, nr,knr,nh in, q oi Q finln q