The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1876-11-24
THE ARKANSAS TRAGEDY.
Particulars Of the Shooting OF
Three Methodist Ministers I'm
Arkansas by an Ambush Par

Is Three meth0dlSt m1nlbteFs Iii
: Arkansas by an Ambush Par
IS ty.
a The Rev. w. II. Metheny furn
o ishes the Western Methodist, pub
It lished at Memphis, Tennessee
he following particulars of the
sho Il 1ting of three Methodist min
;sters ip, It Fort Douglas, Arkansas
, few da rs since, a brief state
mept ,ef in re- rega, ID to which has al
ready b been 7 pub ,'ished in the Sun m
"0n our return from Confer
, ence, several of us we're the cub.
jects Of a very sad inc. .den1. the
particulars Of which 9ye you
1t seems the United States Mar
shals had been very active iOr
some time arresting parties for
real, and, in some instances, per-
h. ops, supposed violations of law,
mt a great many citizens had
become considerably excited on
the smile ct. Some parties had
resolved to ~esist the authorities,
and rumor had it that sixteen
Marshals were e. Hpected IN mat
vicitity to execute ne iaWi S.;i nevs'
B. Williams, A. Ii. MIiilaIllsI Wiz ms
George Pledger, and my sen ilhu .hu
crossed Boston Mountain u tne
morning of October rs, and C. 'ne
down on Hurricane Creek abou :
noon. Brothers A. III. Williams and |
Pledger, young men, travelled to-
gether, and they were some dist
ance ahead. They arrived at Fort
Douglas, on Big Piney, about 5
O'Clock in the afternoon. We had
travelled all day without feeding,
and the young men thought prob
ably we would like to put up for
the night. Brother williams went
into house to make inquiry for
accommodations, and Brother
Pledger over to shop just across
the road from the house. The
back part of the shop, toward the
mountain, was all open. He had
been standing there but a few
minutes when he was shot from
the mountain. He fell upon his
face and said, ~ am killed!' The
owner of the shop, Mr.. Wallace,
was the only person present or in
the shop. He ran out to Brother
Williams and told him not to go,
or try to go, to his friend. Broth
er Williams tried to get other {
parties to help him bring Brother I
Pledger out Of the shop, but none /
would go. So brother Williams {
mounted his horse to ride back {
and hurry myself and his father, |
Brother B. Williams, to the scene /
of carnage. When we got to the a
shop we found Brother Pledger a
lying on his face, pale, helpless, 2
bleeding, and, we thought, nearly 4
dying. We put him on blanket c
and carried him to the house of a
Mr.. Wallace and sent off immedi- a
ately for a physician. After we s
got Brother Pledger as comforta- /
bly, situated as we could Brother 7
B. Williams, myself, and two or z
three friends who had come to v
our aid, went out behind large Il
tree from the shop to consult a
about the most judicious course q
to pursue. during the night and 0
while there talking the brush P
men changed their position, or q
had others posted across the creek g
from where Brother Pledger was b
shot, Brother B. Williams and my 81
self were singled out, and he was W
shot through the right side, just e
lbove the hip, and | was shot in u
he right side, only breaking the n
skin, but making very sore I,e
1lace. Igreatly fear that Brother lS5
Pledger's wound is mortal, Broth u
,r B. Williams has a very bad te
wound, but the doctor thinks he a.
will recover if the wound is prop u
,rly managed. We were certain m
v mistaken for United States u
darshals, and our cases and um. IN
,rellas, seen from the mountain, et
we're taken for guns. The whole m
leighbOrhood seemed to be in B
leep sympathy with us, and rem u
lered us every assistance in their III
'owcr to make us comfortable, ra
nd we left our dear brethren IN
With the doctor and kind people al
here, with the pledge that they
would receive every needed as
istance until their friends could "
each them" - ''.'-'" pc
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