Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-04-07
FLAGRZkT OUTRAGE.
Cruel and Barbar0uS Treatment OF Two
Jewish Merchants by a Gang Of
Masked Men.
Strong Language from the Eighth Dis.
trict-RenectiOn Upon The Aer-
chants and Other Citizens Of
SOmerYille.

| lZsnS generally were qulgtly sium OefiDg
10 their beds, and only those who were
/ plotting or executing mischief aud dev-
| ilment were awake and on the rampage,
| SOmervilte wss the scene If an outrage
| the most hei00us in its character Cf any
! that hes ever csst q stigma or repEoach
! upon cur community. About two o'clock
st night masked party, supposed to be
| between ten and fifteen in number, re-
| paired to the back door Of the 8 ore Of
| HiTsch d Bro, couple OF Polish Jews,
/ who are engaged 10 the dry goods and
| grOc cry business In this place, and with
a oattering-Tam, previously prepared for
| the purpose, bursted open the door Of
/ their busine ls.hOuse, and in 8 body
| rushed in. The first thing TO confront
/ them was fierce dog, kept in the stOra,
which they Immediately shot and killsd
/ The HiTsch brothers were ia bed, tu. OF
| course were sroused from their siumOers
! by the terrible noise made by the assault
| ing party. Julius, the elder, but the
most delicate OF the two, when in the
a I OF crying out, received a blow from
sn 8X.halve ia the hands Of one Of the
disguised party, and at the same time an
attack was made upon Jake with SINH
lar weapons. Being very strong be Of
fered the most stubborn resistance, and
very severe Struggle eusued between
the brothers and the band who had
made the attack upon them, but at LAST,
Rfter repeated blows over the head from
sticks and Clubbed pistols, they were
overpoTered, ropes placed around their
necks and they were dragged into the
yard at the bsck Of the store. Here they
again engaged in tiercs struggle with
their prosecutors, endeRvOTiug TO pre-.
vent them from taking them from the
yard, but were again forced 70 yield, and
with the ropes around their necks we're
in brutal manner dragged into the
street and thence to the fairgrounds, q
distance Of half mile from the square.
They begged and entrested, and at last
offered 10 pay five hundred dOllars
each to be released and let alone,
but were told that their money
was not wanted, that they wanted them
to leave the town. On their way to the
fair. grounds, whenever they slackeued
their pace or Cffefed the slightest resist.
area to going I, rWaTd, blows were dealt
them, and julius received three cuts in
tue back with knifs in order to hurry
him forward. Arrived at the lair grounds
the bsFbATOus treatment was continued,
and threats were made Of banging them,
but finally, on promising to leave town
on the five o'clock trsin, they wSre rs
leased, bu5 told to remain where they
were for twenty minutes, as they would
be killed If they moved ftom the sp3t
sooner. This they did, and when the
time came slowly WeDded their way to
their store, which they reached in an
exhausted state, and falling upon the
bed, lay there until morning, and ia this
condition they were found. They also
state that they were robbed ef the sum
Of nineteen hundred and aiXty.five dol
lars; but this statement is not generally
credited, in fact, it ia believed
by nearly every one with whom
we have cOnverseJ, to be false.
Had it been asseT.ed prior to tais occur
renee that there were parties in SOmer-
/ vile, or Fayeste county, so lost to all
| feelings OF humanity SO to engage in
this piece Of barbsrity OF peTpetrate such
an outrage, We would unhesitatingiy
| have pronounced such assertion as false
ard infamous. But so it is; the outrage
| has been committed, and the English
| language does not sffJrd words too
| strong in which to deuOuuce If. And it
| is denounced and deplCred by al coed
| citizens, both in Somerville and cut Of
| it. VINO the parties engaged il ii were,
| we do not know; but we do not for
!
| the merchRBts Of this place, who were
actuated by feelings OF eavy Oh account
OF the bus ness success this firm eG-
| i0yed, SIS has been asserted. We ETe
! confident thst this accusation is unjust
| and untrue. They are not the men tC
| commit such an outrage. Even If their
better natures ard feelings OF humsniiy
would not deter them frOn such an set,
self-ioteYest would, for they sre men OF
sense, who know that such Cutrages
| give TO q town 8 character that
! damages il not UrlY in business wsy
| bus in every other respect. The
N aTchsn!s of SOmerville condemn this
| outrage az strongly SO any other class OF
| Our citizens. 1t Is due them AID the
public mat they, ss body, under their
own Signatures, publicly reiute the uu-
| Just insinuation-if not asseEtiOp-that
/ they are the perpetrators or insigators
| Of this outrage that is so damaging to
our community. Neither Wss this out
rage peTpetrated on account OF the
Hirsch brothers being OF foreign birth
or speaking the German language; for
| there are Germans in this community
| who have lived here for yesrs and have
never been disturbed or irterfered with
Ia any manner. That these boys had
! rendered themselves obnoxious to many
people in this community, and as much
so to the foreign or German element as
TO any other, is fact well known, but
no matter what may have been their
conduct, or how they may have acted,
or how unfair or dishonest they may
lave teen in business matters or other
wise, it affords no apology fOf this out
Tsgeous conduct, and cannot and doss
not in the least degree pslliate the
! Nervousness OF this outrage. It
cannot be excused. What our citi-
zsns think Of it will be seen by the reso-
lutiOns passed by meeting held in the
courtroom last week, ana which we
publish below, snd yet this will not Ie-
pair the Injury done the town or orremOve
the stigma OF the foul act, the work
probably CT thoughtless youths, under
the influence Cf that beverage Of hell
which is in ninety nine ca es cut OF
every hundred the Prime cause Of all
crime. Time alone can oOliteTate the
foul blot We sincerely hope that it
msy never be ours to record another
sucn disgrscefdl occurrence as this,
which has been the sole topic Of cOnvsT-
sstion ever since it happened, and has
created an excitement in this town and
county such as has never been witnessed
before
"A call for public meeting resultt d
in g very large gathering Of citizens,
who, in appropriate resolutions, de-
nouuced tine bsrbaTism of the outrage on
the brothers Hirsch. The resolutions
TaVed st this meeting were Published
in the APPEAL OF Wednesday.
STRONG EXPRESSION FROM DISTRICT
! ED EIGHT