Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-04-20


Broadhurst Institute, where they
again turned to the right towards
Mr.. Settles house. Just at the en-
trance gate of the Broadhurst Insti-
tute he came up with them, charged
Columbus Seat, who seemed the
most disorderly, with the assault on
Howell, and told him to consider
himself under arrest and to come
with him to the police station.
Seat said he hadn't hurt the boy and
wouldn't go, but was going home.
Upon this Phillips collared him !;
the negro broke loose, and on being
seized again was seen to put his
hand in his pocket. Phillips had
by this time got his pistol out he
told the negro to take his hand out
of his pocket, which he did. Phil
lips then seized him again. The
negro, who was large, powerful
man, twisted away from him, par
TALLY throwing Phillips off his bal
ance, when Seat assumed an offens-
i've attitude, posing large rock in
the attitude to throw it. (There is
a slight discrepancy in the evidence
here, Phillips thinking the negro
took the rock from his pocket, one
of the negroes saying he picked it
up from the ground. Phillips adj
mits, however, that he was near
falling in the struggle and may have
been mistakenly Phillips told him
to drop the rock, which he refused
to do, and drew it back as if to
throw it, when Phillips fired. The
negro then turned to run; Phillips
told him to stop, he continued to
run, and Phillips fired again, when
Seat stopped at Mr.. Settles gate.
Phillips grappled with him there
and while struggling, Seat fell.
Phillips at first thought it was
drunkenness, but on putting his
hand under him to raise him, felt
blood, asked him whether he was
hurt; Seat said yes, but he did not
know where. Phillips now requested
DIR. Sharpe, who had come up dur
ing the struggle, to stay with the
wounded man while he sought some
means of conveyance. He met
with one near the Methodist Church,
brought it to the place of the stlug,
gle and conveyed the man to the
police station, where he died very
soon after his arrival at 10 O'Clock
p. NJ.
There was an excited crowd Of
negroes around the station, who
tried to get in, but only two were
admitted to wait on the wounded
man. An inquest was held al
which substantially the above in.
formation was elected. Meantime
the crowd around were calling an
grily for Phillips. The Sheriff, Mr.
James Moseley, who had arrived
placed Phillips under arrest and
started with him to the Jail by 6
back door through the market house
AS they came out they were met
by several negroes, one of whom
told them to stop and shouted "Here
they are, boys" which brought 6
few more negroes there. A negro
woman came forward, eXpostu
lated with the speaker and threw hel
arms around him; he drew a pistOl
and threatened to shoot her, when
Sheriff MOseley presented pistol al
him and told him to desist, which
he did. The crowd of negroes had
increased by this time; Phillips had
arrived at the Jail; the Sheriff fol,
lowed him, pursued by a few of the
crowd -four or five) down the hill
to the Jail. Mr.. George Harris came
out from the Jail and aided the
Sheriff in keeping them back till
both got into the Jail. The crowd
remained on the top of the hill vo-
ciferating for some time. While
these things were going on, the
alarm of fire was given and was
greeted by loud shout by the ne
groes.
The above transactions, related
exactly as they took place on the
testimony of several eyewitness,
have been very much exaggerated
and distorted in theaccounts sent to
the Northern papers, and in the
Cincinnati papers especially a state
bordering on civil war is described.
That there is some excitement
among some of the rOwdy negro
population is true, but the great
body of white and black are hard at
work repairing the effects of the fire.
All cities have their roughs, and
ours, not more numerous than the
average of other cities, consist chiefly
of a gang of idle, drunken negroes,
who "most do congregate" about
the lower end of Strawberry alley,
occupied by drinking saloons and
negro boarding houses. 1t would
be great libel on the industrious
working-men, who constitute the
great body of the negro population,
to identify them with these rowdies.
The fire has not yet been proved the
work of an incendiary, and the
death of Seat will be the subject of
judicial investigation, and this is all
there is to be said on the subject all
the rest has been manufactured for
the purpose of sensation.