The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-12-09
The Pulaski Citizen--EXtr
Pulaski Tennessee Friday Deembe
Pulaski, Tennessee, Friday, December 8, 1880


1 being arranged that he should ar
irive at 1906 P. NJ. and leave on th'
| next train for Nashville st 2 so P. NJ
Mr.. Porter, upon arriving in Nash
vile, demanded the negro of the
taller of Davidson county but the
latter refused to deliver him uE
without a special order from Gov
Marks. This was speedily obtain
ed and Mr.. Porter, with his prison
er, boarded the morning train tor
Pulaski, arriving here ct about 30
O'Clock, the train being over an
hour late. He brought the negro
handcuffed in roundabout way to
the courthouse where the judge
and a jury were awaiting him. The
grand jury Immediately brought ia
It's indictment, consisting of two
counts-one for assault with attempt
to commit rape and the other Cor
assault with attempt to commit
murder. Mr. Noble Smithson was
appointed counsel for the defendant
and the trial proceeded. Mean
while, suspicions had been aroused
and a crowd gathered ID the court
room, but no demonstration was
made. The negro, through his
counsel, pleaded guilty to both
counts of the indictment; the Judge
delivered his charge, constituting nei-
ther ofense as punishable with death
and the jury promptly returned a
verdict of guilty. Sentence was
then fixed at 81 years in the peni-
tentiarv-the extreme penalty of
law. Immediately there was sig
nificant toward movement on the
part of the crowd. A rush was
made for the prisoner, and the few
officers present being unable to pro
tect him he was snatched from their
custody and hurried down stairs,
somebody in the meantime ringing
the courthouse bell.
The sound of the bell and the
rush and yelling of the crowd from
the court house door were tie
first intimations that great many
people had of the real state of af-
fairs. In moment the whole town
was in commotion and people came
rushing by the scores and hundreds
toward the east gate The negro
was borne along by several strong
and determined men. Swift. and
without noise. they swept down 1sJ
street south, filing west on Flower
street to the Presbyterian church,
where theyhalted and 1t was thought
for awhile that they would swing
him from the projecting limb of
locust in front OF that sacred edl-
flee, but wiser coun sells prevailed
and a voice was heard to exclaim:
"oN TO THE BRlDGEp
The march was then resumed.
Just'before reaching this point the
walls of a woman we're heard and
many heads turned to see ne
gress wringing her hands and
crying piteously: 30, they are
going TO kill my poor husband !!
Please let me tell him good bye"
Her prayer was UNDECIDED. She
was waved back By the men and
soon left in the rear. All this time
Dan Smith moved fast or slow st
the slightest wish of his captors.
Never a word he said-not mur-
mur or protest-but apparently
with willingness kept pace with the
crowd. A strong, long sea grass
rope was about his neck, with the
other end held by determined men,
but he needed no pulling, or push
ing or urging. Doubtless his
senses forsook him when he be-
came fully conscious Of the doom
that awaited him. The march was
kept up until the bridge over Rich
land was reached, and then rush
was made to attain eligible posi-
tions to witness the consumma-
ton of the tragedy. Men clam
bered up the walls and hung by the
rafters and jammed the floor,