Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-12-17
The American gives the following
particulars of the shooting:

= Sk-T w.
Smith entered the rotunda of the Maxwell
house and took a seat which was placed
against one of the columns Immediately in
front of the ELEVATOR and facing northeast
! He took paper from his pocket and com.
menced to read. a few minutes afterwards
Mr.. Nertrees entered the rotunda from the
Cherry street entrance, and accompanied by
his brother, VIM. Vertrees, walked in the
direction of the billiard room. All of the
witnesses TO the affair agree that VertreeS
passed Smith a few feet and then turned to-
wards him. The report of a pistol was heard
/ almost simultaneously with this action, and
here it is impossible to reconcile all the con-
fiicr-ng statements as to the actual facts OF
| the transaction. Senator Smith ran towards
| the barber-shop, and Vertrees fired twice be-
fore Smith disappeared through the barber
shop DOOR Smith was not seen to have his
| pistol In his hand until fairly inside the
barber-shop.
Capt. E. p. Turpin, of GaIlatin, seized Yer
| trees, drew a large pistol, and began to flour
| ish it around as If looking for an attack up
on himself or Vertrees. He was the more
! excited of the two, and Vertrees endeavOred
in vain to quiet him. There were as many
| as half a dozen pistols out-all drawn by
/ friends of Nertrees-and one man who APP
preached the spot where Turpin and Yer
| trees were standing was gruffy ordered
back by the former. Nertrees was arrested
and taken to the police station and gave
| this morning. He then drove to the office
/ of Justice ]. b. Brown, where he was admit
ted to bail in the sum OF $4,000, his bonds
men being f. T. Noel, j. NJ. Dickinson, d.
ID. Bell, j. w. Horton, Jr, and j. N. Wal
| ton.
| one of the shots fired lodged in the facing
fthe door of the barber shop. and another
struck the wall over the register near the
same door.
The shooting created widespread excite
ment throughout the city, and q large num-
Der of persons gathered around the Maxwell
| house in search of all the Information posi-
bic to be obtained. After Senator Smith
had been removed from the Maxwell house
barber-Shop and taken to the office of DR..
Thomas Menees, and DR.. o. II. Menees the
aeaWafD
men gathered around it in the hope of find
ing out to what extent the senator had been
wounded. = 1t was soon ascertained that the
wound, though dangerous, was not necessa-
rily fatal.
There were in attendance upon Senator
Smith, Drs. Thomas and o. III. Menees, DIR.
w. G. Cook, DIR, CASTOR "a senator), DIR. Keys
and DIR. Dulaney Ga SENATOR. They attemp--
ted to find the ball, but without success.
While the probing was being done, Senator
Smith seemed to be suffering great deal of
pain. He was allowed to rest awhile, when
he went to his room in the Maxwell house.
DR.. o. I'll. Menees and X. +. Reyes subSe-
quently went to Senator Smith room and
cut the ball out. TO do this, an inciSiOn
eight or ten inches in lenght had to be made.
Pieces of the shoulder bone through which
the ball had a ssed were also removed. The
doctors say that the bail struck him q little
below and behind the shoulder, passed hor-
izOntally into the Scapula, through the soap
ula, on behind the postegior border, resting
betweeu+he border of the scapula and the
spinouS processes of the dOTSal vertebrR. 1t
entering the fieShy part of the shoulder, the
ball passed downward, went through the
shoulder blade and then glancing upward
lodging behind the angle of the ribs, as sta
ted.
Drs. Cook, Keyes, CASTOR, Dulaney and r.
r. Roberts cOrrOborated the statement made !
by the Drs. Menees.
While his wound was being examined in
DR.. Menees office, Senator Smith said that |
he believed that the persons engaged in the |
affair had entered into conspiracy to muir !
der him. He said lie was seated In chair, |
in tire rotunda at the MaXwell House read |
ing a newspaper, and that he was not aware |
OF Netrees' presence until the shot was fired /
and he felt the BALI enter his back. He then /
arose, and seeing that he could not defend /
himself, ran into the barber-shop door, |
where he drew his revolver to protect him
self Vetrees was 50 close upon him that he /
could not stop to take time until then to /
draw his weapon. Vetrees did not spit in t
his face, as had been reported. He did not |
expect to be assaulted from behind. Had he |
known that this was the style of battle to
be waged, he would have been standing up
and on the lookout.