Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-11-16
SHERIFF CANNON.
And the Deputies Who Served with Him
ON Saturday Night, the Sd In
slant, When He
Raided the Saloon Of the Negro Webb,
on DesOtO Street, Admit Freely
and Unreservedly that the
Report Of the Appeal was Correct
Pistols were Fired and Cries were
Made of "HaIt! Haiti"

We invite the especial and careful at
tention of the readers of the APPEAL to
what follows. On Sunday, the 4th instant,
we published the following report in tb
local department of.the APPEAL: 4
A rather unusual scene for times !,
peace and in a land of milk and honey w,I
enacted about 10 o'clock last night at Nc
G3 Desoto street, occupied as a saloon by
Henry Webb, colored. At that hour,
while n number of darkies were sitting in
q back room Of the saloon, some of them
at a table playing cards for drinks, the
house brightly lighted, some eight or ten
deputy sheril's dashed in pell-mell and
called Halt halt" making so much
noise that n number of the darkies were
frightened nearly out of their wits, and at
tempted TO get out OF the house. Several |
pistols were at once drawn by the deputy !
sheriis and four or five shots fired, one OF |
the bullets, il is stated penetrating a |
house in the vicinity occupied by col |
ored woman named Hannah Joiner |
Three policemen, who were making their
rounds at distance of throe or four blocks
away, heard the screams and shots, and
were informed by several excited persons
whom they met that Il riot had broken
out. When they arrived at the scene,
however, everything was quiet, and they
found nothing TO do. No arrests were
made. Webb states that he put aside all
his gambling tools last Monday, and has
made no use OF them since the recent
order.
On this, in the same issue of the AP-
PEAL, we made the following editorial
comment:
II is much to be regretted that an in
tended enforcement of the gambling act
was last night attended by an unnecessary
show OF force and violence. We are quite
sure there is nothing in the code that
justifies the use of pistols in such cases.
There was no resistance to the officers, no
one was found gambling, and no arrests
were made, yet SoVoral shots were fired by
the sherd's deputies. All this was, per-
haps, unlawful; certainly it was totally un-
necessary, as the police were on duty and
were quite equal to the suppression OF
gambling, or any other crime.
In last Wednesday mornings APPEAL
we made the following statement in refer
ence TO a report made by the city editor
the same day:
1t will be seen from a report elsewhere
given that reporter of the APPEAL was
yesterday brought before the grand jury
and asked to give the name of the person
or persons from whom he heard of the
raid made on the night of the Sd instant
by twelve deputy sheritis, on the premises
Of q negro named Webb, suspected of keep
ing gambling den. On being asked for
this information, the reporter stated that
he knew nothing about the raid of his
own personal knowledge, and, being
pressed for the names of his informants
declined to give them, under a rule that is
imperative in the conduct and manage
ment of newspapers But the grand jury
refused to accept this explanation, and in
sisted upon n categorical answer to the
question. This being still refused, the
reporter was taken into court and the
matter was referred TO Judge Greer, who
suggested that the jury avoid, if possible,
pushing the reporter TO the point
of mourning the extreme penalty
OF the law, recognizing the force of the
plea set up by him. The result was that
he was given a week to consult with his
informants as to their willingness to reveal
themselves or be revealed by him. We
have no doubt they will readily reveal
themselves, especially as it does not in any
wayinvolve them in trouble, MS the state
ments made 10y them to the APPEAL, and
by il TO the public, are, we understand,
admitted by the deputy sherifls to be sub
stantially correct. With due respect to
the grand jury, we think that in this case
q
nothing, and can readily relieve our re-
porter of any further annoyance by sug
gesting to the Criminal Court that it in
yite the special attendance of the sheriff
and his deputies and ask them if they die
not fire shots and shout and yell on the
occasion referred to. We do not believe
they will deny what they have already ad
mitted, nor will they wish to.
In the above extracts we charged:
FTrst-That sheriifs posse raide,
Webbs saloon on the night of the 3,
Instant
Second. THAT several pistols wer,
drawn and fired, accompanied by shout
and yells.
Third-That these facts were ad
mittsd by the sheriff and the deputie
employed on the OCCASION that the e1
animation Of the APPEALS $ reporter wa
an unnecessary waste of time by tn
grand jury. and that the persons froi
whom we had our information weui
readily reveal themselves % the gran
Jury next Tuesday.
Having full confidence in the homo
and Integrity of Sheriff Cannon aud hi
equities, we also advised the grand jur
TO suggest to the Criminal Court that an
further annoyance to the APPEALS r'
porter would be saved by their e.
animation by the court, and v
closed the editorial with these word
I'VE do not believe they (the sheri
"aud his deputies) will deny what tn,
have already admitted. nor do we belie'
they wish to. From the statements
Sheriff Cannon and his deputies, her
with appended, it Will be realized by OF
readers that our confidence in him al
chem was nos misplaced. He admits Il
raid aud the firing of two shots, but sa.
he did not hear any shouting or yellin