The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-11-15
The Shooting on Election Day.

We were unable last week to gather any
reliable particulars of the shooting OF a
c)lored man in Staunton on election day.
There was so much confusion about it,
and so many different tales being told,
that it was impossible to get to the real
facts. Since then, however, we have been
at considerable trouble to get at the bot
tom of it, and are satisfied that it was an
unprovoked and wholly unjustilied assault
made by man who was crazy with
whiskey and whose mind had been in
famed by the Danville circular and the
murders growing out of it..
The statement of the wounded man. Ed
ward Courtney, is, that he and two other
colored men were talking on the side
walk when Croghan came up with gun
swinging in his hand. Croghan said "What
are you - talking about" Courtney
replied, Nothing, Mr.. Croghan, that con-
Germs you" Croghan said. ''I'll shoot
some of your damn heads off, !" and with
that drew the gun towards his shoulder.
Courtney said, Don't do that Mr..
Croghan. " but before the words were out
OF his mouth the gun had been discharged
and the load had passed through part OF
his neck Courtney then ran, and was fol-
lowed by his friead and taken to the doc
tol S Office.
Mr.. Richard H. Bell, who saw the shoot
ing states that when the gun was dis
charged, it was not at the shoulder. but at
the side of Croghan, and that he thought
it an accident. He was not near enough
to hear any conversation. Croghan was
very drunk, and when approached by the
mayor, a moment after the shooting, said
in response to q question that he chad shot
nobody" He was in such a stete of in
toxication that he didn't seem to be aware
that anything unusual had happened.
Courtney's wound was a very severe one
and he is suffering considerably. DR.. Nc
Chesney, the attending physician, thinks
The negro is liked and respected by all
who know him. He is quiet, polite,
inoffensive and Industrious. H , stated to
reporter on Tuesday that he had known
Mr.. Croghan for years and had always
liked him. That during their long ac-
qnaintance not an unpleasant word had
passed between them. and that even now
he bore him no ill-will. He had not
seen him on the day of election before the
shooting, and never so much as dreamed
of an assault when Croghan came up to
where he was standing.
Mr.. Croghan is one of the most peace
able and quiet young men about Staunton,
and i'll his ordinary senses would have been
the last man in town to have made such
iii uncalled-for assault. From all we
could learn he must have been as drunk as
man could he. On Thursday, he was
bailed in the sum of 81 900, and the bail
will expire to-day.
From the fact that the negro gave no Of
Tense by word or action, and of the friendly
relations that had existed between them,
and the well-known character Of CrOghan.
we are satisfied there was no malice in the
shooting. 1t was the desperate act of a
drunken man whose mind had been imbued
with the idea that the election was con-
test of races. This idea had been reiter-
ated so often by the Democratic press and
speakers, and so emphasized by the Dan
vile circulars, that many Il man in the
possession of all of his faculties was led
to extremes. and the wonder is that whis-
key did not precipitate more assaults as in
defensible as this one.