Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-30
EXCHANGING CoURTEsIEs.
How the Clarksvillo Boys Got Left
at the Hopkinsville Hanging
Dancing in the Dark
ITO the Americana


"CLARKsvILLE, Tenn, June 81
Hopkinsvillc's efforts to initiate
Clarksville are on very small scale.
Clarksville had a hanging on the 10Th
and Hopkinsville got up a similar
show yesterday, hanging a negro,
Clarksville hanged white man.
The difference was that Hopkinsville
haden't white man that needed
hanging. lIopkinsville's sheriff and
deputy came over to see our hanging,
were admitted to the show, wined, and
dined at the Franklin House, shown
over the city and made happy. On
leaving they extended cordial in
vitation to the GAINESVILLE officers to
see their hanging. The boys drove
over, yesterday, twenty-five miles i'll
a carriage, were politely received and
invited to a cheap restaurant to rest
aud wait for the hanging. The Sheriff
then slipped his men off TO an old
field where he had high plank fence
like cow-pen, hanged the negro
and never said, turkey" to the
Clarksville officers. When informed
that the hanging was over our boys
paid their bills, brushed the dust
from their feet and lit out, disappoint-
ed but wiser men. Our boys would
have very cheerGully paid quarter
each to see the sight, adding that
much to the fund for surveying the
eighteen-mile railroad to Cadiz.
GAINESVILLE had three grand balls,
in which the Hopkinsville galaxy
figured conspicuously Thursday night
the beauty and chivalry of GAINESVILLE
took in the Hopkinsville ball. The
managers disagreed as to whether it
should be a round or square dance
and blew out the lamps, leaving the
girls TO swing corners in the dark
lIopkinsvllle is just TO- lovely"
The above mendacious libel upon
IlOpkinsville and her citizens appear
ed last Sunday. 1t is needless to say
that the whole thing is a tissue Of
lies, prompted by malice and inspired
by meanness and littlleness as con-
temptible as the statements are untrue.
God grant that lIopkinsvillc may
never initiate GAINESVILLE in such
attempts to libel and traduce. 1t
Clarksville has many such white
men left as the author of the above
fling, we would advise her the let her
recently erected gallows remain
standing and use it frequently.
We are authorized by Sheriff
Boydto say that the Chief of Police,
Jailer, Deputy Sheriff and one other
person came over from GAINESVILLE to
attend the hanging, Friday. lie
entertained them like gentlemen aud
ordered special meals for them at
lirst-class restaurant, where they
were treated with true Kentucky
hospitality. lie then gave them
tickets of admission to the i closure
and left them at the court house,
within few steps Of the gallows
and gave them explicit directions
how to get there and cautioned them
to be on hand at 1880 promptly.
lie says lie has been informed by a
number Of credible witnesses that
their failure to see the hanging was
due TO the fact that they were too
drunk. They were drinking when
they arrived and got so drunk before
they left that the courtesy of the To-
cal officers was all that kept them
from protracting their visit at the
city's expense.
"Our boys" also misreprescnted
the facts about the ball. The lights
were not turned down until the en-
tire program was finished and then
only one chandelier was turned
down to let the crowd know that
there would be no more dancing.
The truth of the business is that
our rural cousins were unused to so
large city and failed in an attempt
to paint it red with the same brush
they use for the purpose in their own
village. That they got lost, or from
any other cause failed to see the exc
cution was due entirely to their own
actions.
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