The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-03-24


horse pistol with their immense balls.
had ridden into town at the sar e
moment from different directions; dis
mounting, they proceeded to surround
the courthouse, placing themselves in
between the fence and the courthouse
to prevent any escape; and as the
Browns fred up stairs, a portion Of the
crowd, which had been stationed in the
hall opposite the courthouse, rushed up
the steps and filed down the right aisle
which is Oh the east side, asd then fred
on the southwest corner where the
negroes were.
The negroes nearest this army were
those innocent men who fell a prey,
falling
-FOUR OR FIVE oE TOP OF EACH oTHEP.
The Browns were reached and went
down in a twinkle Of an eye before the
v0lley Of musketry in the hands Of the
determined and outraged men.
There was 4 general stampede Of those
who would escape the missiles of the
cro@d, thinking 10 reach the window,
thirty feet high, and jump to safety /;
but alas the crowd around the court
house, all being strangers, supposed each
man trying to escape one of the Browns
One man, Amos Mathews, who plunged
through the eastern window, nearest The
Jury room, when equidistant in and out
lad the whole left side Of his head blown
Oh by one or more loads Of buckshot, or
"A Winchester rifle, thus falling. breast
on the widow-sill, dead, and his brains
streaming % the ground thirtY or forty
feet below, where il remained to-day.
His wound was found to be as long a
an ordinary mans arm, and the weight
of the blood striking the ground was
heard across the street, 1t fell with
such force and in such quantity, quite
two gallons, that il spattered two or
three feet mp on the courthouse wall.
Peyton Hemingway, confederate IN
all the plot and one of the leading
hackers of the Browns, jumped from the
second story Of the courthouse, and
running tpwari a.5rs. Allure, had twenty
i've to Forty shots fired at him, but only
received one slight wound
AND ESCAPED.
A young negro jumped from the sec.
ond story jury-rOom, striking the ground
without injury and ran away with
several guns turned on him, only one
shot striking him anywhere, aud that in
half of his shoe sole.
b. is were lodged in all the walls,
ceiling, doors, window sash, piercing the
glass, mutilsting the benches, etc.
ALL THIS OCCURRED IN LESS THAN TEN
MINUTES.
The armed forces retreating down
stairs Leard two .emaining shots up
stairs aud hurried back to find thar
Capt. ID. n Estes, who was addressing
the court when the firing began, was
trying to assist several old laithfui
negro friends in their last hours, and
that Ell Brown, who was supposed to
have been killed, was resting on his
elbows, not having strength to rise
further, and had
AIMED TWO DEADLY sHoTs
at Capt. Estes, who was unhurt, no
doubt owing to the feeble aud dying
condition OF the half breed leader, who
in nis last extremity had this bitterness
in his heart. These shots brought back
those who were slipping away; but, alas!
they found their work incomplete, and
turned whole volley into the body OF
Ed Brown, riddling him from head TO
foot One of these blls- evidently
from a Winchester riae-psssed through
three seats of heart pine, one and a half
inches in thickness.
The Browns received not less than ten
shots each.
A number of the negroes Jumped
from the second story of the courthouse
and escaped without a brui,e from
jumping, and were uuhurt from she
flying missiles.
The smoke cleared away, and
THEDEAD
we're examined and placed in dry places,
where they would not be left in the
pools of their own blood. Ii was then
found the following men were killed and
wounded:
Joe Lang, dead.
French Hughes, dead.
Amos Mathews, dead.
Chas Brown, dead.
+ / Brown, dead.
Simon Cain, dead.
Jas. Johnson.
JAS. Harris, dead.
John Money, dead.
Andrew Robinson, dead
Scott Moore, dead.
Jake Cain, will die.
Coley Thompson, will die.
And seven others wounded.
AsURyEy
of the up stairs, and stairway and hall
down stairs, showed that blood in guam
titles TO be running in some places
marked nearly every portion OF the floor.
Misshapen bullets were pulled from
their lodging places in the walls, etc.
| and picked from the floor in all parts of
the building, and exploded cartridges OF
81, 80, 40 and A calibre were picked up
in all the space occupied.
THE BROWNS
were found to have been armed with
| five shooting revolvers, % calIbre, Smitl
& Wesson. Ed fred the FIRST and second
shots at Lddell and his last two at Capt
Estes. being the last shot fred excep
the yollev that was fred into him while
he was trying to kill Capt. Estes
! Charles Brown fired twice or more, bu
no trace could be made of the direction
of his shots or at what time they oc
Cured, but are supposed TO have beer
in the earlier stages of the smoke, con
sternati0n and confusion.
1t was thought that he was among tn
first killed, as he was not one OF tn
crowd of negroes on the corner OF tn
vest side, but was near the centre Of th'
building where he was found dead. IL
is supposed to have been Immediately II
front oe ths door leading from the stair
way, and challenged the FIRST shot fire.
by those of the armed crowd enterini
the courtroom. At the
oFESENG OF THE FUsILADE,
Capt. d. n. Estes, one Of Liddell's coun
! sci. Sommerville & Askew being th
others present, was addressing Mayo
Elem on motion toquash the warrant
1t Is thought that not exceeding NIT
people we're in the courtroom, forty g
+, them being negroes, as the white peop'
! of the town, knowing tte naturally tn
hulent nature of the Browns and thei
increa ed aggressiveness of late days
we're morally certain that difficult
, would be forced or Liddell and til
/, court, for which reason they were nj
there.
The constable OIL duty, Marshal Oury
was the officer of the court, and I'll
: sheriff, L. T. Hamilton. was at home ;
, dinner. and was not present during I'll