The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-24
OPENING FIRE.

the remark, None of your id
business
OPENING FIRE.
Liddell raised'hi5 arm and struck
him across the face. There are two
versions of " hat followed. Accord.
ing to the negroes Liddell immedl-
ately whipped out his revolver and
opened up on them. According to
his own report Brown fired twice at
him. Charles. Browns brother, twice
and three other negroes joined in the
fight. two on the other side of the
street and one from behind a tree,
woundiug him seriously. The firing
was kept up for some time, when
the city marshal came upon the
scene. The negroes then dispersed
and the marshal arrested all the
wounded, Edward Brown, who was
shot in the abdomen Charles Brown
in the leg, and Liddell in the side.
Liddell was charged with assault
and battery with intent to kill for
his participation in the affair, and
the negroes were bound over TO the
Circuit Court on the same charge.
The negroes believed that they had
been badly treated in the matter.
and were determined to have Liddell
punished for his shooting.
- -,rr,. ,,rrprnnY-cus
When the case was called yester-
day morning some fifty negroes, in
cluding all who were engaged in the
first affair, were congregated in one
corner of the Courthouse. There
were twelve or fifteen white men
present beside the law officers, who
were seated in the front of the room,
near the Judge, the negroes being
generally in the rear. occupying the
witness benches. The courthouse is
a two.story building, the room where
the trial was going on occupying the
second story.
While the case was In progress a
scene of excitement was observable
among the negroes in the back part
of the courtroom. One of them IN
looking out of the window had seen
a body of armed white men nearly
a hundred in number, on horseback,
armed with rifles, drawn up before
the courthouse. The negroes were
panic stricken at this sight and made
Tor the narrow stairway 1t Is said
that Ed. Brown, on the first infoT=
nation that the regulators had en-
tered the building, drew his revolver
and fred at iiddell, but without eff
feet. The negroes broke for the
stairway, but found armed men be-
low preventing their egress by il.
SHOOTING ALL ROUND.
Both parties opened fire and a
battle ragged for several minutes.
The men in the building, both white
and black, finding that there was no
ether escape, broke open the win
doWs aad leaped to the ground, a
distance o. twenty feet, the mob fir
ing on them as they Jumped down.
The room vas completely filled vith
the smoke Of the battle, the benches
and chairs overturned and smashed
and the floor covered with blood.
The firing continued only few
minutes, but it vas very severe while
il lasted. When the fring from the
negroes had ceased and il wac ayj-
dent that al of them had been kill
ed or escaped, the mob sprang on
thsir horses and rode away as quiet
ly and as nysteriously as they had
come,
The courtroom, when inspected,
was a perfect wreck. There were
l35 shots i'll the south wall fred by
the mob in the passage down stairs
and thirty 10 the benches. AS es-
animation showed twelve negroes
dead.
Payton Heminway and Walt Nc
Loud jumped through the window,
carry.ns the sash along. The for
mer was shos slightly In the hand
but was otherwise 9p5armed Amos
Matthews was shot dead while try
ing the same mode Of escape. One
colored man threw himself out OF
the west window, fell on the brick
pavement, got up aud made his es-
cape aHb1rt While he was attempt
ing 20 get ogt three shots were fred
at him. Two struck lhe window
sill and passed through the glass.
Among the killed are Charles and
Ed Brown. the leaders of the negroes
and the principals in the original
difficulty from which this affair
gtew. Arms were found on all the
dead negroes, who evidently antici-
pated difficulty. 1t is impossible
to give the names OF any of the mob
engaged in the killing. II anybody
il Carrcllton knows them he de-
clinss to speak en- the subject and
not even a rumor prevails as to who
they were. No white p,en we're
killed in the ARRAY snd none were
wounded or hurt, SO far as is known,
beyond bruises received in jumping
from the courthouse windows to the !
ground below.
Public opinion is very much |
wrought up in Carrollton oyer theI