The Brookhaven leader., 1888-05-03
4 TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
John III. Martin, of the New Mis-
siSSippian, and Gen. Writ
Adams Meet I'm Deadly
Combat.

The late stupendous farce ut bran 1
[don, miscalled trial for the vindica-
Etion of Justice, is already bearing
Ibloody fruit, and last Tuesday the
Ecity of Jackson was the scene of
another horrible tragedy, the princi-
pals being John ii. Martin, the gifted
young editorof the New Mississippian,
land Gen. Writ Adams. postmaster at
jackson. The immediate cause of
the difficulty was the following par
!agraph in Tuesdays Mississippian:
"Pcople who do not receive the
New Mississippian regularly will
please remember that since we expos
led the obliquity of General Writ Ger
stificatc Adams, the post office Is en-
Sdcavoring to wreak its spite against
sthis paper in every possible way. This
paper has to he in the postOfficc about
In half or an hour sooner than the Re
! publican paper here, or 1t is made to
slie over for another mail. 1t IS
strange how mad some men will get
when the plain truth is told about
9thcm in print, and yet this paper is
kfccling remarkably we'll"
Gen Adams had been smarting under
1.-THE criticism of the press on his con.
Encction with the Penitentiary certiti-
: cate business, ever since the full dis
scussion of that subject in the LEADER
! land other papers last summer, and
3thiS fresh allusiOn to it seems to have
] decided him to do something despcr-
ate.
Martin went to dinner soon after
zhiS paper was issued, and on his re-
Etuln about 2:30 T.. NJ, before he had
reached the business portion of town,
was intercepted by Gen. Adams, who
was armed with large Colts revol-
yer and accompanied by his friend
Ned Parish.
An eve witness, Walter Johnson,
gstanding near, states that Adams
stopped Martin and engaged him in
I conversation about one minute, when
3Adams, drawing his pistol, fired,
| Knocking off Martins hat. The see
! ond shot brought Martin to his knees,
! who experienced difficulty i'll drawing
This pistol. Finally drawing he fired
J rapidly. A third shot by Adams caus-
: led Martin to fall fiat on his back,
when, after few seconds, he parti-
2allv rising. steadied himself on his
6elbow and shot Adams directly
Through the heart, killing him instant
Nv. Martin fingered Il few moments,
sonly remarking to Chas. Campbell, 81
/ Am ii dead man." The fatal shot struck
Ehm in the right breast and ranged
Ito the left and downward. Another
sbroke his thigh. Owing to what are
supposed to be for shots received
Ely Martin and the fact that only three
Echambers of Adams pistol are empty,
some suspicion attaches to Adams
sfriend, Ned Parish, and an investiga-
Elton will be had.
! Aside from the prominence of the
sprincipals of this terrible trigedy, it
Els all the stranger and sadder when
athe disparity of age in the two men
Els considered. Gen. Adams was i'm
This Goth year. and had raised family
sof grown children, while Martin was a
young man of only %; and Parish ,
sGen. Adams friend on the occasion,
swho is suspected of unlawful compile
sity in the affair, is an old white head !
se d and white bearded man about Gen.
Adams age.
All that was mortal of John H.,
Martin was borne to Brookhaven, the,
home of his boyhood, on the 6:20 pass
3enger yesterday evening.
At the depot almost the entire pop
sulatiOn of the town met the bereavedl
family and friends from jackson and|
sOther towns along the |. c. Railroad
land followed the mournfnl funeralI
train to the cemetery where soon theI
grave closed over the loved form off
him whose genius and manhood had
made him foremost in Mississippi
Journalism and foremost in the hearts,
'of multitude of truest friends.
The funeral service was read byl
REV. a. +. Watkins, amidst the'
,heartbreaking groans of the agonizedj
father and the sObs and tears of del
voted relatives and friends whose!
kindred souls were bound to the deadl
mans spirit in stronger affection than!
flesh and blood could ever make them.
Prominent members of the w. c. T j
u. and others then covered the mound
with beautiful flowers and 10th to leaveI
the spot ,One by one the sOrrOwing ones:
leaving the hallOwed place.
made forever sacred because of the!
noble heart at rest beneath the sod i
because of the lofty spirit that onceI
dwelt in the hidden of clay, now!
glorifed Beyond.
We mourn to day because We loved himi
mneh;
But, think We, if our poor heart be desc
late
How all humanity must agOnIZe and cryI
At loss of such friend-a champion sol