The Brookhaven leader., 1889-08-08
ANOTHER TRAGEDY.
G. NJ. Hull, of the Bolivar Coun-
ty Democrat, is Waylaid and
Shot Dead
BY l.. A. Messenger, Editor of
the Bolivar County Review.
Intense Indignation Over the
Affair, and Messenger
Takes Flight.

! tragedy last Friday, in which one OF
the bravest and bestnewspaper man of
the State lost his life. From the
special correspondence of the Mem
phis Appeal and the columns of the
Democrat, we gather the following
details of the affair:
GREENvILLE, Miss, Aug. &c, NJ.
Hull, editor of the Bolivar County
Democrat, and L. A. Messenger,
editor of the Bolivar County Review,
both published at Rosedale, Miss, be-
came involved in personal difficulty
to-day in which G.. NJ. Hull was killed.
Bad blood had been existing for some
time between these two gentlemen on
account of an old feud which grew
out of the Democrats criticisms of
Lomax, the notorious convict sar-
geant, who was Messengers client.
The Review edited by Messenger,
made it's first appearance on July q,
and the editor took occasion to give
vent to his long pent-up spleen in
several articles directly or indirectly
attacking Hull. Mr.. Hull's paper on
Friday contained a number of articles
referring to Messenger and his at
tacks upon himself, and among
others, the following:
The war-like talk of the Weissin-
ger to say the least is childish. Its
editor has had occasion to know
something of the temper of the pub
Usher of the Democrat. TO in
stance. In the trial of Lomax, for
killing; convicts under his control,
the only case we believe that Mr..
Weissinger has figured in during his
entire professional career in Boil
ivar county, he claimed the right of
supervising what the Democrat would
have to say about the trial. The
reception given him on that occa-
sion should have been sufficient to
convince him that satisfaction ever
awaited him on demand. However,
to make matters entirely clear, the
publisher of the Democrat assures
the editor of the Weissinger that it
will at any time afford him gratifica-
ton to mete out full return for LAGER
ated feelings whenever asked. This
too, either with bare knuckles, at the
end of glistenting horse pistols, at the
point of keenest foils, or, if the gen.
tleman be as much MOhometan as
he has proclaimed and would like to
die as a Moslem, we will endeavOr to
secure the original cimeter of Called
and chop off its head with its historic
blade. In other words, if Mr.. Weis-
singer at any time be consuming to
fight Mr.. Hull he can be accOmmo-
dated any day in the week on half
an hours notice-the Mississippi
river being convenient and boats
plentiful.
In another place Hull, whose paper
has always been exceptionally free
from personal qnarrels, had this par
agraph:
We ask the indulgence of our pa
irons for the character of this page.
We are sorry of the necessity the
Weissinger forced us into. So far as
the Democrat is concerned though,
the controversy ends with this issue.
Further quarrel will be settled be-
tween man and man, front to front,
and the particulars will not be int1ict-
ed on the public.
Immediately upon the publication
of the Bolivar Democrat Friday
morning it was feared in Rosedale
that eloodshed would result, but it
did not come in the way expected.
Editor Hull's utterances were so I'M
compromising, his haunting challenge,
and his giving out the lie so direct,
that it was felt that Weissinger must
either fight or leave the country, and
| friends of both parties were full of
of apprehension, but the morning
passed quietly. Shortly after o'clock
Hull went up to Mrs. Owens board
ing house for dinner. Mrs. Owens
place is up the hill from the new
court house. An old building was
being removed from the site of the
court house. 1t is referred to in the
last issue of the Democrat in these
words: 1.-THE old ark has been put on
rollers and has commenced a journey
from it's present place-in the heart of
the city to a situation in the outskirts.
1t has served its day of usefulness at
the old stand" 1t is reported that
Weissinger hired an old negro to take
a double-barrel shot gun and conceal
it in this old house, to avoid exciting
attention, and that he afterwards con-
cealed himself in it and awaited
Hulfs return from dinner, when he
intercepted him. Whether or not
there was any parley between the
two has not been ascertained, but it
is certain that Weissinger fired both
barrels of his shotgun before Hull
could do more than draw his pistol
Hull fell dead riddled with buckshot,
no less than sixteen of which pene-
trated his breast. Weissinger walked
to the Sheriff7s Office and surrend-
cred.
There was intense excitement in the
little town, and although no attempt
was made on tie Jail, the tension of
public feeling was Ominous. The de-