The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-03-17
SHOT THEN LIKE DOGS.
THREE MEMPHIS NEGROES RID
DIED WITH BULLETS.
Sevcnty-five Masked Men Ovcrpowdcretl
the Jatler-The Victims Were Charged
with Having Ambushcsl and Shot Down
-Four Depaty Sheriff, Last Saturday.
It's a Race War.

-Four deputy Sheriff. Last Saturday.
It's Il Race War.
Memphis, Tenn, was i'm the control Of
mob Wednesday morning. Three OF
the negro rioters arrested for shooting
the Deputy Shcri!fs have been Iynchcd,
two others are missing, and are supposed
to have been made way with by the riot
cr5, and a crowd Of five thousand excited
negroes surrounds the place where the
bodies Of the dead negroes lie, loudly
crying for vengeance on their slayerS,
says n dispatch. At 3 O'clock in the
morning a mob of about seventy five
armed citizens surrounded the County
Jail and compelled Jailer O'Donnell to
give w. the keys TO the cells where
the negro rioters were confined.
After securing the kc,3, tho mob
made Il rush for the cells, and
placing ropes around the necks OF
Tom Moss, VIII Stuart, and Cal Nc
DOwell, they hurried them 10 he Chesa-
pealse & Ohio yards. The negroes were
then placed together and in less than
three seconds over twenty-five rife shots
rang out ard the negroes fell. dying
almost instantly. The moi, then quickly
dispersed and it WAS not until daylight
that the extent of the lyEching was
realized: Larry ris":s were Mortified to
| find the bodies of the three negroes lying
on the ground riddlcd with bt llets. Two
other negro rioters are missing and III .
belief is that their toiics will b. found
later.
The bodies were taken to the Office OF
Jack Walsh, and crowd OF negro IS
began to gather. 1t rapidly increased, /,
and now ) 1000 people surround the place
wher. the dead bodies are. Further
trouble is feared The negroes are re-
ported TO be arEaing at The Curve" an
telephone message has Just been sent
in that they have killed two white men.
The riot and collision Ie,wet n blacks
and whites, which has now ended in a
general lynchinS bee, occurred Satur-
| day night last in the suburbs of Mem
phis at a place known as The Curve.
| This is a locality notorious for its
toughness. 1t is Il resort fer roust-
| abouts and thieves, and the authorities
have always experienced great diff .ul.y
| in maintaining law and order there.
The neighborho ID is t:i:kly populated
by negroes, who had committed several
assaults OF an aggravated nature upon
white citizens.
| Calvin N :Dowell, a neyro who keeps
grocery aui bar,o3m at the corner OF
Mississippi and Walker az; nues, was up
on Saturday before Judge DuEose on u
charge of assault and battery. Having
been released on bail, he returned 10 his
place of business, and gathering his
friends, told III m that the whites were
getting ready 10 mob them. When Me-
Dowell was tefor, him, Judge Du.
EoSe said he intended 10 purify
$hn Iicfy taf i,, Nfnh
and his supporters u-ishei, anl
this is supposed TO have give:
Mcdowell the idea that an organize,
assault was TO he made upon the ne
Sroes. Later in the day a warrant was
issued for Tom Steward. cne OF Mellow
ellis gang, who was charged with as
saulting Il white man. As Il determine,
resistance was antici Giiated, nine dep
uty sheriffs were sent to make the ar
rest. These dcl were Perkins
Cole. Barnard, Richardson, Harold
Webbcr, Moore, Ierscr. and App, ans
they arrived at the Mcdowell! place
about ii O'Clock Saturday nigh.
Upon entering and inquirins for Stew
ard they were tod by the propri. ;ol
that he was in the back room. Upo,
entering this fooni, which was dan K
they were met by The flash Of a number
of revolvers, shot guns and rifles. Dep
uty Sheriff Ccle received charg o
shot in the face and breast, completed,
tearing out his lett eye. A ballet which
struck him in the shoulder passed com
pietely through hi, body. Officer Verge
was struck by the FOrti n Of n charge il
the head, but while some of the sho
lodged in his scalp most of them misse,
him. Deputy Harold was shot in III,
neck aad htcat and left side of til,
facA and is in a dangerous co tdition.
The officers. who stood close together
made an excellent target for their assaii
ants, while they themselves were at
great disadvantage. as they were unahl
to locate the negroes except by the flash
ing of their wcap Ms The tfli aers re
turned the fire as rapidly as possible
however, and then charged in body. Tn
negroes rushed pell-mell through the hacl
door, many of them abandoning thei
weapons in their fight. White peopl
attracted by the firing fockcd TO tn
scene, and with their assistance thirtc,1
of the negroes W. re taken from variou
Eiding places. The excitement was in
tense, but the prisoners were kept unde
guard and, for the time being, safcl
transferred to the Jail. On Sunday four
teen more negroes were captured an
locked up.
In the room in which the trag ,dy oc
cured were found six shotguns, Win
chester rifle and 4 large Quantity q
ammunition. This discovery, to whic
was added the report that the men VIII
did the shooting belonged to a secrc
organization among the negro. forme'
for the purpose Of making war on tn
whites, reused popular excitement tc
white heat and, notwithstanding tn
presence in the city of military orga;.
) izations numbering 1.1t0 men, the dc
; termination to deal with the negroes i
summary manner was too strcng to t
checked and the lynching followed.