The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-03-07
TWENTY NEGROES ARRESTED.

Charged with Shooting Officers of the. Peace
In q Low Quarter of Memphis.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. March 6-Twenty
negroes have been placed under arrest by
the authorities in connection with last
nights trouble at the Curve" Those ar
rested include Calvin Mcdowell. manager
of the cooperative store. where the shoot
ing took place. and Thomas Moss. a letter.
carrier, who are believed TO have been the
ringleaders in the affair. John Shields,
who shot Deputies Harold and Yerger. is
still at large.
The trouble resulted from the existence
of n nest of turbulent and unruiy negroes
living at and near the neIghborhood of the
Curve" where Mississippi avenue merges
INTO the Hermann road. For years this To-
cality has been notorious for the character
of the negroes residing there, and of late
they have become more turbulent than ever
before A short time ago negro youth
named Armour Harris assaulted the child
of Cornelius Hurst. an express messenger.
Hurst caught Armour and thrashed him.
Other negroes interfered, and Hurst
dubbed one of them. On last Wednesday
night the negroes assembled at the &c ufve"
and were very riotou5. w. IL. Barrett, who
runs a grocery. tried TO quiet them and
w as ocl UPON anu CluDpcQ ana SuOt at, sew
eral bullets passing through his clothes.
The assault occurred in the Peoples gro-
Gerry, an establishment owned by a stock
company of negroes and run by CALVIN Nc
Dowell
Mcdowell was arrested on Thursday and
gave bond for his appearance at the Grim
inal Court. Since then the negroes have
been holding secret meetings and evidently
preparing for trouble. Yesterday they
boosted to tho white residents that no
ehariH dare nftanl fO her,
The white people were uneasy, and three
families left their homes and moved to
town. Judge Dubose was appealed to and
he issued bench warrant for Armour Her-
IT'S and Will Stuart, and instructed the off,
GERS of his court to get assistance and ar
rest the negroes; also. TO suppress any riot
GUS assembly around the Curve" The
three officers called on nine other men. most
of them deputy sheriffs: ana proceeded. at
Il o'clock last night. to the scene of the re-
cent disturbances
Every thing seemed quiet at the Curve
but when the posse entered Barretts -stOre
he told the members TO be careful when
they entered the Peoples grocery. as they
might be ambushed. The officers thought
Barrett was unnecessarily alarmed, but
they took the precaution TO divide and one
party went to the back door OF the negro
grocery. Perkins. Harold, Cole and Yerger
of the posse went to the front door. CAL
vim Mcdowell was pacing up and down the
floor. Several other negroes were standing
behind the counter. Perkins asked Nc
Dowell if Will Stuart was there He Is
in the back rOom." replied Mcdowell
Perkins entered the back room, leaving
Cole Harold and Yerger standing in the
front door.
AS Perkins walked into the back room he
was greeted by n volley OF shots, the OF her
deputies at the same instant entering the
back door. These men supposed the fight
ing had begun in front and charged on q
group of negroes who were partly con-
cealed by a screen. The negroes were
armed with shotguns. but the officers closed
in on them and used their pistols as clubs,
having no idea that their comrades had
been shot down. In q minute the negroes
IN the back room had dropped their guns
and fed. No sooner had the negroes who
We're behind the counter in the front room
heard the posse enter from behind them
than they lifted sho:Ru that they had con-
cealed behind the counter and fired on the
deputies in 'front.' Each of the three off,
GERS W as strnck in the face or head. Cole
was desperately wounded. One of HIS ey es
was shot ont. but he strove gamely. while
calling for help. to draw his pistol and re-
turn the fire. The weapon, however
caught in his pocket and he ran into the
street. where he fell The other officers
were slightly wounded, although Harold
had a dangerous holo IN his head. The po-
lice station at once dispatched Q squad to