The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1893-06-23
J. r. Thompson Caught in W.
+. WatSOn'S Residence,
Dressed In His Night ClOtheS-IIe Is
Charged With Attempt at Rape.
A Mob iVants Him But He Is Spirited
Away and is Now in the Nash
VILE Jail, Where He Will
Remain Until Septem-

Some negroes seem incauable Of
learning by the experience of others,
and do not almit ths fOrJe OF any
logic except that OF rope around
tieir own Wecks.
On last Fridty night r. ThOmp-
SOL, "A young mulattO negro formerly
OF Memphis, but who was here ~
dentist, and had rented room
to the rear OF D.. Halfacre's drug
$ ore on South Main street, attempted
to enter the room " Mrs. Scrihuer, n
widowed daughter Of Mr.. VIM. T.
! Watson, whose residence stands with
Il harrow alley between it and the
drug store Tue laiy awoke about
midnight feeling that something WAS
| pulling the bed clothes off her She
thought at fret it was a cat pulling
at the clothes, but becoming fully
awake, she saw that it was IN IN
! standing on sOmethiug outside the
window aud leaning iutO the rooul.
She recognized him at once as the
negro Thompson and jumping from
her bed screamed sad ran from the
room. AS she did so he ran away.
When her father came to the rescue
she begged hIm to 20 and have the
negro arrres'e ell, but Ia thinking She
might have been dreaming told her
he thought he had best wait aud il il
really was tue negro he wonld pr"bs-
bly, come again. On Saturday might,
accordingly, he exchanged rooms
with his daughter and sat up all nj Shl ,
but no Que came. o. Sunday Might
Mr.. Watson put his IS yeAr-old son in
his daughters roo IA to watch the first
half the njght-h4 expecting to re-
lieve him about midnight. Putting
his pistO under his pillow, he him
self went To sleep IN An adjoining
room and slept heavily. Tie boy
fell asleep, too, but waS awakened
ABOUT o'clock Seeing some one in
the room he supposed it was his
father, and called out. "Ia that you,
pap" The Intruder replied, you lie
still and go to sleep" aud passed into
his fathers room. The BOY cHlled TO
him to halt, and, jumping out OF bed i,
followed him into thu other room,
where he found the negro in the act
of chlOroformng his father.
BY this time Mr.. Watson wAs
awske and sn aching at his pistol al
80 made q grab ut the negro. The
pistol became tangled in the rheet,
80 he failtd to get it out, but he
caught the negro just ~ he got to the
back window, which is about eight
or ten feet from the ground. The
negro jumped ont of the window and
Mr.. Watson, holding OF to him, was
pulled out with him aud both fell to
the ground. The negro then jumped
over low fence into the alley and
ran towards South Main street. Mr.
WatsOn's son followed him, swapping
his pistol At him As he ran, and fol-
lowed him down the street TIL he
ran into the Backyard OF the drug
store. In the m7antime Mr.. Watson
had jumped over the yard fence and
met him rs he came around and
caught him. The negro WAS clad on
ly in his undershirt and drawers, and
the latter, having become torn in lhe
scutfle, slipped down 50 NJ to impede
his running, He was unSrmed. The
boy wanted to kill him on the spot
but having gotten him under control
MIR. Watson would not permit it, but
turned him over To the police ana be
was jailed.
The MOb's Growl.
No sooner did the news begin to
spread Monday morning than the
mOoOites, who are always in such
convenient call, began to lick their
chops and growl; and all day long
they made threats ana swore ven
geauce. They Threatened to break
open the jail, to tear down the Jail
TO blow up the Jail, or to do ANY
other dreadful thing il the prisoner
was not delivered over to them as the
preservers and avengers aud sweet
defenders OF virtue.
Sheriff Ragsdale in the meantime
was taking counsel Of his attorneys
Messrs. VOORHEES, & Fowler, and
Figures Il Padgett. He had deter
mined to uphold the Law according
to his sworn duty, let the results be
what they would, and began to look
around to deputize willing men tC
) help him. Some he appealed to de.
clined, but others volunteered, so thai
when night came he had 90 or q
brave and true men in the Jail to de.
Tend tbs cOunty's property and the
county's prisoners. He thinks he
f had enough meu and guns aud anu
milton there to defend 1t against the
attack OF any five hundred men who
} might choose to butt their b, aims out
: against it; and he SAYS he had deter
! mined to shoot II necessary, though
, OF course he did not want to shoot.
! At one time it WAS reported tba
t the mob would attack the Jail thai
night; .hen the rumor came that To ~
would wait until the trial Tuesday
and OverpOwer the officers and hans
; the negro then. And among othe
= reports coming to the Sherlffs ca
. was Que which said that the mob WA
waiting for a convenient opportunity
) to arrest Mrs, Rtgsdale, the Sheriff (
wife, aud hold her in trout OF then
a. they made their brave march up
, on the jail and its defenseless prison
\ ers.
t To avert any loss OF property o
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