The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-23
BULLETS FLY AT LYONS.
A Political Argument Ends in a Cut
ting and Shooting.

StovaIl's Speech-The Negro Had an
Argument With a White Man and
Cut Him-He Ran for the Swamp
and Was Filled With Lead Before
He Was Captured.
The political ardor of about a thousand
people who gathered at a democratic
rally at Lyons in Tatnall county yester-
dav, was somewhat rudely disturbed dur
ing the speaking in the afternoon by a
shooting and cutting scrape. which was
not on the programme, and which for
sometime created intense excitement
among the spectators, The information
with regard to the difficulty was brought
TO the city by a Savannahian, who was
present at the time.
The rally was held in a grove about an
eighth of mile from the town, and
while politics and whisky were response
BILE for the difficulty, the rally was itself
a very quiet and peaceable one. The diff
ticulty originated in the town, where a
white man named r. w. Shuman was cut
by negro named Isaac Bridges, and in
his mad run to escape Bridges made his
way through the crowd which was listen
ing to the speakers.
THE LYONS RALLY.
The rally for democracy began at Lyons
yesterday morning. when speeches were
made by w. w. Shepherd, the democratic
nominee for the Senate from the Second
congressional district, and J. E. Ship,
an ex-member of the legislature from
Chattahoochee county who was assist
ing in the work for democracy. Things
went along quietly during the morning,
and shortly after noon there was a bar
becued dinner, of which the crowd par
took.
ALI Harrington of Emanuel county
opened the speaking in the afternoon, and
after making a ringing speech for the
democracy, Mr.. p. A. Stovall of Savan-
nah was introduced to the crowd. He
began his speech about $50 O'Clock yes
terday afternoon.
Mr.. sTovALL WAS SPEAKING.
Mr. StovsL had been speaking about
thirty minutes when two gunshots were
heard just over the hill about 100 yards
from the speakers stand. This brought
the rally to rather abrupt end. which
was more pronounced when a minute later
a negro with blood all streaming down his
face appeared over the hill and was run
ming in the direction of the swamp. Right
behind was a white man chasing the ne
gro The whole crowd of nearly a thou
sand people jumped up, and cries of
Catch him, catch him - were heard on
all sides About 300 of the men present
took after the negro, who was rapidly
making for the swamp in order to get
away.
SHERIFF ADAMsON IN PURSUIT.
Sheriff Adamson of Tattnall county was
in the crowd listening to the speaking
He jumped OF his horse and stated in pur-
suit, followed by large crowd Before
he reached the swamp a white man
named B. G. Anderson had overtaken the
negro and collared him AS Anderson
caught the negro the latter drew a knife
and pistol and began 10 fight Ander-
son seized the pistol and the negro began
TO cut at him. AS Sheriff Adamson and
the large crowd following came up the
negro was fighting desperately for his
liberty.
SHOT ANDERSON TOO.
Anderson told the sheriff to shoot the
negro. Sheriff Adamson fired, but unfor-
tunately the ball first struck Anderson's
hand, and went through that and the
negro's wrist. The sheriff shot him
twice after that, both shots taking effect
in his body. About twenty pistols were
drawn, and the crowd wanted to lynch
the negro right then and there. They did
not know what he had done, but the story
was out that he had cut man i'm the
town. Sheriff Adamson finally succeeded
in Handwriting him, and took him back
past the speakers stand into Lyons.
OF course, there was no more speaking
at Lyons after such a racket as this.
The crowd was too excited for anything
except TO inquire into the details of the
difficulty and find out what had caused it.
WHERE THE ROW STARTED.
The negro Isaac Bridges, it was
learned, was turDentine hand who had
been employed in the lower part of the
county, and his employer, who was in
the town, stated that he was a half-wit-
ted man and very desperate and danger
Gus when aroused. IL seems, too, that
liquor was TO some extent responsible for
the row.
Bridges and a white man named r. w.
Shuman, the latter a democrat and the
former republican, got into dispute
over politics, and when the matter be-
came little warm they began to throw
rocks and the negro drew a knife and
slashed Shuman over the head making an
ugly and painful wound. Shumau drew
pistol, aud the negro took it away from
him and broke for the swamp. AS he
ran out Of the town a white man named
Stokes Collins fired at him twice with a
double barreled shotgun. These were
the shots fred very near where the speak
ing was going on, and this was where the
speaking was broken up.
FILLED WITH BIRD SHOT.
AS the result of these two shots Bridges
was filled with bird shot, and blood was
streaming from his face and from his
legs, which had been peppered. This
however, did not stop him IN his run for
the swamp, where he was caught by An.
derson as related above. The negro had
Shuman's pistol when he was caught.
The dihiculty threw tho crowd into a
good deal of excitement and there would
have been far more serious trouble had il
not been for the coolness and determine
ton of Sheriff Adamsou Shuman was
badly cut on the head, Anderson was shot
in the hand and the negro was shot In
almost every part OF his body. The
wounded men were attended TO at LYONS
from where Sheriff Adamson tool
Bridges 10 Reidsville and placed him il
jail. Shuman was taken by his friend.
10 his nome at Daisy in Tatnall county.
THERE WAa A anDHur