Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1898-05-27

FIRST BATTLE OF
THE WAR HERE.
lConf|ict Between SOL
diers and Negroes.
WHITE MAN HURT.
A Lynching only Averteo by
Cool Headed Officers.
CAPT. GRIMSLEYS
QUICK ACTION.
One of the Negroes Charged
With Shooting Arrested
and Jailed.


; The first battle of the Spanish
-1Ear as far as Virginia taoops are
concerned took place between 6 and
7.oclock last evening in the field
west of Camp Lee and might indeed
have proven serious matter in the
absence of the cool heads of the
camp.
Col. o. b. Roller yesterday issued
an order permitting the men to leave
and enter camp at will between the
shours Of $50 and IL o'clock yester
day evening.
The soldiers joyiully took advan-
tage Of this privilege and it was as
party of the troops were leaving the
gate that the trouble occurred.
The white boys who hid been
playing on the field, in some way
got into II difficulty with some ne
groes. When the latter commenced
TO throw rocks at the white boys,
some of the soldiers. just leaving
camp, took part in the fracas. The
negroes then fred several pistol
Fhots at the soldiers, but when the
latter returned the fire, the negroes
began to run. Two or three of them
were overtaken a. received sound
threshing
One negro. however, who seemed
to have been the leader, took refuge
in II stable near Leigh Street. The
building was soon surrounded and
the culprit taken ont
AT that moment it looked rather
serious for the prisoner, but squad
feom the guard arrived with arms
and fixed bayonets and took the ne
gro away from the soldiers, thereby
saving him possibly from lynching.
BY he time the squad reached the
camp, they were followed by large
crowd of soldiers and civilians
Captain Grinsley, of the Culpeper
Minute Men, Company b, Third
Regiment, who saw the mob coming,
ypromptly and coolly called out his
companvsand his example was fol-
lowed by the other commissioned
officers, who happened to be pres.
ent.
Subsequently, the negro was under
Rn escort of "a squad of armed men,
placed on a car of the Richmond
Traction Company and rapidly TAX
en- to the city to be turDed over to
the city authorities He was deliv.
cred at the Third Police station by
MajDr James O. Watson. The negro
gave his name as Joseph Clayton.
During the brief exchange of shots
between tie negroes and the sol
diers, one of the latter, said to be
member Of Company f, of tie
Fourth Regiment, was shot through
the arm. He was taken to the hos
pital tent and his hurt promptly
dressed. His name could not be
learned
= Ihe occurrence gave rise to many
Sfumors OF the widest sort, one of
Sthom to the effect that soldier had
been shot to death, another that
negro had been bayonetted to death
by the soldiers. aud yet another that
negro had been Is 5nched
A reporter of The Times in view
of these reports questioned Col. J.
@. Baker of the Second Regiment, in
regard to the affair, but he had
heard nothing of it.
Other afficers about Murphy's
Hotel lobby stated that they also
we're unaware of such an occur, ence.
r. The reporter then visited Camp
Lac, arriving there as the guards
called midnight. A pass signed by
General Roller aud adjutant Camp
bell, saw the Times man through the
gate all right, but the corporal of the
guard "didn't see the reason" and
refused to pass him through the in
mel lines, saying that every one wac
asleep at that time and it would not
do to wake them.
Several soldiers standirg near the
entrance stated their knowledge of
the affair, and corroborated the state.
ment that a soldier had bean shot,
but gave their assurance that moth
ing further occurred aud that the
soldier was not seriously hurt.