The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-12-27
A DAY OF
TRAGEDIES.
Two Killings and a Cut
ting Affair
INSIDE OF TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.
Rev. Brooks, Baptist Preacher, Shot
Down Near Mt. Pleasant by Ehhur
Wisdom, who Escapes.

Two Killings Within twenty four
hours, and another difficulty which
may terminate fatally, is the record
established for the southern part of
this county Tuesday; and all of the
tragedies occurred in or near Mt. Pleas.
ant.
On Monday night, or early Tuesday
morning as heretofore reported in
the Herald, Pharoah Brewer, a young
white man, was killed by John Steph-
enson, a negro, short distance from
Enterprise
Tuesday afternoon another tragedy
was enacted on the old Military
Road" between Enterprise and Mt
Pleasant when Rev. A. j. Brooks, Il
Baptist preacher, was shot and instantly
killed by Elihu Wisdom.
The killing was the result of an old
fued between the parties. They live
on adjoining farms in the 18th dis
trict, and several months ago they had
disagreement about hog.
Rev. A. J. Brooks, who was both a
farmer and a preacher, and whose farm
joins that of the VISIONS. had a fine
hog KILLED. Circumstances seemed to
fix the killing upon the VISIONS, and
Mr. Brooks instituted proceedings
before a Justice of the Peace, which
resulted in Elihu Wisdom and his
brother being bound over to the Crimi-
nal Court. BY the intervention of
mutual friends and neighbors, the
cases were not prosecuted, but Elihu
Wisdom had, so rumor has it, warned
Rev. A. J. Brooks that if he ever
spoke to him again he would kill him.
The parties, although living on adj
joining farms, had never met, it is
said, until Tuesday. when Elihu Wis
dom was returning home, accompanied
by some friends, and on reaching the
Hunter burying ground, on the old
Military road they met Brooks. The
latter, addressing the whole party,
said: Good evening, gentlemen,
whereupon Elihu Wisdom drew his gun
and fired three shots into Brooks
body, accompanying the shots with the
exclamation, "D-n you, | told you il
you ever spoke to me | would kill
you One of the shots struck Brooks
directly in the back at the point where
his suspenders crossed, and he fell
dead on the pike without uttering a
word. Subsequent examination by
DR.. Henry Long, of Mt. Pleasant,
showed that two of the shots had
pierced his heart.
One of the men with Wisdom was
named Boshers; the name of the other
could not be ascertained.
After the killing, Wisdom rode on
toward is home, while a negro was
sent into Mt. Pleasant, some three
miles away, for DR.. Henry Long, who
was Brooks family physician, and in
formation of the tragedy being com
municated to Squire Frank NJ.
Ricketts,, he issued warrant for Wis
dom and placed it in sthe hands of
Constable Ben w. Harris and Deputy
Sheriff G. D. Harder. These officers
repaired as soon as possible to the scene
Of the tragedy and thence to Wisdom s
home, where they found that the muir
derer, after returning to his home and
informing his father and brothers OF
what he had DONE took to the hills
in the south part of the county. SO fan
he has not been arrested.
Wisdom is married man, but his
wife, it is said, lives in Texas.
Rev. Brooks leaves surviving him {
wife and mother, and is about 80 years
of age. He was highly esteemed by hi
neighbors, and the unfortunate affair
is deeply regretted.
Sheriff Hight and Deputy Erwin
went to Giles county Wednesday nigh
on a search for Wisdom, but returned
to Mt. Pleasant yesterday morning
with no news from him.
Serious Cutting ARRAY.
A serious cutting ARRAY took plac,
Tuesday evening in Rosenthal's salool
at Mt Pleasant between Earl Elem
ing, young white man, and Smitl
Crowder, colored One version of tn
affair is that Crowder, while drunk
advanced on Fleming with dn opel
knife, at the same time cursing hin
and saying he was going to cut hi
head off. Fleming then drew his owl
knife and made slash at the darkey
inficting a cash across his throat al
most from ear to ear. Crowder wal
carried to DR.. Longs Office, where h
had his wound dressed, and it is nov
thought that he will get well.
A telephone message from Mt. Pleas
ant yesterday states that no wal
rant has yet been taken out agains
Fleming, az it is thought that he wa
justifable. Fleming is about 1S year
: of age, and is a son of the late ALDER
Fleming