The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-30
SENSATION YESTERDAY.
CITY ATTORNEY BELLAMY ASSAULTS
Mr.. IREDELl MEARES.
He Was Armed With a Whip ana
Dealt a severe Blow With h Butt
End-Mr. Alex G~reenabaum Also
Assaulted Mr.. Meares.

The sensation of the town yesterday
was an assault by City Attorney Will
lam J. Bellamy on former CITY A'loi-
new Iredell Meares. The Il occur
red at 1915 o'clock yesterday morning
ar the corner Of Front and
Market streets, at the entrance Oh the
drugstore of Messrs- W. Il. Green &
Co.
Mr.. Bellamy, with a view to resent
what he deemed was an aspersion by
Mr.. Meares upon his character as a
LAWYER and gentleman, telephoned to
Mr.. Meares' office and asked If was
there. Mr.. Meares' partner, Robert
Ruark. Esq, answered at the phone
and informed him that Mr.. Meares had
not come down from home yet. He
saws Mr.. Bellamy called him Bob
over the phone and there was notnlns
in his voice to indicate passion, caus-
ing him to infer that Mr.. Bellamy SIM
ply wanted to see Mr.. Meares on Dusl-
ness.
After talking oveT the telephone Mr..
BeIlamy. armed with a h~Orsewhip, went
out to hunt Mr. Meares. He was &C
companied by his brother, Mr.. JACK
Bellamy, and Mr.. Alex a
friend. They went to the Masonic Tenn
pie. in which Mr.. Meares has his laW
office. and City Attorney Bellamy Went
I'D stairs TO Mr.. Meares' office while the
other two remained on Front street.
Mr.. Ruark was there, but Mr.. Meares
a not reached the office from home.
Mr.. Bellamy asked for MIR. Meares in
calm tones and upon being informed
by Mr.. Ruark that he was not in, Mr..
Bellamy went down and, rejoined his
brother and friend. The three then
walked down on the west side of Front
street and just before they reached Mr..
r. r Bellamy'S drugstore on the north
east corner they saw Mr.. Meares about
to turn the corner from Market street
I'D Front street to his. office. They an
gled across the street to Dr.. Green's
drugstore to intercept Mr.. Meares.
Mr.. Bellamy had a whip in his hand
with the whip-end wrapped around his
wrist and hand. holding the butt of the
whip club-fashion. When Mr.. Meares
had turned the corner and advanced a
few steps up Front street, MIR. Bellamy
hailed him with an epithet and rushed
upon him. Mr.. Meares had a bundle
of under his right arm and
says he was not anticipating an attack,
and that the blow took him by surprise.
Mr.. Bellamy dealt Mr.. Meares a hard
DION OIl Tie lSdu L I I1S ooIN NL1
the whip, and t~hereupon Mr.. Meares
went TO fighting.
DR.. T. B. Carroll, who happened to be
Just behind Mr.. Meares, ran in to stop
the fight and was thrown aside by some
one. Messrs. Jack Bellamy and Greena-
baum having run in to assist City AT
torney Bellamy, it is said. Men rushed
up from all quarters n separated the
combatantS.
Mr.. Meares was bleeding p~rofusely
from a wound on the left.side of the
head just above the ear. His scalp had
been cut and a bump of considerable
size had been raised by the blow from
the butt of the whip. He was accom-
panied by friends into DR.. Green's
drugstore, and DR.. r. E. Zachary stop
ped the flow of blood and dressed the
wound. One of Mr.. Meares' eyes was
also slightly bloodshot from a blow.
City Attorney Bellamy was taken
over 10 the drug store of his uncle, Mr..
Robert r. Bellamy, on the opposite cor
ner. He was very much excited and
winded, blu was not badly hurt. Mr..
Greenabaum received a couple of
slight scratches on his face. Mr.. Jack
Bellamy had no wounds and says he
was only there to see his brother get
fair play.
After the fight occurred yesterday, q
warrant was issued for Mr.. Bellamy for
assault and he submitted before former
Mayor S. H. Fishblate, who is a JUS
tice of the peace. Judgment was sus-
pended upon payment of the costs. A
warrant was also issued for Mr.. Green
abaum and he submitted to assault and
paid the costs. He acknowledges that
he struck Mr.. Meares a couple of blows.
No warrant was issued for Mr.. Jack
Bellamy, as it appears that he took no
part in the assault on Mr.Meares.
The difficulty is greatly deplored
amOnp tho friends Of both narti6S but
is was expected to occur sooner or later
as Messrs. Bellamy and Meares had
fallen out while both were aspirantS
for the city attorneyship before the
board of aldermen last spring. Mr..
Bellamy was elected, and the i'll feeling
continued until a communication from
Mr.. Meares to the board of aldermen
caused a street difficulty between Con-
gresham John d. Bellamy and Mr..
Meares on Front street near Princess.
In that fight City Attorney Bellamy
took the part of his uncle, but the COM
hatantS were separated before much
damage was done.
MIR. MEARES' STATEMENT.
After the difficulty yesterday a Mes
senger representative called on Mr..
Meares for a statement. He declined
to make a detailed statement. but gave
the following as his version Of the af-
fair:
"That While on MS way 10 MS ONCE,
and on Front street between DR..
Greens door and Mr.. Darden's jewelry
store, he was struck an unexpected
blow on his head, from the rear, by the
end of a dubbed whip in the hands
of W. J.. Bellamy, who was accompan-
led by his brother, Jack Bellamy and
Alex Greenabaum. The blow for a mo-
ment dazed or tunned him, when he
was struck and assaulted by others in
the party, a ScufHe ensuing and con-
tinuing until other parties interfered
and they were separated. The assault
was entirely unexpected and was with
out the slightest warning" X,
WHAT MR.. BELLAMY SAYS. ~
City Attorney gave the following
statement:
'The whole matter grew out Of the
candidacy for city attorney when I de-
feated him at the last election. Before
the election he wrote an anonymous
letter to the board of aldermen stating