The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-07
He Omen. Fire and wounds sherin
and Deputy "a Soon as They Make
Their Appearance.
PoPULACE GATHERS QUICKLY
REGULAR SIEGE Is LAID TO THE
NEGRO's DWELLING PLACE.
AssaiIants Are Driven Back for
Hours, but Ultimately Kill Him
The Lawton Racial Conflict.

TUSCUMBIA. Ala, April 6.-Three men
are dead. three mortally wounded and four
seriously wounded as the result of Sheriff
Gassaway attempting to-day to arrest VIII
Reynolds desperate negro.
The Dead
HUGH JONES. shot through head.
BOB WALLACE.
WILL REYNOLDS.
Fatally Wounded
SHERIFF CHARLES GASSAWAY, shot
through the arm and abdomen.
WILL GASSAWAY. shot through abdo-
men.
Z. n. PROUT. shot through stomach.
Seriously Wounded
- PAYNE, shot through chest.
JIM FINNEY, shot through right shoul-
ROBERT PATTERSON. shot through
leg.
JESSE DAVIS shot through jaw.
All the foregoing casualties, except the
death OF Reynolds himself. are the result
of the deadly fire of Reynolds with As
caliber Winchester rifle. The negro was in
his turn riddled and thrown into fire.
This morning at IL o'clock Sheriff Gassa-
way went TO a negro settlement, 'Knard-
town." to arrest Will Reynolds for obtain
ing goods under false pretense. The officer
was met by the negro. who opened fire with
Winchester. wounding the sheriff and i'm
mediately firing upon the deputy, VIII
Gassaway, who was some 800 yards away.
mortally wounding him.
As soon as possible every man in town
who could procure a gun was in the neigh
borhood. but owing 10 the location none
dared TO venture within the open space.
Dynamite was procured, and the house in
which the negro was barricaded was fired
upon, but to no effect At L o'clock Captain
Simpson. Of the Wheeler Rifles. arrived
with twelve guns and 1000 cartridges,
which were distributed among twelve
picked men. This company was stationed
around the house and riddled it. but the
negro had taken refuge In the cellar and
returned the fire. killing Jones and wound
ing Finney Coal oil was then procured
and after four hours of hard work the
houses adjoining that in which the negro
was located were fired. About o'clock
the house in which the negro was located
was fired by the Wheeler Rifles. who had
arrived on the scene. The negro took
refuge in a shed and opened fire. killing
Wallace and wounding Davis, but the
posse and militiamen riddled the negro.
and the crowd. numbering 1.OOO. seized the
Wallace. who was killed. was closing in
on the negro, who shot him through the
body. His body fell In the burning debris.
but was recovered. Davis. Wallace and
Falkner were the men who fired the build
ing.
Relic seekers cut off the negro's fingers
and such parts of the body as could be
procured. Three houses were burned in
the effort to reach the negro
Several horses were killed in the battle.
Tonight IL is reported that the sheriff
and his brother have no chance 10 live.
SO deadly was the negro's aim that it
was possibly an hour before the body Of
Prout could be recovered. Not shot was
fired by Reynolds that did not tell when
those whom he was firing upon could be
seen. The excitement ali day was in
tense. but there is no fear of an uprising
among the negroes.
Fully 1000 people from Florence and Shelf
field were here. and every surgeon in the
two towns was pressed into service