The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1906-09-13
tim BLANCHARD
BLOOD THIRSTY
TERRoRIZES ENTIRE TRAIN BY
FIRING PISTOLS.
NEGRO PORTER KILLED
One Bullet Took Effect in Porter
officers Were Afraid to Arrest tine
Infuriated Man, Who Drove every
One from the Car.

Moorehead, Mississippi-Mr. Jim
Blanchard, seed buyer for the Bel
zopi oil mill, shot up the sleeper on
the Southern train gonlg east pesloes
terrorizing every one on ooard
the train and killing the negro porter.
He defed arrest, drove everyone from
the car and was only taken when the
train reached here, his friend, Mayor
Stevenson Of this place, pleading wrth
him to Surrender his weapons ana
promising him protection. On TINS
condition he gave the mayor two pis-
tolls and placed himself in custody.
The immediate cause Of Blanchard $
insane act was a fight he had with
Dave Wallace, fellow townsman
from Belzoni, with wnom he was talk
ing in a seat in the sleeper. Both le1t
Greenville together, and 1t was no.
ticed that both had been drinking.
Wallace, in the course of the CONVEX
sation, stated that he had just secured
a whisky license and intended to open
rum shop ia Belzoni, where there Is
great opposition to the traffic. Blanch-
ard, who is temperance man at
home, took great umbrage at the
statement, and called Wallace vile,
unprintable name, wnereupon Wal
lace struck him eight terrific blows IN
the face, closing both eyes, one OF
which was already nearly out. Hav-
ing put him out of business, Wallace
left the car and went into the smoker,
which was crowded with gentlemen.
Although he was very groggy from
the effects Of his beating, Blanchard
opened his grip and took out two
gums, one an automatic magazine
weapon and the other a regulation
Mississippi Colts shooting IRON.
With one in either hand he CROPPED his
way to the smoker, running square up
against the large pier glass at the
end of the car. He thought 1t was
an opening into the smoker and be-
oan to fire at his own hlsshappen
.ountance mirrored before his gaze,
creating CONSERVATION in the smoker,
FOR several of them whizzed past the
comfortable travellers who were tax
.ng their siestas and chatting shop.
The negro porter, who had come TO
;he doorway in answer to a call, was
;he only one hit, he receiving a bullet
IN the right breast, which later caused
mis- death.
In a moment the smoker was as va
can't of people as haunted house,
md the sleeping ca was in the sole
possession of the infuriated man. Two
,ung ladies from Greenville, on their
way to Georgetown to enter school,
witnessed the fight and Blanchard s
Wild West epilogue, and fed in
screams to the FROM car, where they
sank exhausted and paralized by fear.
Blanchard walked back to his seat
and reloaded both weapons. He then
sat down facing the door, and waiting
for the attack for he supposed that the
would be attacked by those he had been
shooting at.
The fight began just as the train
pulled out of Indianola, and as it
neared Baird's the fracas was over.
Conductor johnson and others tried
to enter the car there and take Blanch
ard out, but their nerve left them
when they looked into two big guns
handled by the desperate man. No
officer at Baird s where the train was
stopped, could be prevailed on to at
tempt the arrest, and word was sent
on to this place to prepare to take him
at any cost.
On the train s arrival here the town
marshal went aboard, and, seeing the
lay Of the land, started back to the
calaboose for his double-barrel shot
gun, loaded with buckshot. He said
hat he was not going to take any
chances, and it looked like there was
going to be another killing. At thi;
iuncture Mayor Stevenson entered the
sleeping car and Gained the blood
thirsty Blanchard into submission
They left the train together, the may
or having both weapons. BLANCHARD
was placed under arrest, and viii
probably be taken to Indianola to Jail
The hero Of this melodrama is
member of one of the first families il
, this section Of the state, 80 years .
age and unmarried. He is Shrine
and a thirty-second degree Mason, ant
one Of the most popular members o
the order in Mississippi. Wallac
J came from Memphis, and bears goo
Reputation.