The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-11-15
BAD NIX UP
AT CITY HALL
OFFICERS HAVE A DESPERATE
STRUGGLE WITH HALF A
DOZEN YOUNG MEN.
Affair IS Aired in Court This Morning
And Many Fines Are
Imposed.


The City Court presented a busy
scene this morning as a result Of 4
bad .mix-up. between the officers and
half dozen young men Of Columbis
Saturday night and some heavy fines
were inflicted.
According to the statement OF City
Marshal Morgan he arrested Ode
Dawson. Owen Friel, Ninian Evans
and, Simon Hardison at Hight & John
sons stable on a charge Of being
drunk. At the time of the arrest Daw-
son had jug of whiskey and the men
or some of them were drinking from
it. Mr.. Morgan says he did not think
the men were in a condition to be left
at large and took them to the county
jail to have them locked up. (By way
Of information. it may be well TO ex.
plain here that the city has had no
lock up since the sale OF the old iail
property, and the city prisoners are
being locked up in the county jail.
their board and the lookup fees being
charged to the city, Sheriff Webb,
however, according to Mr.. Morgan's
statement, refused to lock up the four
men, contending that they should be
admitted to bond. The City Marshal
wished the men locked up and told
the Sheriff that the night was bad and
the men had been giving trouble, but
finally agreed to allow the men to
make bond, which they did.
Soon after Mr.. Morgan returned to
police headquarters, he says the four
men. together with Will Lansdown and
Algie Johnson, came TO police head
quarters. some of them evidently seek
ing trouble with the officer Mr. Nor
gan and Officer James White, accord
ing to the statement of the former,
put the men out of the Office. the City
Marshal drawing his pistol during the
struggle. After the men were out, ii
is claimed that Owen Friel began to |
curse, when Mr. Morgan went out with |
the intention of ~e-arresting him and |
locking him up. In a moment, 1t Is |
stated, there was general mix-up
between the two officers and the men,
all the men participating it is claimed
with the possible exception of the
Iahnsons. though the officers state
that things were happening with such
3 pidity that it was hard to tell those
IN the struggle from those looking on.
Mr. Morgan had his pistol out and
would doubtless have used 1t except
for the fact that several had hold of
it and he could not use it. He says
that nearly all the men piled on him
and soon had him on the ground
About this time officers Ed Morgan
and Bailey Peyton came up and Char
lie Mason gave his assistance in con-
the situation, and the men
we're placed under control. They were
locked up, but succeeded in giving
bond later in the night.
The men first arrested claim they
we're not drunk and Dawson claimsI
hat the jug found in his possession (
lid not belong to him. Evans claims
hat the struggle at the city hall, in
which he and Friel were the early
was not started with
lew of being disorderly or of resist I
ng an officer, bat that Mr.. Morgan had g
lis pistol out and he and Friel were Il
imply trying to prevent him using D
|. Mr.. Hardison claims that he was s
ntirely guiltless of any wrong doing. J
hat he never had any trouble before b
nd was in a measure pushed into this "
fair. That he and Dawson came to
)wn together and he had gone to the W
table to have his horse hitched up P
nd was simply waiting for his vehicle II
hen the officer arrived and placed M
verybody under arrest. That he CT
ent to the city hall to get Dawson CT
nd arrived about the time the trouble m
arted, but took no part In 1t. That cl
: went on to Jail to look after Daw- L,
IN, but was pushed in the lookup by nj
e officers and the keys turned on tr
m as we'll as the others.
At the trial this morning the charges n
being drunk. on which the first ar u
SITS were made, were not sustained.
.wson was fined s25 and costs on
arge of giving away liquor and $40
d costs on a charge Of disorderly ).
nduct. Hardison, Evans and Friel
IRE fined $40 and costs in one case
one. case and $500 and costs In
other, the charges against each be-
, disorderly conduct and resisting
officer. Lansdown was fined $40 -,
costs there being only one case
linst him The case against Algie ~
lnson was dismissed. The men at
It took appeals, but later most of ~,
m either paid the amounts against