The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-11-19
SAY THE MURDER
PREMEDITATED
FRIENDS OF CARhACK DSCLARE
HE MET DEATH AS THE RE-
SUIT OF CAREFULLY
ARRANGED PLOT.
The Tennessean, Paper Edited By
CaFmack. Says He Was Way
laid, and Meeting OF Coop
eFS Not Accidental.

Friends of Senator E. W. Carmack
at Nashville on last Monday, openly
I avow that the meeting of the parties
at the corner of Union street and
/ North Seventh avenue was not acci-
| dental, but resulted from a prear-
ranged plot, and the TennesSean,- OF
which the dead senator was editor
| boldly denounces the deed as a cold
blooded murder.
The Tennessean and the Memphis
News Scimitar go so far as to strong
~ hint that Governor Patterson knew
of the plan to kill Senator Carmack
and hint that the plot which resulted
in his death was hatched in the gov
ernor's Office. In support Of this
claim they cite the fact that Gov
ernor Patterson has made two state
ments concerning the shooting, one
of which fatty contradicts the other.
In the first statement issued by Pat
terson he said that Robin Cooper,
who killed Senator Carmack, and his
father, Duncan B. Cooper, who was
with him when the killing took place.
! were in his Office on the day Of the
shooting, but there was no hint Of
their intention to kill Carmack- In
clares that he discussed with Duncan
Cooper the trouble between himself
and Carmaek, and urged him not to
send note which he had written
Carmack dema nding that he cease 10
use his name In the editorial columns
of the Tennessean- In the second
statement Patterson claims that Col
Cooper promised TO taAss no simmedi-
ate steps IN the matter, but that fear
ing a difficulty might oecure he hunt
ed up Robin Cooper, and extracted
from him a promise to do all IN his
power to prevent a meeting between
his father and Senator Carmack-
II is maintained by Col. Cooper
that he and his SON were en- route
to the governors mansion in answer
to a summons from Patterson when
they met Carmaek. and that the
meeting was purely accidental, but
the Tennessean claims that this tes-
timony Is refuted not only By circum-
stantial evidence, but by physical
facts. The Tennessean states that
the two CoOpers and ex-Sheriff John
D. Sharp were seen in consultation
in the arcade leading from Cherry To
Summer street only few minutes
before Carmack was killed, and pass
ing out of the arcade by way OF Sum-
naer street, started down Union street
toward the scene Of the killing. Dun
can Cooper and his son met Carmack
at the corner of Union street and
Seventh avenue, just as he was In
the act of bowing TO Mrs. Charles H
Eastman, a prominent society lady
of Nashville. and. according to Mrs.
Eastman. the elder Cooper called
ont: We've got you all right. sir.
Then the firing began, the younger
Cooper having shot Carmaok three
times. A third man was seen to run
from behind a nearby house soon
after the firing ceased, and then dart
back again, and the Tennessean is
inclined to the belief that this was
ex-Sheriff Sharp, as he is known to !,
have been somewhere in the vicinity. |
and early joined the crowd which
had Assem- b1ed at the scene of the !
The remains of Senator Carmack |
$780,. @.1~or 81 hSc hnrno az GoIu.uhia /
for interment, and twenty thousand |
people assembled at the funeral, |
which was held Wednesday morn
ing. The people of Columbia were
and grieved beyond meas
ure at the untimely death of their |
famous and most greatly beloved cit
Izen, and business was suspended for
two hours after the remains arrived
as well as during the progress Of the
funeral.
d partisan account of the affair, in
which it was stated that Senator Car
mack tried to shield himself behind
Mrs. Eastman In order to escape the
bullets from Cooper's revolver. The
people OF Columbia were SO deeply
lncensed at this outrage that copies
Of the American containing the of
rensive article were burned in the
street, and many people wanted to
burn both Col. Cooper and Governor
Patterson In efagy. but were prevent
I'd from doing so by conservative