The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-08-06
THE STRANGE DEATH
Of NEGRO At HANDS
OF TWO WHITE MEN
uAcK is SHOT, BEATEN WITH
BASE BALL BAT AND IA
TALLY CUT.
Tva HOUis IN DOING The JOB
...,;4 Failed to Make Arrests AS No
One 44suId Swear Out The Neces-
sary Warrants-Mob Might Have
Gotten Busy.

TIPTONVILLE, Tenn, Aug. g.
AMER Elmer Hayes and Bob Cherry,
two prominent young white men of
p;dgalv. Tenn, had made two unsuc-
oassfnI attempts to kill Jim Porter,
colored. at that place on Saturday,
Cherry, it is alleged, succeeded In
stabbing the negro to death. Porter
WAS first shot with a shotgun, then
knocked in the head with base ball
hat and as he was being carried home
in wagon Cherry, it is said, jumped
on the vehicle and fatally stabbed the
negro with long, keen-bladed pocket
tnife. The first of the three assaults
on the ngreo was made about 1890
o'clock and the last about 1880
o'clock.
The two young men who did the
killing stand very high in this coun'
~ They claim that the negro had
made threats that he would kill both
before night, but this story is dis
credited and it is felt that the cause
was Of more deep-seated and vital
inheritance to have caused such note
worthy young men to act as they did.
Mr. Robert Algee telephoned Sheriff
r HAYNES that serious trouble was
brewing in the little town of Ridgely,
and that the officers there were not
CAPABLE of handling the situation. Mr..
HAYNES Immediately started, and upon
his return he gave facts of the trou-
HE. Jim Porter was coming up Main
street and as he passed Helen's phar-
macy. crossing the alley to Bob Cher
rvs restaurant. Cherry leveled shot
gun at him and fired The negro
wheeled and took refuge in the drug
store The wound received was not
serious and was attended to by Drs.
Helen and Alexander.
AS Porter was stepping from behlnd
the prescription case, after the exam
nation, Elmer Hayes struck him IN
the back of the head with base ball
bat, and then hit him twice as he lay
on the floor. About this time Cherry
rushed up with an open knife In hahd'
Int Dr Helen succeeded in avert1ng
further trouble at this time, and again
dressed the negroes wounds, winch
We're not necessarily fatal. The negro
was then pIaced on a cot and de-
liyery wagon was employed TO take
him home. AS the wagon was turning
the corner at the rear of the drug
store. it is alleged that Bob Cherry
swung himself onto the side, fatally
stabbing the negro with long, Keen
baded pocket knife.
The commencement Of the dlfnculty
occurred about 1890 and the maj
touches of the tragedy was pulled on
about 1880. In the meantime the two
young men we're arraigned before the
mayor and each fined SO for the hrst
ofense.
Ridgely is about ten miles below
Tiptonyille and Sheriff Haynes ar
rived there about ten minutes too iate'
He says he was unable TO find out
definitely just why the young men
We're SO determined to accomplish the
negros death There were severai
men who wanted arrests made, but
We're not willing to swear out war
rants Each and every one refused 10
discuss the matter with the sherln'
who was not in a position to under
stand the cause of. the trouble, yet, ne
gained the impression that the negro
had committed some unpardonaple
breach in which Hayes and Cnerry
We're vitality interested, and he was
further convinced that had they not
succeeded in killing Porter, MOI
would have completed the work that
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