Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1910-02-10
INSANE NEGRO
Terrorizes Entire Victoria
Community.
DARING CAPTURE EFFECTED
A. w. Ferguson's Cour-
ageous Act Does the Work.
Negro Will Be Taken
to Knoxville.

A sensational arrest of colored maj
was made at Victoria Tuesday of las
week. who was laboring under I
strange delusion that ''the soldiers
were after him. His name is Macl
Tatum, aud having armed himsel
with bran new 5-lb axe and a big
club, he had terrorized the communi
ty. The colored citizens were esreci
ally alarmed by his strange actions
and had banded themselves together il
their houses and in the woods around
camp fires afraid to remain by them
selves. Tatum had way of appear.
ing at cabin in the 'wee sma'
hours" and battering down the door
with his axe, a la Carrie Nation, that
was distressing to the nerves of the
occupants, Attempts among his rela-
tives to pacify him having failed to
cure him of his 6eiusion that war was
on and a regiment of soldiers after
him, his father went to Jasper Mon
day and took out warrant for his ar
rest that he might be placed in some
safe place for keeping.
Sheriff Westmoreland sent A. F.
Shockley colored and other colored
men, first to the scene of trouble to try
to get possession of the axe and get
the negro under control, but their eff
forts, after days work, were futile,
and be telephoned to the Sheriff that
there was nothing doing.
The Sheriff then got together posse
composed of deputies A. W. Ferguson,
T. l.. Foster, F. M Horton and 9th
ers, and went to the scene of trouble,
and from deputy A. W. Ferguson, who
seems to have taken the leading part
in the capture of the crazy negro, we
have the following particulars.
When the posse came to the home OF
the crazy negros father in the ridges
east of Victoria, they found him
standing on the porch with an axe in
one hand and club in the other.
When they came into the yard Shock
ley and other colored men circled
around in front, and to the left, depu-
ty Foster was in front while deputy
Ferguson and Sheriff Westmoreland
were at right end of the porch. The
negro laid his club down by the door,
but brandishing his axe he Immediate
1y fired up with rage at the "sold-
iers'' as he called them, daring to
to try to capture him. and it was jim
possible get close to him so wary was
his watch.
A trellis work on the porch protect
ed the negro on one side and he kept
the door onto the porch closed behind
him, and the only chance to get him
was to get onto the porch The Sher-
iff told Tatum that he was sick and
needed medicine and that they had a
doctor with them to examine him,
pointing out Horton as the doctor as
he sat on the fence, The negro replied
that any one man, doctor, could
come up and examine him, but at the
same time Horton approaching him,
accidentally let fall some ropes that he
had to tie the negro with, the negro
caught on and advised him to "keep
his distance, that he was queer
doctor to have ropes. Horton stopped
and some one of the crowd remarked
that Horizons hat was going up. How
ever that was only suppositional, as
Horton is brave, cool man.
This ruse failed, however, to move
him to abandon his axe and club. |
Threats were made to shoot him and |
he posse drew their pistols at him,
,rdering him to surrender, but this
lad no effect, either To all their de-
nands and entreaties he replied that
he soldiers were after him and that
,e had fought them several DAYS and
,e would die but once and that was
nothing anyway. His appearance, too,
"a he stood on the porch with his axe
md club and his eyes bloodshot and
istended from his head, rolling first
me way and then another, gave pref
V good evidence that he meant what
"a said. There was no intention of
he posse to harm him, and so il was
in to them to devise a plan to effect
is capture.
Deputy Ferguson was now standing
bout six feet from the negro at the
light end of the porch. assuring him
nat he was his friend. and wanted to
ak with him. He put his foot on
he porch to get onto it when he was
,aved back by the negro, who said,
Get back, or I'll kill you. Get back
,hite man. / am going to die fight
NJ. I'll kill you" Ferguson desist-
/ from mounting the porch and NOV
1 a chair frame back against the wall
to the negro that he would
we TO sit down and rest as he was 1