Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1915-08-20
NEGRO GUNMAN
SENT 10 THE Pen.

Circuit court was running on
high gear" last Saturday morn.
ing, making an unsurpassed re-
cord in this county, when Charley
White, who, within twenty-four
hours after the commission Of his
crime. was languishing behind the
penitentiary bars at Nashville, hav-
ing been sentenced to a term Of
twenty-one years by Judge Jones
for an assault committed upon
Rurie Wright, a highly respected
young white man Of Martin.
The negro, Charley White, pow
erfully built and Of a bad reputa-
ton at Martin, had a difficulty late
Friday evening with a negro boy
in Martin near the resort called
the blue Goose" Another negro,
Dee Yates came, along and inter-
fered, whereupon White drew his
gun on this second negro, and
about this time Mr.. Rurie Wright
came up and admonished the
White negro not to kill Yates, who
} was standing nearby trembling
like unto an aspen leaf. At this
iuncture the negro gunman, White,
turned his weapon upon Mr..
Wright, referring to him as one
Of those G. d cops" He
hit Wright over the head with his
pistol, knocking Wright down and
then proceeded to give him a
pounding Wright was painfully
injured. requiring the services Of
a physician. !.
A telephone message was sent
in to Mr.. |. D. Elliott, chief of
police Of Martin, that a negro was
running amuck with a big gun.
Mr.. Elliott appeared on the scene
in a .iiffy and when he hove in
sight White turned his weapon up
Yen the officer and begun firing. Mr..
'Elliott's pistol, which was brought
into play, would not fire, and the
negro ran. Mr.. Pierce Jernnigan
had been attracted to the scene by
the shooting and when he saw the
officers life endangered begun
shooting at the feet-footed negro,
who made for a patch Of timber up
the railroad. Sight was lost Of him
and blood hounds were sent for.
Officers W. H. Priest and Ned
Travis were watching in the dark
for the negro gunman upon the
railroad track about 8 o'clock,
when out Of the darkness appeared
a form, and Charley White, the
gunman, walked right into their
arms, be being as badly frighten-
ed as they were surprised. White
was carried to the recorders office,
where several hundred infuriated
citizens assembled, and in the
midst Of the trial the negro was
taken fromthe officers and hustled
to the edge Of town, where it was
supposed quick work would be
made of him. But Sheriff LaFon
had quietly followed the mob, and
when be got to the place where it !
was intended to hang the negro
Whit made nice little talk, beg. |
ging that his friends not take his !
prisoner and assuring them that /
speedy punishment would be meet :
ed out to the black devil. LaFon t
talked so nice and SO convincingly t
that the negro was turned over to s
him and he was hustled into an t
awaiting automobile and brought f
To Dresden. - G
On Saturday morning the grand
Jury assembled early for the pur- /
pose Of investigating the affair and s
IL q short time had returned two 2
against White-one /
assault and battery and
other assault with pistol t,
$H intent to commit murder in t
first degree White was order
brought into court; the charges
cred against him were made S
4 i