Mitch Russell

 
The Cartersville Courant
Cartersville, Georgia
April 2, 1885, page 3
 
Transcribed by:  
 

Rockmart’s Row.

Wednesday of last week the hands at Sciple’s lime kiln, at Rockmart, were paid off.  Several of these hands were Negroes.  Wednesday night, while a large sized carousal was in progress, two of the Negroes began to quarrel and then to fight.  This precipitated the whole crowd into a general battle.  Pieces of lime, rocks, knives, pistols, broken chairs, table legs, pots, kettles, wool, fragments of scalps from the heads of the dusky antagonists, and fearful oaths and threats, sailed around promiscuously for some little time.  Mitch Russell, a Negro well known in Cartersville, figured largely in the affray.  Friday night after the battle Mitch died.  He was brought to Cartersville and buried on Saturday.  Another Negro, whose name we failed to get, was very seriously, if not fatally, wounded.  We learn that Russell’s wife denies her husband was hurt in the fight, and that she claims he died a natural death.  Others, however, say that he was shot and died of his wounds.  Such difficulties as these are not likely to benefit to a great extent the community in which they occur, and the participants should be made to feel the heavy hand of the law.

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April 9, 1885
Page 2

Rockmart.
Correction.

Rockmart, April 2, 1885.  __ Dear Courant—I write to correct a batch of falsehoods contained in your issue of today relative to the row among the hands of Messrs. Sciple Sons. There is just one truth in the whole of it, and that is that Mitch Russell died, and he died of pneumonia after a sickness of about three weeks.  As to the row spoken of, that is a falsehood every word of it, nor has Messrs. Sciple Sons paid off in two weeks.  In vindication of their men, I can say that they are an uncommon quiet, peaceable, sober set of men.  There is considerable indignation among the men on account of the statement in your paper and you will confer a favor on this, an injured community, by correcting the same and giving the name of your author.  If any one wants to know the author of this, you are at liberty to use my name.  respectfully yours,
W. A. J. Whitehead.

[We take great pleasure in publishing the above as a correction of what was published  in the Courant last week.  The rumor was rife in Cartersville that Rockmart had a large sized row.  We called on Capt. J. D. Wilkerson, our city marshal, and he gave us what he thought to be the truth of the matter.  He had learned these false reports from negroes who professed to know with certainty all about the rumored difficulty.—City Editor]

 

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