Reminiscences of older citizens of Greenfield who have been
long time
residents throw some interesting highlights on activities in
the City
at the turn of the century and for the following forty or so
years.
Since much of this has been recalled only from memory, the
following
notes may not be completely historically accurate, but they
are
interesting in their own right.
From the Life and Times of Greenfield
Early Soup Street. In the early years of this century, the
activities
on the old block of near-downtown property called "Soup
Street" did not
add favorably to Greenfield's reputation in the surrounding
area. While
the many years that have passed have probably exaggerated the
recollections, there seems no doubt that decent and
law-abiding
citizens of Greenfield avoided Soup Street completely during
this time.
This small area attracted those on the fringe of the law ( or
possibly
some outside of the law entirely) .
Soup Street was known to be the headquarters of unsavory
groups such as
the picturesque "Dirty Dozen," a gang of petty thieves and
roustabouts
who operated in Weakley , Gibson, Carroll and Obion Counties,
According
to recollection, the "Dirty Dozen" would steal stray animals,
buggy
tires, or any other item that was available and marketable,
and then
realize what proceeds they could from the "find." In addition,
the
group took delight in terrorizing socials and "barn" dances,
and have
been described as "just devils on two feet."
"The Crack" was the name of the establishment on Soup Street
which the
Dirty Dozen and others, and perhaps more dangerous groups,
made their
gathering place. Memory has it that "the Crack" was an
unfailing source
of near beer and "Home Brew," which was kept chilled by
lowering it
into a cistern in the rear by buckets operated by a well
windlass.
From some of the memories and handed down stories only by word
of mouth
it is said that there have been 19 killings on or near Soup
St. One of
the first may have been the Grooms/Butler shooting as reported
by the
Dresden Enterprise.
Dresden Enterprise
July 24, 1908 Tragedy At Greenfield
Town Marshal Carl Grooms Killed While Making an Arrest
Saturday Evening
He Also Kills His Adversary
Grooms Buried Monday Afternoon
The saddest tragedy recorded in this county in many months was
the
killing on last Saturday evening of Marshall Carl Grooms by
Jodie
Butler, a notorious character from �Skullbone� in Gibson
County. Butler
was in turn killed by Grooms.
There had been a barbeque at Shafter, three miles northwest of
Greenfield, and all that afternoon parties returning from the
barbeque
by way of Greenfield were said to be drinking and considerably
boisterous, and it became necessary for Marshal Grooms to make
one or
two arrests earlier in the afternoon.
About sundown Saturday, Jodie Butler and his brother, Will,
drove into
town drunk, the latter cursing, and when Grooms went to arrest
him, he
refused to be arrested, making fight at the officer. One or
two of
Groom�s friends came to his rescue, and then it was that Jodie
Butler,
the dead man, ran in and drew his gun, telling the officers
they could
not take his brother to jail. Marshal Grooms at this point
drew his
pistol, and begun shooting at Jodie Butler, who, after
falling, raised
himself on one arm and shot Grooms twice, one ball going
through the
arm and the other entering near the heart. Butler drove away
as fast as
his horse would carry him, shooting back at the crowd as he
went.
The wounded men were picked up and given medical attention,
but it was
soon learned that both were fatally wounded. Butler died about
midnight
and was buried at his home in Gibson County Sunday afternoon.
Butler
was a married man and leaves a wife and seven children.
Mr. Grooms was carried to his home and was given every
attention, but
continued to sink rapidly. Members of his family held hurried
consultation and decided to take him to Memphis for an
operation. He
was placed on the night train and carried to Memphis, but died
just
before the train reached that city. He was accompanied by Drs.
W. W.
Mitchell and J. D. Shannon, his wife and other members of his
family.
As the body was lifted from the train in Memphis the grief of
the women
in the party was terrible. The officials at the station did
all in
their power for the grief stricken family. Mr. Grooms� body
was
prepared for burial and brought back to Greenfield Sunday
afternoon,
reaching there at 4 o�clock, and was buried Monday afternoon
at 1
o�clock. Many from Dresden attended the funeral. Carl Grooms
was thirty
years of age; he was the oldest child of Trustee and Mrs. Z.
W. Grooms
of Dresden. Our people greatly sympathize with them in their
bereavement.
Carl Grooms was the Great Uncle of Ben Herron and he had heard
stories
that the shooting occurred near the Ray and Grooms Mule Barn.
This was
on the corner of East Main and South Second St.
Main St. in Greenfield runs east and west. West Main goes by
the school
and dead ends. East Main turns into the McKenzie Highway #124.
Front
Street is the main business district of town. It runs north
and south
just east of the railroad tracks. The very short part of East
Main St.
from Front St. to South Second has always been called Soup
Street.
There were cafe's and bars on this street and most served soup
which
the name came from.
I received this from Karla Everett on the Weakley county
genealogy list.
As the great grand daughter of Jodey E. Butler, may I also add
the
follow-up to the July 24 story in the Dresden Enterprise news
article:
I have a photocopy of this news article.
Dresden Enterprise
31-July-1908
In view of the fact that the account of the tragedy occurring
on the
streets of Greenfield last Saturday evening week, which
appeared in the
last issue of the Enterprise, was reported by telephone and
that
several errors appeared therein, it is but fair to all the
parties
concerned, and especially to the reading public, that a more
fuller and
accurate account of the matter be given.
Joe and Will Butler, brothers, together with a cousin by the
name of
Butler also, of the Skullbone community of Gibson county came
to
Shafter, which is two miles northeast of Greenfield, Saturday
morning,
presumably to attend a picnic. There was considerable drinking
at
Shafter during the day and one or more of the Butlers were
heard to
make the remark that they would come to Greenfield that
evening and
�take the town,� �paint things red,�etc., and further boasted
that they
would not and could not be arrested in Greenfield.
As the evening wore on several parties from Shafter returned
to town in
a more or less state of intoxication, and at about sundown Joe
and Will
Butler drove in. They were drinking, but were by no means
drunk and
from their actions, they returned, evidently with the purpose
in view
of carrying out their boasts that they were heard to make at
Shafter
earlier in the day. Scarcely had they arrived in town when
they engaged
in a drunken quarrel with one Ben Mitchell, who was also
drinking.
By their disorderly and riotous conduct they had clearly begun
their
premeditated purpose of �taking the town.� This outlawry
continued for
some time and Marshall Grooms, who had gone home to supper,
was called
and told to come at once, as there was trouble down town.
True to his summons to duty Marshal Grooms left home and came
immediately to the scene of the trouble, where he found the
Butlers,
Ben Mitchell and Dan Brush engaged in a drunken street row.
Will Butler
appeared to be the leader in this riotous conduct and,
unaided, Marshal
Grooms attempted to arrest him.
In a short time Deputy Sheriff Hatcher and Constable McAdams
were on
the scene, but neither had weapons. Will Butler drew his
pistol and
bade defiance, and although held by his arms so that he could
not use
his pistol. He managed to pull himself into his buggy, to
which a horse
was hitched. Joe Butler who was standing a few feet away drew
his
pistol and with an oath commanded the officers to turn his
brother
loose or he would kill them, bringing his gun up as if to
fire.
Perceiving their condition, the officers were forced to turn
Will
Butler loose, and as they did so he brought his pistol into
action from
his place in the buggy and fired two shots at Marshall Grooms,
who by
this time, had backed off a few feet in the direction of the
horse�s
head. It is believed that one or more of these shots took
effect, and
that the ball that lodged near Grooms� heart came from Will
Butler�s
pistol and perhaps the other struck him in the arm.
Marshall Grooms by this time was looking in the direction of
Joe Butler
who had again raised his pistol, preparatory to firing and
seeing that
he was about to be fired upon from this direction also, Grooms
fired
several times in rapid succession at Joe Butler, striking him
three or
four times. Joe Butler fell to his knees and from this
position shot
several times, but it is not believed that any of the balls
from his
pistol struck Grooms, as he seemed to have no control of
himself.
In the meantime and immediately after firing the two shots at
Grooms,
Will Butler put the lash to his horse and drove away rapidly,
firing
back at the officers as he did so.
After he was shot Marshall Grooms walked across a small bridge
leading
to the plank walk and went several yards in the opposite
direction from
town, seemingly in a dazed condition, and when asked if he was
hurt,
replied that he was killed.
With a desperate man both in front and behind him and with
their
pistols leveled upon him, it was a clear case of assassination
of
Grooms. The whole tragedy took place in a brief space of time,
and thus
the desperate Butlers had carried out their original intention
�to
paint the little town of Greenfield red,� but with the blood
of one of
their own number and with the innocent blood of a lawful
officer in the
faithful discharge of his sworn duty.
The public welfare demands that the truth be brought to light
and that
the guilty actor in this terrible crime be dealt with
according to the
law. It is not exactly in keeping with the golden rule he pay
with
blood, but the assassins of men like Carl Grooms ought to be
arraigned
before the bar of justice and the proper punishment meted out
to them.
Joe Butler was fatally shot, as was evident from the first. He
rapidly
sank into unconsciousness, from which he never rallied and
died at
12:30 o�clock Sunday morning.
It was found that Butler had a silk cloth over his breast as a
protection and from this it was again evident that he was
expecting
trouble.
Marshal Grooms was brought from Memphis Sunday afternoon and
amid as
sorrowful a throng of people as ever gathered about a railway
station,
all that remained of Carl was borne through the streets of
Greenfield
in a beautiful white casket by the hands of loving friends.
Funeral services were conducted at the Presbyterian church by
Revs
Allen Foust, assisted by Rev. O. E. Gardner, before an immense
audience
which had assembled from miles around to pay a last tribute to
the
young man who came to his death in the discharge of duty.
Greenfield has gone through a sad experience in the last ten
days. She
mourns the loss of a good citizen and an officer of the law
fallen in
the discharge of duty. Her people sympathize with the widows
and
orphans of both the victims of this unfortunate tragedy, the
bereaved
relatives and friends, and especially with Mr. and Mrs. Z. W.
Grooms
and the brothers and sisters of Carl who are known to all our
people. It is to be hoped that this sad spectacle will
be a
lasting lesson to all who would violate the law of the land.
The following furnished by Karla Everett:
The family story was that Will hid out in a cave and came down
at night
to check on his family. On at least two occasions George
Butler (Will's
brother) took food to Will. On the last trip, George found
Will with a
woman and did not take supplies to him after that.
From the 1910 Minutes of the Circuit Court of Weakley County,
TN.
The trial of Will Butler for the murder of Carl Grooms
starting on Jan.
11, 1910.
It went to the jury on the next day Jan. 12. The jury
consisted of: J.
T. Palmer, M. J. Woodruth, Jess Ainsly, Albert Brunderidge, R.
D.
Travis, W. F. Parker, John Reid, Henry Donner, George Sharon,
Lewis
Price, Clarence Ainsly , C. G. McClane.
It notes that the defendant was brought in on Jan. 12, 13, 14
which
indicated the jury was deliberating these three days. On
Jan. 15
the jury reached a verdict. They found him guilty of voluntary
manslaughter and set a sentence of 2 years.
He was sentenced to 2 years at hard labor in the state
penitentiary. He
requested a new trial and several reasons were given but
denied. He did
appeal to what was then called the supreme court in Jackson,
TN. and
was released on $3000. bond.
The conviction was probably upheld but those records would
probably be
in Jackson.
Reading between the lines I surmise that the jury must have
been very
divided on a guilty verdict of murder and since they took 3
days to
reach a verdict decided on voluntary manslaughter with a very
light
sentence as a compromise.
These are on microfilm at the archives in Nashville.
***************************************************************
From the Journal of Allen Sharp. Mr. Sharp lived on the
Shades
Bridge Rd. between Greenfield and Shades Bridge.
March 29, 1911
Jack Mayo won in lawsuit over Tom Holt. - roadcase
April 29, 1911
Tom Holt shot Jack Mayo today about noon. Don�t think
Jack can
live many hours.
April 30, 1911
Jack Mayo died from Tom Holt�s pistol shot at 1 o�clock this
morning. Holt is in Dresden jail tonight
May 1, 1911
Went to Jack Mayo�s burying. A great crowd there.
May 5, 1911
Went to Tom Holt�s preliminary trial.
May 15, 1911
Tom Holt given bail on $5000. bond.
May 17, 1911
Tom Holt made $5000. bond and was turned out of jail to await
trial in
August.
August 17, 1911
Went to Dresden today. Holt�s trial put off until 3rd Monday
in
December.
December 14, 1911
Tom Holt�s trial for the murder of Jack Mayo is on.
December 15, 1911
The Tom Holt jury took the case under advisement today at
noon.
December 16, 1911
Tom Holt�s jury gave him 8 years in Penitentiary for
manslaughter - the
murder of Jack Mayo - on April 29th last. The penalty is
entirely
too light for the crime.
From the Minutes of the Weakley County Circuit Court:
December 14, 1911
State of Tennesse murder
vs.
Tom Holt
Jurors: Frank Trevathan, R. G. Maloan, B. B. Todd, J. R.
Little, E. A.
Woodrough, R. L. Cravens, Arden Summers, R. B. Elliott, Jeff
Harrison,
H. J. Butts, C. P. Rogers, John Templeton.
After hearing the evidence in the case, the arguments of
counsel and
the charge of the court said jury finds the defendant guilty
of
voluntary manslaughter and assesses his punishment at 8 light
years in
the state penitentiary.
Motion was made by defendants counsel for a new trial and a
continuance
was grated for future hearing during this term of court.
Defendant was
released under the present bond he was under.
From the papers of Roy Whicker entitled Intimate Glimpses
regarding the
above:
I turn back the pages of time to 1911 and note Jack Mayo and
Tom Holt
healthy and alive. Mr. Mayo had cleared a piece of land
around
the road from where you now turn around in Jim Cantrell�s
lot.
The road then cut across Mr. Mayo�s farm from Jim�s horse lot
to Tom
Holt�s home. It had been a road for many years and Mr.
Holt felt
that it should not be changed as it was straight right out to
the other
road. Mr. Mayo felt it should and made a good road
around and
fenced in his newly cleared land.
Mr. Holt brought suit in Esq. Dudley�s Court for the old road
to be
opened. Mayo won out. The trouble kept on brewing
and both
men getting madder until one day Mr. Holt started to
Greenfield and met
Mr. Mayo returning to this farm from being home for dinner and
met in
the long lane known as Moseley Lane just before getting to the
last
gate going into the north field of this large Moseley farm.
Mr. Mayo had his pitch fork he was going to use on his farm
that
afternoon. When the two met the old flame of trouble flared up
again
with renewed strength, and when it ended, Mayo was shot and
Holt had
had the pitchfork used on him.
Mayo died in a few hours and Holt went to prison for a number
of years
and when he returned home he had consumption and was never
well.
Here were two neighbors who once thought well of each other
who went to
an untimely end by being stubborn over just where and old road
should
run.
I am human, and get mad and say things I should not, but I
have
maintained a whole skin by getting suddenly cool and
reasonable when
the other fellows get on �high keys.�
(From Shirley Caudle Miller)
After reading the story it brought to mind the following story
that I
was told many times in my childhood by my mother, Nita
Williamson
Caudle.
My mother (born 1900) and her sister, Elsie (born 1902) were
young
girls walking down a country road on their way home when they
met two
men (both farmers and neighbors of theirs) engaged in a heated
discussion. The girls had passed them when they heard a gun
shot. Upon
looking around they saw that one of the men had been shot and
he had
knocked the other one down and was sitting straddle him with a
raised
pitchfork in his hand. The man on the ground was pleading for
his life.
The one on top (the man that had been shot) got off and let
the other
one up. The one that had been shot died (I do not know if he
died while
there in the road or a day or so later).
My mother and my aunt high-tailed it home telling their story
which
their family did not immediately believe until their brother,
Clifton
Williamson, went to investigate and found their story to be
true.
Later at the trial my mother was the only eye witness called
as her
sister was under 10 years of age and was considered too young
to
testify. The man was convicted and sent to prison for life.
After
serving several years he was released because of very bad
health. After
being released from prison he picked strawberries for my
grandfather,
Milton Williamson, and he told my grandfather that it had all
happened
exactly as my mother had testified at the trial.
From an interview by Clipper Dowland of Robert E. Lee
Gallimore in 1946:
Soup Street in Greenfield was one of the best known streets in
any
little town in Tennessee. A great many things have occurred
on, in and
around this street that focused the attention of the people
from far
and near on it. Its quaint characters, its turbulent times and
from the
many considerable fortunes that were built in trade on this
street, it
has become widely known.
Among those folks who settled about here were the Rays, and
these
people east of town really settled Greenfield. Probably some
of the
better known successful business men on this street were J. N.
Ray, Z.
W. Grooms (known in politics as Zeb). Zeb Grooms was left an
orphan at
a very early age and his uncle Bennett Ray, father of J. N.
Ray,
(better known as Jim) took young Grooms and reared him as his
own
child, and he Jim Ray became more like brothers than anything
else.
They grew up together , went to trading mules on Soup Street
together
in a very small way, became successful Mule dealers, continued
as
partners for 50 years, and until the death of Zeb Grooms, and
it was
said that there was never any books kept between them -
not even
the scratch of a pen in their dealings with one another.
One of the rare characters of Soup Street was Uncle Ned
Hatcher, who
was a contemporary with Ray & Grooms who was a horse
trader deluxe,
a member of the County Court, and who considered himself a
very great
and profound jurist.
The informant (Mr. Gallimore) one morning as a very young
lawyer had
started to attend a session of the circuit court in Dresden as
he
passed by Squire Hatcher's office, he saw a great crowd of
people
around the office, and stopped to inquire about what was
happening, and
discovered that Squire Hatcher was in the act of divorcing a
couple,
and he called the Squire tactfully to one side and suggested
to him
that his court did not have jurisdiction to divorce people,
and the
squire became very indignant and told the informant that since
he had
married them By God he could divorce them.
On another occasion, a certain man was arrested and brought
before the
squire, charged with having stolen a middling of meat, and the
squire,
instead of holding him, under bond, to await the action of the
grand-jury, as provided by statute, proceeded to sentence him
to from
three to ten years in the penitentiary, and ordered the
constable to
proceed with him to Nashville. Habeas Corpus proceedings had
to be
threatened before the defendant could obtain his release from
the
clutches of the constable.
On another occasion the informant (Mr. Gallimore) was
defending a
nigger boy who was charged with having raped a nigger gal. The
nigger
boy was arrested and arraigned in Squire Hatcher's court.
However the
weather was very cold and a snow storm raging and about half
of the
population of Greenfield had gathered - some to get out
of the
weather and some to hear the proceedings.
When the prosecution witness was put on the stand and examined
by the
Honorable Selden Maiden, who represented the State, she
testified that
the rape occurred at the noon hour when she was permitted to
leave the
school grounds where she attended school, and go for her
lunch;
that instead of going for her lunch, it had been the practice
of she
and another nigger girl to go to this nigger man's house and
play
phonograph records and dance. She stated that on this
particular
occasion the defendant was feeling bad and was lying on a cot
in the
kitchen, which constituted half of the house, and that for
some reason,
the prosecuting witness went into the kitchen and that the
rape
occurred at or on the cot that the defendant had been lying
on.
Upon cross examination, she admitted that she was bicycling as
she went
through the door that ran into the kitchen, and that she only
stayed in
the kitchen about four minutes. She stated that as she came
back from
the kitchen she was snake-hipping. When pressed to explain
what she
meant by the use of the term snake-hipping and bicycling, she
testified
that bicycling was a dance, which turned out to be more or
less
voluptuous, and that snake-hipping was the same dance except a
little
bit more on the extreme.
The Court was very logical in rendering his decision, and
reasoned that
even a Negro gal could not bicycle into a room, stay three
minutes, get
raped, and come snake-hipping out.
Uncle Ned, as practically all men of his age and day, liked a
drink. A
certain party one cold morning offered Uncle Ned a drink of
gin, and as
Uncle Ned was about to take a drink, he asked where this party
had
obtained it, and he was told that he had stolen it. Uncle Ned
cussed
him out and said: "Hell I would not think about taking a drink
of
stolen liquor." The party who offered him the drink said to
him: "That
is all right, I did not mean to offend you."
After a while, Uncle Ned met this party in the Post Office
lobby. He
walked up to him , all the while grunting, and asked him where
he got
the gin that he had been offered. He told him that he was not
telling
where he got it because he had stolen it. Uncle Ned said: "On
second
thought, I believe I will take a drink of it, I might enjoy my
citizenship a little more."
There was another quaint character, Levi Hill, and it is said
by some
that he had a great ability as a horse swapper. He, in fact,
put Jim
Ray and Zeb Grooms on their feet.
Uncle Levi liked his "horn." He was a member of the Old
Baptist
Church. Some of the brethren thought that Uncle Levi was
doing a
little too much drinking, so they proceeded to admonish him
about it,
but he continued to pursue the even tenure of his way.
Finally at
a church session, they decided to withdraw from Uncle Levi.
It seems that their policy was not to turn a man out of the
church, but
the church would leave the individual. So they sent a
committee
to inform Uncle Levi of the church's action. When he was
informed that
the church had withdrawn from him, Uncle Levi asked them to
give him a
few minutes to think about it. He went out and fortified
himself,
and came back and told them that he had thought it over and
that they
could go back and tell them they could not withdraw from him
because he
was already gone.
__________________(missing pages)
The Greenfield Gazette
Friday August 13, 1937
Earnest Mullins Killed
Instantly Wed. Night
__________________
Montie Doran Mortally
Wounded--Died
In Weakley County Hospital
___________________
City Marshal Holder Fires
Five Times
Two men are dead and considerable excitement prevails
following an
altercation on East Main Street (Soup) Wednesday night, when
City
Marshal John Holder shot and instantly killed Earnest Mullins,
55, and
mortally wounded Montie Doran 22, an innocent bystander. Young
Doran
was rushed to the Weakley County Hospital at Martin in a
Greenfield
Undertaking Company ambulance where he died Thursday morning
at 10:00
o�clock.
Details of any argument that may have led up to the shooting
are not
known, but it is said that there has been some difference
between the
Marshall and Mullins for several days. It is said that some
words
passed between Mr. Holder and Mr. Mullins Wednesday afternoon
prior to
the time of the fatal meeting.
The first shot fired struck Montie Doran in the head and then
four
shots took effect in the body of Mullins, killing him
instantly. The
incident occurred at 7:45 in front of The Green Lantern Cafe.
At the time we go to press no charges have been filed in
connection
with this case.
Mr. Mullins was 55 years of age and is survived by his widow,
three
daughters, Mrs. Arnold Williams, of Greenfield, Mrs. Clyde
Cameron of
Cleveland, Ohio and Miss Georgia Mullins of Greenfield; two
sons,
Earnest Jr. of Jackson, Tenn. and Harry E. Mullins of
Lewisburg, Pa.;
two step children, Chancel Young and Mrs. Louise Doran of
Greenfield;
two sisters, Mrs. Lester Jones, of Ashville N.C. and Mrs.
Gordon Mayne
of Flint, Mich.; three brothers, Tom Mullins, of Fulton, Ky.,
and Guy
Mullins of Greenfield.
Montie Doran is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.E.
Doran,
ofGreenfield; six brothers, F. L. Doran, Minneapolis, Minn.;
W. P.
Doran, R. A. Doran, of Washington, D.C. , Donald D. Doran,
Little Rock,
Ark., Van B. and Gene Doran of Greenfield, and one sister,
Mrs. W. O.
Bullock of Lansing, Mich.
As we go to press funeral arrangements have not been
completed.
Greenfield Undertaking Company in charge.
-------------------------
(Photo
of Green Lantern Cafe)
This photo was taken during a Community Fair Parade in the
1930's.
Mullins and Doran were killed at this location.
This is the same location in 2001. The windows have been
filled in with
brick. This building is now vacant on this side of the street.
A gun
shop is located at the front of the building on Front St. The
white
building was remodeled a few years ago and now houses an
antique shop
and a beauty shop at the side entrance of the building. Across
the
street where the old Mule Barn was is now a large metal
building with a
clothing outlet store and another building that is now vacant.
This is
all that is left of the once infamous Soup St.
Seven years later at this same location in the middle of the
street
another shooting occurred. Two Colored women had an
altercation with
the result of a death followed three months later by two
Colored men
with the result of a death. The following are the newspaper
accounts of
these events.
The Greenfield Gazette
Friday March 24, 1944
Iva Parish Held
Without Bond In
Killing Last Thurs.
At the preliminary hearing held at the City Hall Thursday
afternoon,
lva Parish, ( col. ) was held without bond for the killing of
Mattie
Allen, ( col. ) The case was heard before Esq. Robert E. Elam.
Robert,
Jeter, of Dresden represented the defendant and H. E. Jones,
the
plaintiff.
The killing took place on "Soup" Street last Thursday night
about 7:30
o'clock. It seems that an argument had been brewing for
several days
and the climax came Thursday, when the argument was renewed in
the
middle of the street, between the Green Lantern Cafe and
Phil's Cafe,
Iva whipping out a pistol and firing several shots, two
bullets hitting
Mattie, one in the hip and the other in the shoulder. She died
almost
instantly.
The Greenfield Gazette
Friday June 23, 1944
Grate Partee Killed
By Wayne Brock
Grate Partee, (Col.) employed at M & B Motor Company died
Monday
morning at Veterans Hospital Memphis as a result of a shooting
Sunday
afternoon.
Hardy Parish (Col.) is suffering arm wounds. Wayne Brock
(Col.) is held
under bond charged with the killing.
It seems from best information obtainable that the shooting
was the
aftermath of a fight between Partee and Brock on the Saturday
night
previous to the killing, when Brock cut Partee about the neck
and head.
The argument was renewed Sunday when the two met near the
depot Sunday
afternoon. Brock pulled a pistol and shot five times, two
bullets
hitting Partee, one breaking his arm and the other in the
stomach.
Parish was hit by one bullet in the arm. Partee was carried to
the
Veterans Hospital where he died Monday morning.
Notice the rail tracks. This was at the train depot located at
the top
of the hill across from the main business district. Soup Steet
begins
across the street. This shooting occurred about 200 feet
west of
the other killings mentioned above.
---------------
Hardy Parrish, who was wounded in the arm. This
from a
photo at the Mule Barn on Soup St. taken some 33 years
earlier.
Ray & Grooms Mule Barn at the bottom of the hill on Soup
St.
How strange it is that several of the people in this photo,
made in
1911, would be connected to the events that have been depicted
in the
stories above. Z. W. Grooms (3rd from the left) was the father
of Carl
Grooms the town Marshall killed in 1908. Walter Grooms (4th
from left)
was the brother of Tom Grooms the town Marshall that killed
Burton
Summers in self defense. Earnest Mullins (6th from left) would
die some
26 years later a hundred or so feet up the street, killed by
another
town Marshall. R. J. Grooms (7th from left) was another
brother of Carl
Grooms. Dean Grooms (on horse) another brother of Carl Grooms.
Hardy
Parish (holding horse) would be shot in the arm 33 years later
when
Wayne Brock killed Grate Partee at the top of the hill.
Another act of violence occurred sometime in the 1920's
involving a
black man. It has been told that this man was drunk and came
into a
residence. The woman screamed and he left. This residence was
located
just across the railroad tracks and highway from the depot.
Little is
known of the facts of the case but it is said that he was
locked in the
Calaboose. Someone let him out and a group of men, the names
who have
never been revealed, caught him and hung him on the signal
light pole
of the railroad just south of town. In the photo at above you
can
barely see the rope.
Except for this incident race relations have been generally
good in
Greenfield these many years, even in the days of the Jim Crow
law and
the violence of Soup Street. The killings seem to be black on
black and
white on white.
And so it was this past Century in the small town of
Greenfield and the
street that is one block long that we respectfully call "Soup
Street."