Knoxville Daily Chronicle

The Clique Ox Muddle:

Sheriff Robbins Explains,

Sheriff Robbins, of Anderson county called on us yesterday and talked over the murder of Jo Buckner, and our criticism of his conduct as an officer in failing to arrest Leach. We learned before seeing him that we had misunderstood our informant in saying that Mr. Robbins is a candidate for re-election. It was one of his deputies who is a candidate for election to the office of sheriff, and not him.

Sheriff Robbins says that he did not arrest Leach immediately after the shooting was done, for the reason that if he had done so "twenty-five negroes might have been killed," meaning that Leach and his friends would have resisted. He did not claim that they were there for that purpose, but if there was danger of so many being killed, the inference would be that they were. We do not believe, however, that the citizens of Clinton would justify such a cowardly murder.

Robbins also claims that he arrested Leach the same evening after the train left with the wounded man, and that he held him in arrest until the next morning, when, no one being willing to make an affidavit against him, he was released. He says he knew nothing of his own knowledge about the man being shot. He did not see him and only had the word of others, although he admitted he was in the crowd immediately after the shooting. We cannot see that this makes the matter any better for him, as it was a part of his duty to obtain full information.

We have heard it said also that the colored people had been acting badly all day—making unbecoming and insulting remarks about the place and about the people. If such were the case, it would be disreputable to those engaging in such conduct. But those who knew Jo. Buckner, would be slow to believe that he ever indulged in any such disgraceful acts. There are those who will always frame excuses for a wrong or a crime, and we may look for them in this case. Admitting all that is charged on the colored people, and the killing of Jo. Buckner is no less a villainous crime, the perpetrator of which deserves the severest punishment.