The Ouachita Telegraph - Wesley Billingsly Charged with Manslaughter in Death of Tom McCormick Date: May 2000 Submitted by: Lora Peppers ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, March 8, 1873 Page 3, Column 1 Tom McCormick, a colored employe(e) in the Intelligencer office, had been talking too freely about the daughters of Wesley Billingsly, also colored, and was asked to explain by Wesley. Tom invited Wesley into the street, and, seizing him by the collar, proceeded to show Wesley how he could butt. Tom said and believed that there was no law against butting, and once or twice had nearly butted the life out of some of his colored brethren. Wes seems to have anticipated Tom's game, and whipped an old pocket-knife out of his pocket, and gave Tom a rake across his abdomen. Tom let go his hold and ran like a quarter horse. He reached home in a condition to send for Dr. Aby, who watched Tom's case closely, but Tom would not keep still in bed, and kept talking and finally internal hemorrhage carried Tom to his grave. Wesley was held to bail in a bond of $1000 on a charge of manslaughter. Tom was rather a quarrelsome fellow, and a sort of Voudoo (sic) disciple. NOTES: More on the incident can be found in the May 15, 1873 issue of the Ouachita Telegraph, Page 3, Column 1 Information on Wesley Billingsly's acquittal can be found in the April 12, 1873 issue of the Ouachita Telegraph, Page 3, Column 1. # # #