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Exertion and Excitement Claimed Contributed to Officer's Death.
Grappling with Jodie Whitlow who was under arrest charged with being
drunk, Mr. B. S. Sweeze, a constable, 67 years old, died here Monday
evening at 6:45 o'clock in front of the First National Bank on Main
Street. It seems that Mr. Sweeza arrested Whitlow for being drunk on a
complaint of residents near the tobacco market and started to jail with
his prisoner. When in front of the First National Bank Whitlow became
unruly and a scuffle ensued, both men falling to the pavement. For
several minutes the men struggled on the sidewalk and bystanders noticed
Mr. Sweeza crumble down on his prisoner. Investigation revealed that Mr.
Sweeza was dead.
Witnesses to the fatal scuffle state that the two men were struggling
on the pavement from ten to fifteen minutes and several times while Mr.
Sweeza was holding Whitlow down the prisoner kicked the officer in the
back, but evidently the kicks did not affect the officer as he seemed to
pay no attention to them. It is also stated that while the men were down
Mr. Sweeza struck Whitlow with his stick, but the officer was evidently
too weak to have much effect on the prisoner.
After being liberated by the death of the officer, Whitlow secured a
large rock and staggered around in a threatening manner, it is claimed,
until a bystander in wrenching the rock away from him threw him down on
his head striking the curb with considerable force. Mr. Bryant Atkinson
took charge of Whitlow until officers arrived.
The body of the dead officer was carried to Dr. Clifton Richard's
office where an autopsy revealed the fact that he probably died of heart
failure supinduced by excitement and the struggle. Whitlow was arraigned
before Judge V H Jones, Tuesday morning, at 10 o'clock and was held to
await the actions of the grand jury, under a bond of $2,500 on a charge
of manslaughter, when he executed, Mr. Ed Farris becoming the bondsman.
Mr. Sweeza was a Tennessean by birth but came to Freedom country many
years ago, where he married to Miss Hulda Smith, who survives him. He is
supposed to have one brother whose whereabout(s) are unknown. For many
years Mr and Mrs Sweeza, who had no children, lived in the Freedom
country, farming, but engaged in the mercantile business at Freedom,
Beaumont and finally in Glasgow, where they were very successful, and
became quite well off financially, owning considerable properyt.
He was a member of the Methodist Church, and always bore the name of an
honourable gentleman. Funeral services were held at the residence on
West Main Street, yesterday, afternoon, by Rev. J. L. Piercy, and burial
was in the Glasgow Cemetery.
B S Sweeza 1860-1929; Hulda C 1868-1948.
Unknown Glasgow paper.
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