In my book Wicked Springfield (MO) https://amzn.to/3X1Zx4h, I briefly mentioned a shooting incident that occurred at William Potter's saloon, located just off the square on Boonville, on the evening of August 6, 1880, but today I thought I'd go into a little more detail about the episode.
The 41-year-old Potter had both his residence and his saloon at 221 Boonville. About 10:30 p.m. on Friday the 6th, eight black men came into the saloon and ordered beer. After they'd drunk the beer, they called for a free lunch, which Potter was accustomed to providing for his regular customers.
Since these men were not regular customers (and probably also because they were black), Potter refused to provide the requested meal, and a fracas broke out.
Who began the hostilities is not exactly clear, but Potter threw several beer glasses at his unwelcome guests during the melee, and the black men, in return, fired several shots, one of which struck Potter in the hip. The wound was considered serious but not dangerous to the point of being life threatening.
Several people took part in the shooting, including one white man, it was reported, but the exact identities of the shooters remained unclear several days later.
All of the black men who'd entered Potter's saloon together were arrested, although three were almost immediately released. The other five were soon released on bail as well and were scheduled for hearings on August 13. The names of those charged were Isaac Sims, Sam Vaughn, Henry Harrington, R. Johnson, and Albert Campbell. The outcome of their hearings is unknown, but apparently no serious charges were brought.
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