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DAILY   JOURNAL

WEDNESDAY MORNING. SEPT, 30. 

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY 
A Remarkable Chapter of Horrors.

[From the Nashville Press and Times. 26th.]

     The details of a terrible deed of blood 
reached us yesterday from Hawkins 
County. The victim was J. C. Willie, 
himself the murderer of a man named 
Sizemore, who fell by a bullet from his 
pistol about a year ago, in the same county.

     Between this Willis and one Barton a 
bad feeling has been growing for some 
time, and they thirsted for each other's 
blood. At length the devil favored their 
wish, and they met on Sunday last on the 
banks of the Clinch River, a few miles 
east of Rogersville. Willis was half 
drunk, and was on his way home from 
a distillery in the hills, where he had 
been drinking and gaming for three or 
four days.

     The other man, it is said, was just
leaving a religious gathering in the
woods. They met in a lonely place;
both were mounted. The impenetrable
forest spread its silent shade on either
side for miles. Not a sound was heard,
save the rustling of the autumn leaves 
under the horses' hoofs. The moment
they came in sight of each other, at a
sharp turn in the road, they were not
more than twenty yards apart, and their
horses were going at a good trot. When
they pulled up, the heads of the animals
touched each other. They halted and
let their bridle lines drop. The tired
horses began to pick at the with-
ered [withered] leaves, but the deadly-minded
men busied themselves in hauling
out their pistols. Not a word was
uttered. Each felt that now, in the
depth of the primeval forest, was the
time to glut their mutual vengeance.
Willis's belt came loose and his pistol
fell down on his horses' back. He par-
tially [partially] turned round to pick it up, and,
while in the act, his assailant fired and
struck Willis in the side. The man fell,
and when he came to the ground the
horse which he was riding turned round
and galloped off, dragging him a consid-
erable [considerable] distance. His foot caught in a
projecting root, while the other remained
fixed in the stirrup. The violence of the
jerk literally wrenched his thigh-bone
from its socket, while the saddle girth
broke, and he was left an the ground
groaning. When the enemy rode up
and dismounted, Willis saw the evil de-
sign [design] in his eye, and begged of him to
give a respite to see his wife. But no!
the black-hearted man was inexorable.
He was one of them—
“--whose hearts the furies steeled. 
And cursed with hearts unknowing how to 
yield."

     He would allow no respite, not even to 
utter a short prayer, but sternly told the
man that he should die. Willis im-
plored [implored] mercy; the blood streaming from 
his side, and the agony of his torn limb 
working his face into fearful contortions. 
He clasped his hands together 
and begged mercy, mercy, but there was 
none. The monster deliberately put his 
pistol to the almost dying man's fore 
head and shot his brains out. He then 
mounted his horse and rode to a friend's 
house, to whom he detailed the particu-
lars [particulars] of the murder, took three or four 
drinks of whisky and left. He has not 
been heard of since.

     This murder calls up a long train of 
homicides. In 1864 an old and highly 
esteemed citizen of Russellville, Mr. Cain, 
was killed by a young Federal soldier, a 
citizen of the same county, named Bewley. 
A short time afterward Bewley was 
killed by one of the sons of old mad Cain. 
But a short time was left for young Cain
to live. He fell a victim to the murder-
ous [murderous] hand of a friend of Bewley's, Bill 
Sizemore, who, shortly after the killing 
of young Cain, completed the list of his 
murders by brutally murdering Lieu-
tenant [Lieutenant] Thurman, of Hawkins County. 
Sizemore did not long live to gloat over 
his deeds of blood. The avenger was on 
his path, and in a very short time Size-
more [Sizemore] was sent to eternity by a bullet 
from the pistol of I. C. Willis. Willis 
now is murdered, and we may well, in 
horror, exclaim: Where will the terrible
tragedy end ?

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Lex Talioni

The horrors of the diabolical and
savage [illegible] manner of taking of life by
the Indians – are often pictorial towns
minus [illegible] us with the fearful savage
brutality of the [untutored?] man of the 
forest. Under the excitement of the
conceived wrongs of the white man
as the innovator of the sanctuary of
the rightful forest home and the discharge 
of the red races – savage – terrible and 
fearful indeed is the record – of torture
suffering and burnings [illegible] [illegible] of the white [illegible].
But, the white and Christian men too [illegible]
a terrible record against him – especially 
under the light of Christianity.
 
     The Indians in their domestic
lands have a cherished law established
and enforced by usage and long [custom?]
“Lex Talioni” or the law of retaliation
is softened down sometimes by a rule
judiciary which allows the one guilty of
murder to be heard impartially. He is
afforded the opportunity of conciliating the
friends of the deceased victim. By presents
and other conciliations – he might [secure?] his
life. If the friends of the deceased accept
the [proffered?] presents of goods – [illegible] [illegible]
he then is free – and has no fears – of [illegible]
revenge. Nas-waw-kay’s trial is
an instance of a circumstance illustrating
the law governing such cases. 

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