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[Start of newspaper clipping]
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 ?
[End of newspaper clipping]
[Start of handwritten document]
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.
[End of handwritten document]
Object Description
TCHA Identification Number | 2-34(5) |
TCHA Alternative Identification Number | 1-54(85) |
Purdue Identification Number | GWb2f34i5 |
Title | Lex Talioni : the Indian law : Knas-waw-kay alluded to |
Creators |
Winter, George, 1810-1876 |
Contributors | Lafayette daily journal |
Description | "Lex Talioni; the Indian Law. Knas-waw-kay alluded to" (title from verso) AMs, 1 p. (on back of preprinted insurance form; newsclipping from [Lafayette] Daily Journal, Sept. 30 [no year] glued to side) |
Description Continued | Newspaper story describes a recent murder, the latest in a chain of six revenge killings. George Winter's written commentary agrees that Indians have been guilty of horrible tortures and murders of white settlers, but whites have also done equally awful things. The "law of retaliation" is well established among the Indians, but a kind of court may rule that his life not be taken in revenge, if he can placate the relatives of the deceased with sufficient presents. |
Subjects |
Indians of North America Homicides Revenge Clippings |
Repository | Tippecanoe County Historical Association |
Rights Statement | Images in the George Winter Collection should not be used without written permission from the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. To obtain reproduction rights and prices, contact the Tippecanoe County Historical Association at info@tippecanoehistory.org |
Extent of Original | 1 p. ; 34 cm. |
Language | eng |
Collection | George Winter Collection |
Date Digitized | 07/20/2006 |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Epson Expression 10000XL Photo Scanner |
Capture Details | Silverfast 6.4.1 r8c by Lazersoft |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 24 bit |
Color Management | Monaco EZcolor using an IT8 target |
URI | ark:/34231/c6hq3wt1 |
Description
Title | page01 |
Repository | Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Images in the George Winter Collection should not be used without written permission from the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. To obtain reproduction rights and prices, contact the Tippecanoe County Historical Association at info@tippecanoehistory.org |
Language | eng |
Collection | George Winter Collection |
Transcript |
[Start of newspaper clipping] 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 ? [End of newspaper clipping] [Start of handwritten document] 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. [End of handwritten document] |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Epson Expression 10000XL Photo Scanner |
Capture Details | Silverfast 6.4.1 r8c by Lazersoft |
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Color Management | Monaco EZcolor using an IT8 target |
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