Butte record., 1854-01-14

he North State u hlg, Of the Both
November, Published at Wilmington
\. c., gives a condensed report Of the
trial Of Rev George ". Caravan, 70,
the mu der Of Mr.. C. H. Lassiter, a
school teacher, in Hyde county. The
whole ease Is remar rkable, on account Of
the status oftbe accused, the depravit7
developed, and the tragical issue of the
trial Eminent counsel were arrayed fe
both the prosecution and defence, ani
much excitement prevailed during th
/ proceedings The p4per before Us gives
The following particulars
Caravan Is fifty SIX years Old, and for
many years has heen popular preache
in the Baptist church man Of st oug
viii, exercising a powerful influence over
his friends, and feared as much as hated
+ by his foes. Lassiter was quiet young
man engaged IN th business OF teaching
Some months before the mQ der, LasSiier
boarded in the house of Caravan, ana a
quarrel arose between them, Caravan
alleging that Lassiter was too familiar
with bis (Carawan's) wife Caravan
talked very freely among his ueighbor>
on the subject-said that Lassiter ought
to be shot-that shooting was good
for him-and that he and Lassiter could
not live in the same neighborhood, &c
and finally tried TO get out peace VIZ
ant against Lasslter, alleging that be
had attempted to take his life H went
on IN this WY for some time. IS hen Las
sitter sued him FIR slander, laying tie
d images at $4,000. \ few hous after
the writ " served on Caravan, Lassi.4
was killed.
He had finished a school or Rose Bay
and on Monday, the 10Th Of November
1892, started IN foot, with carpet bag
in his hand to 20 to the Lake, where he
had engaged another school About 8
( O'Clock in the afternoon he passed Cara
wan's house, on his way to the Lake.
( Shortly after he passed, Caravan cit his
house, and went across the f-l3 toward
the woods which lie between the house
and the spot on tie road where Lassiter
was killed, lis VIE following with q gun
wrapped up in her apron. She returned
to the house Immediately; Caravan not
till sundown. That night be vas absent
from nome.
Tuesday he remained at home but On
Wednesday, 4 rainy day, he took hoe
and went INTO the woods, and was gone
/ for several hours. On Thursday, before
La-siter was missed, the people on the
Lake thinking he was at the Bav, and
the people on the Bay thinking he was at
the Lake, caravan went TO one Of the
neighbors, and inquired II be lad seen
anything of Lassiter, stating that his
+ lCarawan's) family had seen him pass
his house on Monday, with pack ee Of
clothes, and be wes think;n. lie had nun
away. On Friday evening when told
thai the people were searching for Las
sitter, he expressed great surprise that be
should be missing-never had heard
anything Of it.
On Saturday morning, the search for
Lassiter still going on, he wrote TO
friend to come and zee him that Las
sitter was missing imposed to be kill-d
and added that be Caravan was at
home all day Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday, and that he could prove ii
by Caravan Sawyer, (the maine witness
on tn trial for the State, lis nephew,
boy who " 5 living with him. Ths
body Of Lassiter was found on Saturday
evening, il the swamps behind arawan :
house, in an open lot, which was sur
rounded vi briars, underbrush, &c
and covered with moss The moss over
the grave had be. n carefully removed
he grave dug just large enough TO hold
the body, which had been pre- sed into it,
the grave filed up even with the 81 =
rounding ear h and pressed down, and
the moss carefully laid back upon it
The moss leaving no trace Of a tootp int.
there was no si-n that anybody had eve.
been there, except that the moss over
the grave had fad a little About q
handful of fresh dirt was near il, and a
dead limb Of a tree had apparently been
recently disturbed, the ba (, which had
evidently just fallen fom It, lying in one
spot, and the limb IN another The men
who were searching for the body had
stopped in this lonely ~pot TO resi-. having