The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-02-11
Tne HavvesvilIe Tragedy.

rible Hawesyiile affair, in which Dr.Hardin
Aurelius Davidson attempted to kill several
persons with AN Internal Machine We
have never read a more devilishly devised
and terribly executed attempt at assassina-
ton and suicide. Hawesville has certainly
now had her fill Of horrors. The details OF
the Lowe massacre and this foul attempt at
vengeance are worthy of Pandemonium
ITSELF
The details we get from the louisville
papers. @
On Monday, the 9th February, Dr. David
son entered the store of Mr.. Duncan, in
which Mr. Sterrett, with three or four other
persons, was seated. He had under his cloak
willow market basket, in which, covered
over with some eggs, was an internal ma
chine of his own invention. description
of this instrument of death may be inter
esting.
1t was a tin tube, large enough to hold
five orlsix pounds of powder, with which it
was/flled. This magazine was contained
within another tin canister of double the
size. The space between the two was filed
with bullets, or large-sized shot, a sufficient
number to weigh ten or twelve pounds
This Internal aadch1te was constructed under
the Doctors especial direction, by timer
in Cannelton, Ind, which town is iHIInedi-
ately opposite Hawesvile.
DIR. Davidson approached Mr. Sterrett and,
when within a few feet of him, he set fire
to his internal machine, with the expecta-
ton of blowing himself, Mr.. Stcrrett, and
everybody else in the room, into eternity.
The shock was terrible. The room was
built of stone and brick. One whole side of
the house was blown out, the roof was lifted
from the rafters, and six large siIIs above
were broken.
Mr.. Duncan, the merchant, was very dan
gerously wounded--it is feared fatally.
MIR. Sterrett was seriously hurt, and bad
ly burnt. Three of the bullets entered his
face, and it is feared he may lose an eye.
Dr. Davidson had his left fore arm broken
in two places, his collar bone broken, his
right shoulder dislocated, the flesh torn off
the shoulder to the bone, his clothes torn
from his body, and he was badly burned in
the Elce, breast and arm. He was a horrible
sight and rushed from the house after the
explosion, crying, .'s Kill me for Gods sake;
do not want to live any longer"
Two other per@2ns We're in the room, but
were not serop y hurt.
The citizei of the town, hearing the
noise and feeI.ng the shock, rushed to and
fro in the widest confusion. They thought
that a keg of powder had exploded in the
store-room. When they were informed of
the true cause of the explosion, many per-
sons were in favor of killing DaTidson, and
strong efforts were made to do SO. The
news spread through the county, and the
country people were rushing to town with
their guns for the purpose Of taking part
I'M the mob. The whole town was arning.
The greatest and widest excitement pre-
vailed throughout tue town.
The persons in the store, besides David
son, were G. B. Duncan, ]. G. Duncan, Mr..
Sterret, James Redding and a Mr. Bennett.
Davidson is the man, who, with one
Witherow, was charged with numbering
Lowe in Jail year or two ago. He has
been regarded as an evil spirit in Hawes-
vile, since that tragic event, and it is thought
that he contemplated putting an end to his
miserable life at the same time he destroyed
the others in the store. He had a spite
against Mr.. Sterrett because the latter de-
nounced him on account Of the Lowe affair.
Mr.. Sterrett is lawyer and farmer, who
resides about four miles above Hawesville.
We were informed of the circumstances
by passenger who came down on the Scioto
on Tuesday evening, but the details were so
improbable and horrifying, that we con-
cluded not to give them until confirmed
We hoped, for the credit of human nature,
that they were not true. But it seems that
there are vet Guy Fawkes's in the world
Our informant says that Davidson first
set the Internal machine down by Sterritt,
who moved to the other side of the store,
wlaen Davidson followed him and set the
basket down by him again, at which point
it exploded. ia