The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1862-08-15
Horrible Murder.

The Knoxville Register of Thursday
brought the following painful inteli-
gcnce:
This community was inexpressibly
shocked yesterday by intelligence of the
murder of Gen. VIM. r. Caswell, by some
unknown fiend, near his residence some
six miles East Of this city. The only
particulars we have of the affair, is that
he was found about half mile from his
own house with his throat cut. His ser.
wants report that they saw him struggling
with some one in the road, but before
they could reach him, his life was ex.
tinct and the murderer fled. =
Immediately upon the receipt Of the
intelligence here. q party of our citizens
mounted horse and started out to scoui
the country in search of the assassin
The General was in this city yesterday
morning, and interchanged greetings with
numerous friends.
The Register, OF the day following con-
tains these additional particulars
The investigation of this sad affair does
not seem to have solved the mystery sat
isfactorily, though there is strong pre-
sumption that the murderer OF the la
mented General Caswell was % runaway
negro. The tragedy occurred near the
house Of Mr.. Addison Armstrong. Two
little negro boys belonging to this gem
tleman who aver that they witnessed the
struggle, and that the deed was perpe-
trated by negro, first ran to Mr.. Arm
strong's mill and gave the alarm. When
Mr.. Armstrong reached the scene the
General was still alive, and struggling as
if in the effort 10 rise. Upon being ques-
tened by Mr.. A, he gave perfectly CO.
herent answers which implicated man
residing in the neighborhood; but as sew
eral persons have been arrested under
suspicion, and fully acquitted of any
completely in the horrible deed, it would
be manifestly wrong, at this state of the
investigation to give their names. Gen.
c., lived about twenty minutes after Mr..
Armstrong reached him, and seemed to
retain his consciousness to the last. His
daughter and wife reached the spot only
in time to witness his expiring BREATH
A hickory club, broken and bloody was
found upon the spot, with which he had
evidently been felled to the ground, his
nose being broken and his skull over the
eyes fractured. The jaws were fractured,
and there were marks of heavy blows up.
on the skull. Besides these there were
several gashes in the throat, evidently
made with a broad-bladed knife. The
ground around gave evidence of DIES
perate struggle. Further examination o
the road seems to confirm the statement
of the negro boys, as to his having chas
ed his murderer several hundred yard
from the spot in the road where..he first &C
costed him. There are other circum
stances detailed by parties, whom w
have not seen; but we do not deem
prudent to lay before the public until W
can get afull and connected and acct
rate account of the matter from thos
who have been investigating it. TIL
general impression is that the horri'
deed was perpetrated by runaway ne
gro, though there are many different SUI
misses in regard to it, the correctness G
which must be left to time to determine
We sincerely hope the murderer, wheth
er he be white or black, may be discoy
cred and brought to condign punish
| ment.