The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-22
An Unparalleled Piece of YilIainy.
A Methodist Preacher Implicated and
Under Arrest.
4 Young Girl Sacrificed to HideOus
Lust.

From the Louisville Courier.
An intelligent and reliable cores.
pondent in Tennessee furnishes the fol
lowing account of one Of the most dar-
ing and revolving crimes we have ever
seen recorded. As the trial has not
yet occurred, and the evidence is, as
will be seen, altogether circumstantial,
we suppress the names of the parties,
which are IN cur possession, and the To-
cality. The writer says.
! wish to give you the story of as
base a deed of Yillainy as ever the pen
of fiction ever recorded, which occurred
in a county adjoining this. As the trial
for this ottense has not yet come off,
you must judge as TO the propriety of
publishing this account of it. But, l
may say, hat all the newspapers might
publish, could not now circulate the
affair wider than has been done already
in the county in which a Jury is to be
e~npaunslet. The story il briefly this:
Before the war closed, a Methodist
minister, in the exercise of his calling,
as resident preacher in the county,
came one night about 10 o'clock to the
house Of 4 widow lady, who was one of
his congregation, and who had amongst
other children a daughter some six
teen years old-her oldest child. He
dismounted, hitcbed his horse, and
came in, apparently much agitated.
He stated TO the mother that he had
been seized by a band of guerrillas and
N,~arLNw IwaVuwhf - haw h.rVm. - H..
that they we're then surrounding the
house, and had allowed him his life on
condition that he came into the house
aud make this proposition-that the
Captain Of the band should violate the
person of her daughter. The mother,
an old lady, began screaming upon this
announcement, and said they must all
try TO escape. lie then told her that
they had declared they would shoot
the first inmate who would put foot
outside the door, and insisting upon
her being quiet, and telling her that he
would a v her daughters honor if
possible, got her AID !he rest Of the
family up stairs. He then went to the
young girls room, who had retired,
briefly stated to her the situation, and
said that if she did not submit to the
Captains embraces she would be out
ragged by the whole band, some eighty
in number, as he told her, and then her
whole family would be killed He sta
ted that it was an awful dilemma, but
that knowing they would consummate
these outrages, he, as her minister, felt
that he could conscientiously advise
her to submit to the least horrible al
tentative, that Of acquiescing in the
guerrilla Captains proposition. She,
after saying that she would do this to
save her mother and sisters lives, al
lowed the minister to put out all ths
lights in the house, and, in his precau-
ton 10 avoid detection, he put out all
the fires 10y dashing water upon them
He then went out, saying to her that he
would save her if he could; and going
10 the gate, talked for a few moments
IN q loud one to the imaginary guer-
rillaS. After this he returned In the
young girls room as the guerrilla Cap
tain, and finding her trembling and in
tears, he, IN a disguised voice, mani
Tested an unrelenting purpose, and as
sured her that nothing but submission
10 his desires could save her and her
family from a fate equslly horrible 10
all memorable to her piteous pleadings
he by these terrible threats accom-.
piished his purpose Then going ont
again TO the gate and another loud con
versatlon ensuing, the preacher o af
terWard retSrnsd, and ealing to the
mother and family that the euerrilIss
had gone, they came down. He them
by sn affected delicacy Of question, as
certsined that the guerrilla Captain
hsd violsted the daughter, and after
expressing the utmost horror st tba
deed, he counselled them all 10 saw
noting 20 any one about it-that it was
then known only &c himself aud the
family, and should never 70 farther
hls story had been the more plausible
and successful because cuerrillss had
actually been proWling through tbe
1elghbornoOd and committing outrsges
out a few days before. And tha Ssf
hat this band Of eighty guerrillss. Of
which he told them, had not been ssop
n a oil b. any one. mainly led 10
he suspicious of the family as 10 his 5
IDENTITY with the pretended guerrilla
aptaln, and finally % his arrest for
he ohense IL would make this Letter
90 long 10 tell you al the evidence {
bat led 20 these suspicious and confirm, c
d them to the minds Of the family. He
FIRST tried by the church for the
dense and dismissed from the ministry 3
n account oft Itnow remains to be :
whether the law can upon the 4
videnee mete out to him a ~severer q
unishment l opine that it will Ilb