Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-08-24

about hve miles from the oiiy' ~
the spring Of 1865, the circum'
stances attending which were, at the
time, enveloped in profound mystery,
and ELECTED the widest speculation and
conjeclures among the citizens Of the
neighborhood. Mr.. Rolent l.. White,
who then resided on the State Line road
but who has since moved TO Kentucky,
owned negro servant by the name Of
Tom. In the same neighborhood, but
about one mile of the road, also
resided Mr.. J. NJ, brother Of Mr.
r. L. White. The latter had come into
the city and purchased bill Of goods for
his own family, and had also brought
out several small articles for the family Of
his brother, which on his return home he
had sent word to bis brother to send and
get On receiving this message Mr.. r.
L. White ordered his servant, Tom, to
harness one Of his horses to his buggy
and 90 over after the goods. This was
in the evening, and Tom, after harness
ing the horse and htching him to the
buggy, set out after the goods, as
directed. Several hours elapsed, and
about dusk the horse, which was very
gentle animal, and one which had for a
long time been in the possession of the
family, was observed coming up the
road at an easy gait, drawing an empty
buggy after him. Tom, the negro, was
no where to be seen, nor we're the goods
in the buggy, where they should have
been. At first, the suspicion was aroused
that the negro had possibly stolen the
goods and run away to town. This,
however, was put at rest the next morn
ing. Mr.. White, on his way over to his
brothers., found the body Of poor Tom ~
ing across the road, with his skull fright.
fully fractured, and his brains scattered
around him. Alta point in the road few
hundred yards from the body a eliot OF
blood was discovered, and the tracks Of
the buggy as If it had been suddenly
turned about and started back. BY what
means Tom had come to bis sudden and
cruel death no one could tell. Suspicion
could not be attached to any one in the
neighborhood, and all efforts to ferret
out the crime proved futile. The
mysterious affair, however, made deep
impression on the minds Of those resid.
ing in the locality, and has been FREE
quently brought up in conversation
since. No explanation had been arrived
at, however, it would seem, until one
evening last week, when q party Of
ladies and gentlemen met to pass the
evening at the residence of Mr.. E. A.
White, third brother of the family in
question, among whom the subject OF
spiritual manifestations was preached,
with the following unaccountable
result: The party were seated
around table land it may
be here observed that Of all articles Of
furniture table is most indispensable
to spiritual manipulations), and among
their number was Mrs. Felts, the aged
widow of an ex-sheriff of this county,
who, on the question under discussion
coming up, incidentally remarked that
she had been told that she was medium,
and could converse with the spirits of the
departed. This remark was received
with laughter, and one of the party play
fully suggested that if she was medium
she should summon the spirit of the
deceased Tom, and question him as to
the manner of his death. Mrs
f., acting on the suggestion, at once went
off in trance, and after remaining in
this state for few moments, said that
Toms spirit had appeared to her, and
would make a revelation of his muir
derer. The matter was now becoming
serious, and the party were all at
tention, while the medium, true TO her
word, began to repeat slowly the revela-
ton as it purported to come from the
deceased negro. This revelation was, in
substance, to the effect that Tom had
been Knocked on the head and robbed
of twenty dollars, the proceeds OF
a pistol he had sold; that the murder was
committed at the spot where the clot oil
blood was discovered in the road that
the body was placed in the buggy, the
buggy turned around and the horse
started home; that after proceeding few
hundred yards the body was thrown
again from the buggy, where it was found
by Mr.. White the following morning, and,
finally, that the murderer's name was
John Andrews, and that be was negro,
still living In the neighborhood' Here
the spirit ceased, and the question was
propounded from one listener to another,
was there such negro as John Andrews
in the neighborhood No one seemed
to know such person. An old servant
on the place, and formerly slave of Mr..
White was called in, and the same ques-
ton was put to him. Yes, he said,
there as such a negro in the vicinity,
but he was no longer known as
John Andrews. About three years
ago be had come into the neighborhood
from Louisiana, and was at first known
as Andrews, but that shortly after his
advent be bad changed his name to Tom