Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-06-26
The Murderer'S End.

from the Nashville Press, June ILL.,
Some eight months ago there lived in APP
parent harmony and tranquility two neigh
bors on Charlotte pike, about a mile and q
half from tho courthouse. One was gen.
eral mechanic or 'job'' man, who did on
occasion, all manner of work for living;
the other and older, was named White,
and was well known for the past forty
years in Davidson county. White appears
to have been rather bad man; lived with
scraggy old woman, who was not his wife,
and with whom he hardly ever agreed. He
always kept two or three old horse pistols
in his shop (for he was q blacksmith), well
loaded with shot and slugs, and large
bowie knife, sharp as lance. Besides
those weapons of offense and defense, he
had an old shotgun continually charged
He was disagreeable man, but those with
whom he had intercourse were so well ac-
quainted with and so accustomed to his
infirmities that they hardly ever took any
notice of him. White had considerable
transactions of one sort or another with
Tom Brown, the neighbor above referred
to, and they lived on good terms enough.
White had the reputation of not scruplng
to draw blood. 1t was said he had killed a
few men in his lifetime; still, people were
inclined to be indulgent to his faults, not
to say crimes. We had the misfortune of
knowing him, although not intimately,
thank Providence, and we were always
under the impression that he was an un-
mitigated scoundreL
However, the sequel will show we were
right, as usual. Some of the numberless
little transactions which occurred daily be-
tween them brought up misunderstood
ing, which finally became quarrel. Hot
l. ELL i L.
nal demoniac passions aroused. He swore
horrible oaths; the other man retorted.
White seized an axe, the nearest thing'to
hand, and split in twain the skull of Tom
Brown at one blow, and then fed. 1t was
reported at the time that he had given him
self up to squire, and then repenting of
placing himself in the power of the
law, he broke window In
the 'squire's house, while that functionary
was out for constable, and so made his
escape at that time. No one could find
him afterward. The constable searched in
every hole and corner of the county, but
no White could be found. He had very
ragged old clothes on him and his working
apron. 1t was thought that some inter
course would be sought to be renewed be-
tween himself and his ostensible wife for
the purpose of obtaining clothes and other
necessar1es; consequently very strict
watch was kept upon her, but no White ap-
peared.
number of colored folks went out in
the neighborhood of Fort Zollicoffer yes
terday to gather vegetables or berries, and
while searching among the rocks for what
they wanted, they came to sort of hollow
about seven feet deep. 1t looked like the
ruins of an old cistern, and lying at the bot
tom was the nearly bare skeleton OF a hui
man being They were afraid to examine
it until some colored laborers in the ada
cent woods had been called, and they went
into the little pit and began to examine the
remains There was not much smell. The
flesh had been taken away in chunks by
turkey buzzards, for one OF that
horrid but useful class of aniulals lowered
over the place while they were in 1t. The
leather apron was not much damaged by
time, for the birds seem to have slung it
under an overhanging ledge of rock when
beginning their operations on the body,
and it was thereby protected from the in
fuence of the rain. A large iron ring, IN
which he took great pride, was still hang
ing loosely upon his bony finger, and other
little points of identification discovered,
which shows, beyond the possibility of a
doubt, that old White starved to death in
cave on the side of the mountain.