The Sweetwater forerunner. [volume] (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1867-1869, 1868-06-11
"A Fearful Retribution.

About a month ago, there lived on
Lincoln alley, in this city, in the second
house from Wilson's Spring, man named
Seburn Jones. Ho was about sixty years
ofage, profcssed to be pious and belong
ed to the Sons of Temperance. Three
years since, he married widow of mod
crate means and respectable family con-
nections. She had two daghters, who
were at that time, aged respectively eight
and ten years, On the 18th of February
last, the mother died. Her remains were
put i'll vault, and, two weeks later, they
were inferred in the usual manner. The
night following the funeral, Jones took
the elder girl, then thipteen years of age,
inio his room and, by threatening to kill
her if she resisted or subsequently divulg-
ed what took place, violated her person.
For near y three months he compelled her
to share his couch, ever keeping wildly
before her mind the terrible penalty that
would attend the slightest hint on her part
as to what was going on. Her misery at
last became greater than she could bear,
and the monstrous crime was revealed to
a lady who lived near by. The latter
confronted Jones with this confession, but
he earnestly protested his innocence. In
the meantime, neighbors had got wind of
the matter which became all the more
horrible for Investigation. Not only did
the girlgive the most minute details of
the stcpfather's infamy, but her statement
was fully borne out by negro servant
woman and by blind man, both of whom
had lived for some time with the family.
The latter said that what he had heard
was than sufficient to prove Jones guilty.
When the old reprobate was accused of
what he had done, he swore that he was
innocent, but at once prepared for flight,
and left the city by the first outgoing
train, taking with him his child, little
baby-girl only three months old, and CIV
ing out Missouri as his place of destiua-
ton. A few days before his guilt be-
came generally known, he placed his two
stepdaughters in one of the charitable in
stitutions of this city.
Instead of going to Missouri, however,
he got aboard train of the Nashville and
Decatur railroad, getting off at Hurri-
cane Station, between Columbia and
Pleasant Grove, where he had sister re-
siding, and until yesterday nothing more
was heard of him in this city. News
now comes from Maury county that the
body of the poor old wretch was found
dangling from tree near Columbia on
Saturday morning, party of unknown
persons, supposed to be members of the
avenging Ku-Klux Khan, having taken
him out on the night previous and hanged
him. A strange Circumstance of the
case is, that the tree on which he was
found, was the identical one from which
the notorious Walker, the murderer of
young Bicknoll, was hanged by the ghost
ly Khan.
A little over week ago, the dead
body of female infant was found float
ing in Duck river, near Columbia. The
top of the skull was broken and gone,
evidencing that it had been murdered be-
fore it had been thrown into the stream.
This child from subsequent development
proved to be the one Jones had taken
with him from Nashville, and so satisfac-
tory was the evidence of his guilt that
the Ku-Klux Klan are said to have taken
it upon themselves to meto justice to the
soulless perpetrator of so fearful and I'M
natural crime.
1t is reported that the Ku-Klux were
out in force last week in the vicinity of
Culleoka and Hurricane Springs, and that
workman engaged on the new Methodist
Church building was accidentally struck
in the leg by shot aimed at target
near him.-Union and Dispatch.
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