Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-07-07
TERRIBLE MYSTERY
A Youth Murdered by Unknown Par
ties, and his Body Placed on
the Railroad Track.
IT is Run Over by Several Trains
and Horribly MutiIated.
The Murdered Man Recognized as
Mr.. Thomas Dardis.


Mr.. Thomas 0ardis.
After two weeks of comparative
quiet, our city was startled and
shocked yesterday morning by the
finding of the mutilated remains of q
gentleman on the track of the Men,
phis and Charleston Railroad near the
city, under such circumstances as led
to the belief that'he had been muir
dered and placed there by his muir
derers to cover up the traces of their
hideous work. This suspicion is now
a certainty, and the following are the
facts in the case so far As we have been
able TO CLEAN them:
The engineer of the inward bound
train which arrived i'm the city Mon
day night felt his engine pass ver
something on the track Just this side
of McGhee's station. On arriving at
the depot he noticed blood and brains
| on the wheels, but thought they were
/ from a hog or some other such ami
NAL, and dismissed the subject.
AT an early hour yesterday morning
some negroes going to work passed by
the spot and found the remains, not OF
| a hog, but a human being, so fright
fully mutilated, however, as to be
scarcely distinguishable. A white
gentleman passing near was hailed
! and made acquainted with the fact,
| and when he came into the city he
appraised Coroner SamelsOn, who inn
mediately went out and held an in
quest. The body, after a careful eX-
[-os,,&;o-, rv-aa GDVY,1 +a hov-a npfhinpr
upon it by which it could be immedi-
ateIy identified. There were, how
ever, two plain gold rings on the left
hand, in II of which were the initials
! G. V. S., and on the right hand the
the letters 1T. D." were pumctured in
India ink.
Although the body had been run
| over by several trains, two at least),
the Jury were satisfied from its APP
pearance that the deceased had come
to his death from other causes,
and that the body had merely
been placed on the track to
hide the deed; they therefore rem
dered a verdict to this effect. The re-
mains were brought to town immedi-
ately after the inquest, and left at the
establishment of McCaffrey d COrne-
Illus for interment.
The facts as we have stated them
above were published in the EUeH{ng
LedQcr, and when Mr.. VIM. Dardis,
IT., son of Col. Billy Dardis, one of ON
oldest and best known citizens, went
down for his evening paper, his atten-
ton was called to the account, and
from the description he Immediately
ronn-pfvpI tho 1nDnn1nI m NO his
brother Tom Dardis, a youth OF
eighteen years, who had been missing
since the previous evening. The sad
intelligence was communicated to his
parents, who took the body in charge.
Further inquiries made since the in
quest develop facts which prove con-
| c~lusively that the surmise5 Of the jury
were correct. A little white lad
states that he was standing at the
crossing OF Vance street and the rail
road about eight o'clock Monday
evening when the deceased, who
came from the picnic grounds, asked
him the way to town. The boy told
him to take the railroad and that il
would lead him to the city. The de
ceased, who seemed confused, went
down the road instead of up if, insist.
ing that the city lay in that direction
He had been gone only a few minute:
when he heard three pistol shots anC
2 cry of murder, the sound apparently
proceeding from the direction where
The body was found. This statement
is c-OrrObOrated by three negro meT
who were in the neighbQrhOQd, bHt il
a different quarter. We are informed
that this is the third murder that has
been committed and the body laid Oh
the track almost in the exact spOt
where this one was found. The
neighborhood is settled by negroes
and is a hOrrid one. We sincerely
hope that no stone will be leftunturned
to discover the murderers, and ifthey
are found, we hope that they VIII
have short shFilt,
Mr.. Dardis, the deceased, was about
nineteen years old, and was az ap-
prentice in the composing room of the
ArdIGnche. He was quiet and well
behaved, and is much regretted by
| his companions. We sincerely cOn-
dole with his bereaved relatives.
BRITISH Half Hose, "a 80 per dozen
worth Sc. NJ. Kraus Il Co.
LEsEIE's Boys and Girls Weekly,
at 1861 Main street; also~the month
| lies, Weeklies and dailies Of the latest
date from everywhere.
LADIES All-Linen Hdkfs. at ~ .
per dozen. NJ. Kraus& Co.,
GOOD COAL may be had of the Mt.
Carbon Coal Company, atseventy-five
| cents per barrel delivered. .
PUPFKB Bosom Shirts, s2-worth
50. NJ. Kraus & CO., corner Main and
Adams.
JOE LOCKE, 1868 Main street, has
Cincinnati, Chicago, st. Louis, Louis
vile, Nashville and New York Dailies,
besides the latest Illustrated Weeklies
and MOnthlies.
LADIES C0rsets, at s1-worth 81 30.
VI. Kraus q Co.
PERSONAL.
Mr.. Noah Partee, editor of the Spec
tutor, left for the East on Monday and
will be absent for some weeks.
n. d. Menken, Esq, of the firm of
Menken Bros, departed fGF Europe on
Sunday last. We wish him bon
UOy0ge.
We had the pleasure of meeting, on
Monday, Capt. Houston, of the Hot
Springs Courier, who passed through
the city on his way North.
P. G. Bigley, Esq, of the firm Of
Bigley & Mellersh, left yesterday for
New Orleans, where he goes into the
coal business with the firm of Nc
ClOsky, Bigley & Co. He has our
wishes for prosperity and success.
W. L. Newman, Esq, General Pas
senger Agent of the Chicago, Alton
and st. Louis Railroad, is in our city
on a brief business visit. He reports
his road in excellent condition and
doing a large business.
Two yards wide Bleached Table
Linen, at 81 per yard-wOrth 81 so.
Warranted all linen. u. Kraus g.
Co., corner Main and Adams.
FASHION, literary, scientific, sport
ing, political, French, German, and
the latest news from everywhere, at
doe Locke's depot, No. 1861 Main
street; also Seven Days in Memphis.
GREAT bargains in 10-4 Rleached
Sheetings. NJ. Kraus * Co.