Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-08-11
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Last week there occbrreIl ir
Bullitt county, a strange affair,
which is yet nnsolved in Its par
ticulars, but which was one of
those very peculiar transactions
which seem to have 20 motive. A
= widow lady, with a daughter some
eighteen years Of age, lived near
Mt. Washington. They were
without male protectors, and lived
quietly and securely. One day
the old lady 7reoeived five thou
sand dollars in payment Of an old
account, and locked it up in her
trunk. The night following was
dark and gloomy, and one that
would cause people naturally to
bar and lock doors and windows,
and cause one to hesitate to open
: them to stranger. Toward
night an old, bent up decrepir
. man came to the door, and on its
being opened asked for shelter for
the night. The widow told him
she was alone, with no men folks
about the house. aud che disliked
to take stranger under her roof.
1.-THE old man said he was a stran-
ger, poor, decrepit and destitute,
and only asked for shelter from
the approaching night. saild o~l le
8 The lady acceded to his request,
aud in due time he was shown to
his room up stairs. The night
grew darker outside, aud the wild
ow and her daughter were prepar-
ing to retire, when a heavy knock
came upon the door, and voices of
hmen outside were heard demand
ing admittance in Threatening
tones. Terrified, knowing the
danger Of possessing such a large
sum Of money, the widow conclud-
ed that the parties outside were
confederates OF the man to whom
she had given shelter. ! Acting up
on this suspicion, with trembling
limbs, she ran up stairs and locked
the door ofthe suspicious stranger.
Returning down staiIs, she heard
the blows of an axe on the door.
and as she reached the foot OF the
stairs encountered the man she
supposed she had locked safely in
his room. No longer deerepit,
bent and feeble, the stranger stood
upright and assumed stalwart pro-
portions. The gray hair, the
trembling voice had gone, and in
stead was a man Of powerful and
determined mien.
Believing that all was lost, the
widow exclaimed. "You know
what I've got; I'll give it up!'
The stranger, instead of acced-
ing to the terrified womans offer,
replied: HDon't annoy me go
to your room and I'll protect you"
He held in his hands rifle he
had taken from the rack, aud as
the blows OF the assailants axe
fell fast upon the door, pushed
the widow into her room. The
door gave way, and the first man
that entered was sshot by the stran-
ger, whograsped the falling body
and pulled it inside the door. He
then pulled the door wide open
and fred again, killing anotherof
the assaiIants. The party turned
to fly, and another of their number
received a shot from the valiant
stranger.
The attacking party having fed,
the door was secured, and the af-
frighted inmates took occasion to
examine the features of the dead
robber, who proved to be the SON
in-law and neighbor of the widcw
In the morning another man
was found leaning over the fence,
with his arm thrown over the
rails, dead. Mortally wounded.
his failing strength had carried
him to the fence, where IN support
ing himself he had died. The
stranger gave himself up to a
who examined into
the case, Che stranger refusing to
give either his name, place of res
the nature Of lis bBsi-
ness. Fhelmagistrste ordered his
discharge, and the mysterious
stranger departed. Who he was.
why he assumed the disguise he
did on that night, what was the
nature of his business, or whittier
he went, is a mystery not yet ex-
planned, and comment would be-
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