Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-12
THE STORY OF A TRAGEDY.
Particulars of the Murder Of Col. w.
d. LannOm, at Paris, Tennessee.
A Man Shot by a Desperate, who
Mounts Horse and LeisUrely
Rides out of Town.
From the Memphis Avalanche, March 8.

From the Memphis Avalanche, March 8.
In Wednesdays AUdldnche appeared a
paragraph concerning the killing of Col.
W. d. Lannom, at Paris, in this State, by
a young man / AIMED Vack Cook, and not
Robinson, as first reported. From gen.
tleman direct from Paris an AUdlGRchc re-
porter yesterday learned the following par
ticulars
About two or three years since Col. Lam
nom was employed by Mrs. Cook, the
widowed mother Of the murderer, to con-
duct a suit involving ten or fifteen thousand
dollars worth of real estate. Since then
the case has been continually in the courts
until few weeks since, when the Colonel
recovered verdict for $4,000 in favor of
Mrs. Cook. After thSlitigation was con-
Guided, Col. Lannom spoke OF his fee. He
told young Cook-a man of about twenty
two years-that the fee proper should be
$500, but that if he would pay bin within
four or six months he would reduce it to
$3.50. This Cook agreed 10, but afterwards
refused, and in consequence q few days
since the Colonel and himself had verbal
dispute, in which words ran high. This
was near two weeks since, and nothing
more passed between the men until last
Monday evening.
AT that time, Cook, who resides a short
distance in the country, rode into town,
and going TO a gunsmith's purchased re-
volver, which he loaded in the store. While
in the store, he also recapped and primed
another revolver, which he took from his
person. After arranging the artillery, he
left the gunshOp and proceeded directly 10
the office of Col. Lannom. That gentle
man at the time was alone, and what words,
if any, that passed between the men will
never be known. The Office is situated on
the main street, and the first intimation the
passers by had of any difficulty was the re-
port of one of Cooks revOlvers. Immedi-
ately after he was seen retTeating from the
office, revolver in hand, closely followed at
first by Col. Lannom, who had his hand in
his pocket. Seven shots were fred
by Cook, six taking effect;
three striking the Colonel in
the neck and breast, three in the back, the
other missing him and entering the Office
wall. 1t was the first shot that caused his
death, which ensued in a few minutes.
The ball of that struck the main artery of
his neck, and severiDg it,caused death from
internal hemorrhage. The pocket in which
Col. LannOm had his. baud was a small der
ringer, but it was never fired, as he fell
while drawing it. After he had emp!ied his
revolver, Cook mounted his horse and rode
leisurely from town. Heis supposed to be
at bis mothers, a short distance from town,
but for some reason the authorities do not
care to go after him. a short time since he
killed a negro in cold blood, but nothing
was ever done to him for It. His father,
previous to being killed in Texas a short
time since, was a well known and uuivers-
ally feared desperate, having killed eight
or nine men in cold blood. From the way
this representative is starting out, he prom
ises to eclipse his parent as a man killer.
Col. Lannom was a very prominent and
highly esteemed lawyer of Paris. Before
the war he represented the Hickman dis
trict for number Of years In the Kentucky
State Senate. During the war he served as
Lieutenant Colonel Of the 18th Kentucky,
c. S. a. After the cessation of hostilities
he settled in Paris, where he has since re-
sided. At the time Of his death he was a
law partner of the Hon. Ed. Grassland,
NJ. &. Of Kentucky. His untimely death
has cast gloom over the entire community,
in which 40 man was better or more favor
ably known. He leaves a wife and four
children, the latter of tender years. His
funeral Wednesday was the largest ever
seen in Paris, business being almost entirely
suspended, and everybody uniting in pay
ing this last sad tribute to the worthy dead.