Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-01-20
CAUGHT AT LAST.
Boyd, OF East Tennessee, Supposed 10
have been Murdered, Arrested
in Canada.
The Mystery Of the Mountains Solved
The Dead Aliye-The Result
OF Curiosity.

, Story Of the Parsuit-WhO Pound him,
and Where he was Caagbt-The
Latest Sensation.
From the Knoxville Trsss and Herald, Jan
nary Is.l
Information was received In the city
yestsrday Of the discovery and arrest in
Toronto, Canada, Of Thomas G. Boyd,
of Sweetwater, Tennessee.
Our readers will remember the sensa-
ton caused throughout East Tennessee
by the report of the alleged murder of
Boyd early IN September, 1872, on a
lonely mountain 10 Monroe county
The details We're of the most tTagical de-
srription. Boyd was said to have left
his home in Sweetwater on Thursday,
September 5th, and murdered on
the afternoon Of the next day
on Laurel Mountain, twenty
two miles southeast of Madison
Vile Two men who were with Boyd
at the time of the alleged murder, told
of surprise By Eve armed men having
their faces blackened, the binding of
Boyd, the taking of them q short dis
tance away, the report Of pistol and
the fall of Boyd. A party of friends
who went in search of the body found
| cbarred human remains at the place
where the tragedy was declared to have
occurred, which were reyerently gath
cred up and buried by the sorrOSing
relatives. Papers which had been found
| by the remains were identified as hav-
| ing been seen in the possession Of Mr..
! Boyd, and were saturated with blood. |
But the story of the alleged MUIR
der was not given eutire credit. !
Under the investigations of detect |
ives, aided by government detectives, |
it was proven beyond reasonable |
doubt that the charted remains found |
were not those of Boyd, bat Of a negro !
lad, a servant in BOyd's employ, who |
had died a week previously, and whose 1
grave was found to have been ritied. |
Then the belief bseame general that |
Boyd had concOcted the affair to escape,
apprehending conviction in the United |
States Court on a number of charges
preferred against him of criminal action /
in connection with pension claims
against the Government, and by per-
suading the community of his death,
get away from the grip of the law, re-
lieye his bOndsmen, and secure to his
family the heavy insurance on his life.
The details of the alleged tragedy
caused much excitement in East Ten
nessee, and were published with vari-
Gus embellishments in newspapers
throughout the country. Efforts were
made to trace Boyd, on the presumption
that he had not been killed, but they
failed of success. Soon other matters
filed the public mind, and the "BOyd
Mystery" was in a measure forgotten.
The efforts to find the truant, however,
were not relaxed, the Government and
his bondsmen being equally anxious to
discover his whereabouts, and a reward
w2s offered for his arrest. 4 Govern
ment detective is even now in Indian
Territory, having searched the far West
for the missing man.
Mr.. /. I. LenOir, of Sweetwater, one
of the bOndsmen, who is security for
twenty-seven thousand dollars, made
every eXertion to find and arrest Boyd.
Mr.. Lewis LenOir, his nephew, has
made q vigorous search and traced
Boyd from one place to another, until
about three weeks ago he discovered
him in Toronto, Canada, on Lake On
tario. Proper precautions were taken
by him and no suspicion was excited in
the breast of Boyd. leaving detectives
in watch over his movements in To-
ronto, Lenoir returned to the United
States, and extradition papers beingl
speedily procured, accompanied by
his cousin, VIII Lenoir, he at g,
once departed , for Canada. The +
latter remained at Niagara, while
Lewis went to Toronto where,
on Tuesday last, by the aid of the Cana
dian authorities, Boyd was arrested and
conveyed to Niagara, where he was Ia
ken charge of by Lewis and VIII Le-
nOir, who Immediately started with
their prisoner for Knoxville. A tele- 3
gram was receivedin this city yesterday !
morning stating that the party had left
Detroit. 1t is probable that they will
arrive here on Friday or Saturday
The news of the arrest of Boyd caused
excitement throughout the
city and was the general topic of con-
versation. The friends of Boyd say
that on his return everything will be
explained. At all events there seems
to be a near prospect of the ''Boyd Mys- ,
tery'' being cleared up.
From the Knoxville Chronicle, January I6th
Curiosity was the besettlng sin of our
first mother, Eve, and Boyd seems to '
have bad his full share, for he had AMI
itching desire to read the newspaper re- =
ports of his disappearance, and under
an assumed name he wrote one or more
letters to a gentleman at Sweetwater, =
asking that copies of various papers be
sent to him at his place Of cOneealment
This came to the knowledge of his sure
ties, and being heavily involved, Mr.. /. I
/. Lenoir to the extent of twenty-seven c
dollars; Mr. Benson, eight I
thousand; Cooke d Henderson, one /
thousand dollars, with, perhaps, others t
in small sums, altogether aggregating
nearly forty thousand dollars, the two
former sent Louis Lenoir, q nephew of
the first named gentleman, to the Do
ninion of Ontario, who discovered the
object of his search at London, town
about one hundred and twenty miles !
rom Detroit. Boyd passed under the
assumed name of Smith during his So y
ourn in Canada. S
He knew Boyd by sight, though Boyd
was not very well acquainted with him,
md writing back to Mr.. Lenoir, the ne
,essary papers were procured and sent
1y William b. Lenoir, son of /. Z. Le-
loir, Esq, to Washington, where a re-
Iuisition for eXtraditiOn was obtained
rom the President and forwarded to
Louis LenoiT, William b. Lenoir in the &
meantime proceeding to Niagara, where y
he would be within easy call if he should a
)e needed to identify Boyd. But his
ervices were not needed in this respect,
or on Tuesday night Mr.. Lenoir was
,ratified by the reception of a dispatch, =,
which was sent from Detroit the same
lay by Louis Lenoir, stating that Boyd
lad been arrested, and his cousin I
Willie had been sent for from the rem l
ezvous at Niagara. n
1t is reasonably supposed, though not a
positively known, that the Messrs. Le- q
loir and the prisoner started for this n
ity ON Tuesday last, and his arrival is
expected on Friday night or Saturday,
no accident occurs.
General j. c. Vaughn, osSweetwater,
nd other friends of Boyd were in town p,
anda strong effort will doubt
ess be made to release the prisoner on Il
all. <, X
In few days at farthest the full par pi
culars that surround this remarkable &C
ase will probably be made known, and 81
ihen all the facts are elected will form
chapter unequaled in interest by any .
ther in the criminal annals of East
ennesSee.
A reporter of q Troy newspaper has
cen iuquiring into the motives which
ctuated the maker of the Cardiff Giant