Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1873-10-30
A Horrible Tragedy.
Hon. w. p. TOlIey Cut to Pieces
with an AK by an Infatuated
From the Moore County Pioneer.

From the Moore County Pioneer.
Hon. w. P. Tolley, late rep
resentative Of Lincoln county
in the lower branch of the
General Assembly, residing a.
bout five miles from Lynch
burg, on the Fayetteville and
Lynchburg turnpike,was assault
ted by a negro man Wednes-
day morning and horribly man
gled with a chopping AK. The
facts, as we learn them from par
ties who saw and heard Capt.
Tolley relate them, are about as
follows: Capt. Tolley has had
family of negroes living on
his premises some time that
formerly belonged to his father,
and from some cause or other
they had got into a dispute "a
bout matters pertaining to the
farm, and the Capt. ordered
them to leave the premises
He told Wiley (the negro MANI
to go and hitch his mules to the
wagon and move his mother
and family off his place, that
he was determined that they
should live with him no longer.
Instead of doing this, the ne
gro picked up his AK and went
into the woods, a short distance
from the house, and commenced
chopping wood. Mr.. Tolley
seeing that his order had not
been obeyed, went to the negro
and asked him why he did not
do as he was told? At this the
negro made use of some insult
ing language and drew his ak
on Mr.. Tolley. Mr.. Tolley
then drew his pistol and ordered
the negro to lay down his ak,
but instead of laying the AK
down he dealt Mr.. FOLEY a blow
with it and felled him to the
ground. The negro then struck
Capt. Tolley several blows with
the sharp edge of the AK, one
of which came very near sever
ing his left leg from his body
A neighbor passing by heard
the noise and went overto where
the negro was and ordered him
to lay his ak down. The ne
gro replied that if he did so Mr..
Tolley would kill him, and then
drew the ak on the young man
and run him off. The negro
then fled to the woods, carrying
his ak with him, and up to this
writing, has not been heard Of
since.
Mr.. Tolley was soon after
wards picked up by his neigh
bars and carried to his residence
when medical assistance was
Immediately dispatched for.
On examination four CHASTITY
wounds were found Oh Capt.
Tolley's booy, either of which
seemed sufficient to deprive him
of his life. A gasl:;, some six or
eight inches long, was cut along
side of the back bone, chipping
off part Of the bone and sever
ing one Of his ribs. Another
in the left arm, splitting the
muscle near the shoulder wide
open, and another on the right
shoulder blade that you can lay
your hand in. The wound on
his leg is horrible, and if TOlley
is permitted to live, this of it.
self will necessarily render him
a cripple for life. At this writ
ing Mr.. Tolley is resting quite
easy and is doing as we'll as one
could possibly expect under the
above circumstances. Mr.: Toll
ley and family have the sympa-
thy of the entire people in his
sad affiiction, and tits earnestly
hoped that the negro will be
caught and brought to justice.
ikG Mr.. Tolley, we are in
formed, is better, with hopes Of
a final recovery. The negro
was captured about 2 o'clock
Thursday morning, in shuck
pen, in the neighborhood of Elk
river, was taken to Mulberry
village, had a hearing before a
Magistrates Court, and was COM
mitted to Jail about 8 o'clock
the same night to await his trial
at Circuit Court.
I'll H. 80 - No. vo,1r