Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-04-16
THE MYSTERIOUS PRISONER.

Inancsr aud n Receiver OF Dotee-
tivess
The LEDGER Of Monday and Tuesday
gave the irst information 10 the public
that man named Lewis Vaughan was
imprisoned in Castle Athy on the charge
Of killing General Hindman on the 9th
OF September, 1868. This morning our
contemporaries, having heard Of the ai-
fair, published the sensational item. In
the Little Rock Republican some weeks
ago appeared the following;
There has been n rumor ahoat for the
past few days in respect 10 the proba-
bility Of ascertaining who was the muir
derer or murderers Of General Thos. &.
Hindman, who was assassinated at Hell
ena on the 9th Of September, 1868, and
we are glad 10 know that his widow is
now satisfied that lis political enemies
had nothing TO do with IL.
From information received by her
through anonymous letters, Of the au-
thenticity Of which she is said 10 be sat
isied, il was not his political enemies
who did the killing. and il was caused
by an AMOUR Of his with a lady either in
Georgia or in Helena. Mrs. H., on last
Monday, came 10 Memphis TO consult
with her friend Judge Underwood, Of
Helena, who has known her since in
fancy. The lady had in her possession
two letters. one dated the 18th Of March
and the other the 18th, stating that II
she would come to the Appeal office in
company with Judge Underwood, the
writer would reveal facts that would
lead to the conviction Of the guilty par.
ties, all Of whom we're well known and
had been on terms of intimacy with
Hindman. OF the result Of her visit 10
Memphis we are not advised.
The enterprising detective, Harry
Cranmer, and Chief Athy went to work
to hunt up the anonymous scribbler, and
they succeeded in capturing him last
Sunday morning in North Memphis,
where he has been at work for months
in lumber mill. Several odd looking
notices appeared from time to time in
the Appeal, and policemen we're sta
toned in and around the building to
capture the unknown; but Vaughan
walked leisurely about the city and at
tended to his work in North Memphis,
and did not make the slightest effort to
escape. Vaughan was locked up in Cas-
tie Athy last Sunday, and the most en-
terprising reporter could not get permits
sion even to see the cell wherein he was
Gagged. Yesterday afternoon he was
brought before Judge Halsey, but nei.
Their the State nor the defense being
ready to go into the investigation, the
examination was continued over to next
Saturday. Vaughan has been engaged
in the sensational letter writing business
before, and his friends say that his
weakness is to get up startling stories on
real and imaginary subjects by way of
practical jokes. Ills highest ambition is
to be detective and engage in the mys-
terious and exciting hunt after criminals.
Vaughan, after getting up the Hindman
murder sensation, now denies knowing
anything about it, aud claims that he
did not 90 to Helena until two years
after the killing of Hindman. 1t is
claimed that he can easily prove an
abb; in fact, that he was at or near
GAINESVILLE, Tennessee, at the time OF
the murder He now concocts tale to
the effect that not long since two men,
Clem Denning and Frank Burdett, met
him in this city and got him to write the
anonymous letters to Mrs. Hindman.
Vaughan continues to tell different
tales, all of them being of the highly
sensational order. He is fluent talker,
and weaves romantic and bloody stories
with all the facility of a novelist.
Vaughan has also been writing anony-
nous letters to Chief Athy with refer
ence to Angelo Marie and the police
safe robbery" and, indeed, has fooled
the police authorities several times,
such as getting them to go with him in
search of mysterious persons and things
The relatives Of the prisoner claim that
he is a monomaniac on the subject OF
getting up mysteries and fooling the po-
lice, and has been indulging in the
amusement for several years. They
also claim that there will be no difficulty
in proving that at the time Of the killing
of Hindman Vaughan was in Clarks-
vile at work in a saw mill. 1t may be
that the whole affair will turn out to be
d Munchausen story, tremendous
hoax. The police have been working up
the case for over month, and have
kept reticent on the subject, fearing
that the enterprising LEDGER reporter
would seize and strangle the item before
the slow process of incubation brought
forth fruits. One thing is certain:
Vaughan has either a genius for murder
or lying, and at present the probabilities
are that it is the latter.