Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-25
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES.
The Hall Murder at COokeyille-Arri.
val OF Two Prisoners Charged with
ParficipafiOn In the BIOOdy Deed.

Our readers will remember that on tn
night of the 24th OF last august, party o
men in disguise entered the house of al
| old colored man by the name Of Dick Nc
kinney, living four miles east Of Chestnut
Mound, Smith county. The old man re
| sisted their entrance, but breaking dowT
the door, these blOOdthirsty wretches sho
their victim in three places, and beat hin
over the head with an AK, breaking hi:
skull and leaving him lying on the floor.
The suspicious Of the neighbors pointed
strongly towards certain parties as the per
petrators Of this shocking murder, and or
the morning of the goth, a man by the
name of Frank Hall gave himself up aid
turned States evidence against Alex. ORA
per, Tim Apple, Jas. Petty, Jr., Blooth
Calieut; James and John Bush, and Carell
Rsede, who, he said, in conjunction with
himself, had entered Old Dicks house in
disguise. The old man made some resist
ance, he said, shooting John Bush in the
arm, and cutting Tim Apple with the AK
with which. Mckinney was afterwards
killed.
James Bush and BloOth Calicut were ar
rested on the 26th, after the disclosures
made by Hall, and confined in Jail. The
other five were not found, but squads OF
men at once began a thorough search, with
determination to bring these murderers
to justice. About the first Of September,
the Jail at Cookeville, where Hall was con-
TINED, was broken open, and he was taken
out by large party Of masked men, escort
ed outside the corporation limits and shot
to death. Bush and Calicut being released
at the same time, have not been seen in
that vicinity since.
1t seems that the neil engaged in these
outrages were from Putnam, Smith and
Jackson counties, Callicut having, while
in the hands Of the officers, confessed that
the eight implicated by Hall in the murder
of Mckinley, belonged to an organized band,
and giving the names Of some forty Of its
members. At the recent session of the
grand jury in Smith county, indictments
were found against eight persons, on the
charge Of breaking open the Cookeyille Jail
and removing Hail. and last Thursday two
Of thess men, residents Of Jackson county
Z. E. II. Roberts and Thomas Mariner,
were arrested and confined in the jail Of
GainesDorO, in that county, but for fear Of
an assault upon the building and release of
the prisoners, they were brought to this city
yesterday, for safe keeping, by Sheriff Asa
johnson, of Jackson county.
In conversation with 4 UNION AND
AMERICAN reporter yesterday, Manner de-
clared his innocence, aud said that he
could prove that he was at home, twenty
miles from CoOkeville; the night Hall was
killed; that his wife had given birth to a
child the night after this occurrence, and
that he had been kept closely at home ever
since. Last Thursday, his wife being seri-
ously i'll, he had gone to Granville for
some articles ordered by the doctor, and
was on his return home, riding along the
highway, when he was arrested. He says
he offered to give bond for his appearance,
but was not allowed to do so, and that he
then begged TO be taken past his house, in
order that he might bid his family good
bye, and get q change Of clothing. He had
been engaged in making sorghum molasses,
and was roughly dressed.
Roberts told the reporter that he knew
nothing about the killing of Hall, except
what he had learned since its occurrence,
and that he was arrested Thursday even
ing while at work in his tobacco barn at
his home, twenty-six miles from Cooke
vile. Both the prisoners are young men,
and neither Of them appear 10 lie OF &
vicious or depraved character.