Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-07-11
THE DUNN ASSASSINATION.
A Concise and Careful Narrative OfFacts
The Confession Of "Red," the
Brutal Murderer OF Dunn.
The Part the GiIlenWaters Brothers
Played ia the Awful Drama
Murder TO Cover Up
Robbery.


TO the assassination Of Robert I. Dunn,
gt this nlace, about eleven months ago?
The time has arrived when the tale OF
that horrible deed may be told, without
injury to any innocent person. The
matter has undergone judicial investiga-
ton, and the immediate perpeustor of
the crime has been tried by jury OF his
peers, convicted, ard condemned to toll
aud laDguish for thirteen years within
the gloomy walls OF a northern prison.
All the accessories, except enc, have ned
the country, and he was allowed the
privilege Of appearing as witness
AGAINST the others. About all is now
known upon the subject that is ever
likely to be, and as all that has been
hitherto published respecting il is full Of
error, nos 10 say Misrepresentation, it is
high time that the truth should be told.
One morning in March, 1873, John +.
GHlenwaters, then sheriff OF this, Al
corn, county, and proprietor Of the
C0riuth hotel, reported that, during the
preceding night, the sum Of seven or
eight thousand dollars was stolen
from him. The story he told
found credence in the minds OF vely
few persons. The money alleged to
have been stolen was the property Of
the state, and was the aggregate of col
lections be had inside as taX-oollectOr.
His statement WAS that be placed IL in
wardrobe in his wife's bedchamber, pre-
uaraLOTy 10 starting the next morning
Tor Jackson. to pay it over TO the audit
or, aud that the thief forced the lock of
his room door, and the door Of his ward
robe. took out the money and made his
escape without TOusing either him OF
4. AG q 81
safe in the Office, which had been in use
there for several years, and which, so
tsr As known, no attempt had ever been
made 70 force, il was thought very
strange that he did not lock up his mon
ev in this sa instead of putting it in
ms wife's wardrobe. And this senti-
-ueut was rendered much stronger by
the consideration that this safe was pro-
tected against thieves and burglars by
double 2uard-a night clerk within the
office aud night patrolman without.
Tnen, his predecessors had prac-
riced the plan Of transmitting their col
Gections to jackson by express. Why,
IL was asked, did he deviate from this so
1uanilastly prudent rule? Lastly, there
was z bank here where be could have
invested the whole sum in exchange on
Jackson without the loss OF a dollar,
and OF this fact he was aware. Why
did he not 90 so? About q week after
this alleged robbery, Henry Bryant, a
muiattJ porter in the employ OF Gillen-
waters at the COTinth hotel, was seized
at midnight by seven or eight disguised
men, al armed with revolvers, and
dragged to a thicket about quarter OF
a mile distant, and brutality beaten,
hoked and otherwise ill-used. They
sceu. ed him Of being the person who
stole C1illenwaters's money, and he was
beaten because he could not tell where
II was. While this outrage was being
perpetrsteG, intelligence Of it was con-
viewed to Mayor Mark, who instantly
rose from his bed, and repairing 10 the
office Of Mr. Dunn, deputy United States
marshal, and acqusintiDg him with what
was going on, the two proceeded TO con-
coct measures to capture, or at least dis /
cover, the offenders. They succeeded in
tracing three Of them TO their hiding
place, aud from out Of these they learn |
ed ali about the whole affair. Two days 1
G.. w. Wells, Esq. United /
States attorney, came to Corlnth, and /
caused ali the parties to be arrested and 1
bound over to the next (December) /
term OF the United States district court, I
Y Z {
So. The parties implicated and held TO |
bail were George Mitchell, George
Wells, Charles DObbins, Jacob NJ.
J. .. Gillenwaters and Joseph
brothers Of John z. Gill
Ienwaters, the sheriff and alleged loser
D. the money. He was not hei when
he outrage upon Bryant was commit
led. He went to Grand Junction the
lay before, and returned the day after
ward. and il was then, and is now, uni
yersally believed that this Glibi was
he result OF design. II was,
and still is the opinion Of every bOGy, or
1eariy everybody that Gillenwaters was
not Only his own robber, but that he
originated the idea Of charging the theft
mon Bryant, and instigated the lynch
NO OF him as a mere blind. And in the
sxnression Of this opinion Dunn was
,srtiruIarly open and bold, and frequent
~ declared that he was in possession Of
ividegce which would prove both facts
,avoud question. Well, about eight
l'slock in the morning Of the ninth Of
A ugust. the body Of Dunn was found
wing upon his bed, the lower half Of the
the ewes, the nose, and the
snuer Lips aud teeth sll blown into the
.bfoat and shoulders. 1t was plain that
/ deliberate, cruel, c0wardly, premedi-
.ated assassination had been com mitted,
and the universal question was who did
c? To solve this question, who did II?
m possible means were resoTted TO. A
jury was empanne ed which
remained 10 session Tor two weeks,
md experienced detectives were
5rought from Memphis 10 "wOrk
ID the case,n but all TO no purpose. Al
hough the really guilty parties we're
rom the very beginning strongly slls-
,acted, il is probable that they never
you'd have been known had it not been
3r something very like an accident.
There lived here at that time 3 young
nan bv the name Of Rives, but who was
generally known by the name OF Red" .
[ IS said that he came from Memphis,
nd was a fugitive from that city on ac-
cunt If a murder he had committed
here. In enumefaupg the names
Z the parties arrested and put
nder bonds for kukluxing Bryant
omitted 10 mention this man Rives.
Ie also was arrested, and gave bail in
he sum OF two thousand dollars, Mr..
William Coin and Mr.. Henry IsOm, Of
bis city, becoming his sureties. During ..
le Investigation Of the Dunn murder he
aH ltAlE lAAAEA Bl a Jun AEANetAfI
s a person who had fed from that city
bout a year ago, under the charge q
fniug q negro, and, at bis suggestion, !
e was arrested and placed in the Gus
ldy Of George Wells, the jailer here, !
nd one Of the parties charged with the
sryaut outrage From Wells he made
is escape, and from that time
util December led the life Of
NJ outlaw. In December the Federal
curt was 10 meet at Oxford, and Coin
nd Isom becoming uneasy about being
N his bond, succeeded In Inducing him
D come in aud 20 with them TO Oxford.
>t this time George Mitchell, another
in the Bryant affair, was
iso a. outlaw, having resisted and es-
aped from the United States marshal
N An attempt OF that officer TO arrest
inn. Learning that Rives had suFren-
ered himself 70 his bail aud gone with
bem 10 oxford, neutrality-suspicious.
4 Rivesis ffrmness and discretion, or
.aving become weary Of his Outeast,
kulking life, conirfved 70 send q mes
ave 10 the district attorney and the
asrshal, proposing 10 go to Oxford and
make q fn!I and truthful revelation OF
m the facts connected with the assassi-
.stion of Dnnu, on condition that ne
.imself should be guaranteed exemp-
ion from prosecution. His proposal
Il. f. a 1nHNa lfafFN NsaaI|