Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-12-24
Their Arrival at NashEIIle-Fhe People
Satisfied Of Their Guilt-A Long
and Tedious PKelimI-
nary Trial.
Effects Of the Brutal Crime-EneFgy
and PraIseWOrtby Zeal OF the ON
GERS and LSWJers-The
Criminals and Their
Statement.

Geo. Myers and 3. S. Pnrdom, arrsste,
on the charge Of having murdered J. n
Rour, Of the Swiss colony, near Alta
mont, in Grundy county, on the nigh
OF November 30th, were brought 10 thu
city and lodged in jail yesterday bJ
! sheriff Levan AMI Jailer Jones, of tha
! county. The prisoners had a prslimi
nary examination at Tracy City, ant
failing to give the required bond, wer'
committed for trial before the Grundy
county circuit court, which meets OF
the third Monday in next month,
THE TRIAL.
The counsel for the prison ners-ColO
Cliff, of M'Minnville, and one of the
ahlest lawyers of that 5ar-tried very
hard to find some evidence which wOulC
/ throw suspicion upon 3 Swiss by the
name Of HoulzhOwer, but his first wit
ness, q young lady, proved an dts6t. Sh'
sWqre that HoulZhower lived at hel
fathers, and that he was there and Hlepi
there that Monday night. The eoro'
| ner's Jury continued their investigation
/ for several days, and closed by verdlc
! that they had good reason TO believe ths
above named men were guilty OF the
murder. The suspected parties wert
! therefore arrested upon warrant issued
| upon the eOTOneI's verdict, and tried be
1 fore w. Il. Chappeil and James Bailey
/ two of the justices OF Grundy county
who, after listening for over eight day!
/ to the examination of witnesses and the
argument of counsel, returned verdlc
/ that the prisoners be held to appear al
/ the next term of the circuit court o.
/ Gruudy county, and ordering that they
! be returned to the custody of the iailel
I all that time. II was long and tedious
1 trial. No efforts were spared by the
people of Grundy county to ferret oui
/ the guilty parties. These men were sus.
pected, strong reasons pointing toward
| them; they have been allowed fair and
/ impartial hearing, ana being unable tC
| produce any evidence which could re-
move the suspicion resting upon them
sre now held for trial.
EFFECTS OF THE MURDER.
This murder could not have happened
| in a place where its effects would be si
ruinOus to the prosperity OF Tennessee
as at Grutlie. Here is peaceable, quiei
colony of thrifty, hsrdworking Swiss
doing more for the development Of Oul
mountain lands than all the rest Of Oul
/ mountain farmers. B0ur Was one o.
/ their magistrates, their postmaster, store
/ keeper, and really-with one Ortwo 9th
| ers, perhaps-tbe leading spirit Of this
1 important enterprise. That such man
should be assassinated is terrible blow
1 to these people. 1t would take but one
I or two mere such tragedies to prevent
any further immigration, and would
undoubtedly, drive away many already
| there.
CONVICTIONS OF THE AUTHORITIES.
The sheriff, feeling that it would bG
unsafe to keep these four desperate men
in the stockade at Tracy City, where, by
! firing the premises, they might turn
! loose upon the community one hundred
ard fifty convicts, ard destroy thou
sands Of dollars worth of property; and
! having heard that there had beer
/ threats made that the men would bt
| rescued, made affidavit to the effect thai
! he did not consider them safe there. a
mittimus was accordingly issued direct
| ing him to bring them to the jail of Da'
wilson county. The Grundy county au
thorities think they have got hold o
/ the men who committed this awfu
murder, and are greatly incensed. 1t II
well that the law was permitted to takt
/ its course, and that the suspected par.
! ties were not hanged by the Swiss before
/ they got away from the colony. We DC
not wish TO be understood, however, af
stating that any threats Of violence
have been made, or any disposition was
manifested by the people to interfere
/ with the Just and full execution of the
law, but they wanted these men put
where no harm could befall them, and
where they could not do any further
DEVILS work, there to be kept until 8
jury and judge can hear their case.
PRAISE AND ENERGY.
Too much praise cannot be given w
| &. Colyar, Esq, for the able anC
thorough manner in which be has
"Worked up' this case. He has beer
untiring IN his efforts during the whole
! prosecution. and many an elder and
/ more experienced lawyer might well
/ congratulate himself in having in SC
short time brought to the light 81
much which was hidden in darkness
and mystery. The general opiniOn il
| GruLdy county is that the governor
could not have appointed a more earnest
or able prosecutor, and that if these men
are the guilty parties, the able counsel
for the State viii find it out between
now and the next meeting of the circuit
court. The officers Of the Tennessee
coal and railroad company hsve taken
a lively interest in the case, and express
themselves as determined to spare
neither pains nor means TO bring the ac-
cused to Justice if they should be proven
guilty, so far, at least, as they can as
sist the officers Of the law, ss private
citizens.
THE PRISONERS.
w. h. Hampton is an attorney, is
married, and has a wife and three chill
rem. He was born and reared in Grundy
county, and is thirty-twO years Of age.
His manner is easy, and he uses good
language.
d. w. Purdom, the elder OF the two
brothers Of that name, is twenty-five
years of age. He is unmarried, and was
born in Hamilton county, though fol-
the past fifteen years he has resided in
Grundy. He has been guarding con.
victs, and was 50 engaged when arrested
at Tracy City.
George Myers is a farmer, thlrty-twC
years Of age. He is married, and has q
wife and six children. He was born and
reared in GrUndy county.
B. S, Purdom is the youngest of the
party, being only nineteen years old
He presents quite DOyish appearance
with a perfectly smooth face, light hail
and blue eyes. He has lived all his life
on farm in Grundy county.
All of the party were dressed plainly
but coplfortebly, and presented what
may be termed respectable appearance
CONTRADICTORY.
They assert that the prosecution is
malicious, and that they will have nc
difficulty in proving an diibi. We have
been shown drawing Of the roads in
| the vicinity OF the murder, showing that
| the statement OF the EurdOhas andhamp.
ton are very conflicting. For instance,
Hampton and Myers were coming to-
ward Tracy, in the Parker road, about
| three O'Clock in the evening, when be
! told parties he was hunting hogs, and
had told his wife be wa going to Geo.
| Nfyers's 70 stay that night; whereas, the
| drawing indicates that Myersis is to ths
| left of Altamont, and that they were
going sway nom there, instead Of to-
ward the place. Web. EuFdOnl stated
that she and his brother left Myers's to.
getber about one hour before day, came
/ across Rocky creek, and crossed Bic
I creek Just absEe the bridge, and struck
the Aitanlcnt and Tracy read Just whore
the Chattanooga fokd turns CT; got tC
LOckhaft's, q distance OF eigot miles, by
goo, daylight, and reached Tracy
about eight or niHc IN IN me @9Eg'
ing; that they. came from Myers't
through the Goods, and struck the
Parker road; came that road Q piece
left It, came about q mile through the