Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-08-18


ing just % minutes, the body was taxi
EN- down and placed In the coffin, the
limbs composed and cap removed.
The features were not distorted in
the least and only slight discolora>
ton perceptible about the neck from
the action of the rope. The coffin was
neat affair, lined with white, and
was with the remains enclosed, turned
over to the friends who took them
to Anderson county ON the o'clock
train for intermrnt.
And so was the law vindicated (?)
and vengeance taken tor the murder
of Richard Reyuolds-and the end is
not yot
INCIDENTS.
Quite an excitement was raised at
Que point in the proceedings 10y the
inauguration Of fist fight, outside the
ropes. The guard brought their shot
guns toa preseut-some of them cocF-
ed ready tor destruction womeI
screamed, men shouted, boys howle
and whistled, and things looked omir
Gus for "A riot. 1t was soon queleI
however, and the hanging proceeded
A short time after the gallows sect,
was over, and the multitude had dii
persed, man came in great hum
to the Office of one of our leading ply
siciaus, and requested his services i'm
mediately for his daughter, who had
been eHciepte, and under the excite
menj and fatigue Of the day an abor-
tiun had resulted. He lived several
miles away from the city, and he, with
his daughter and other members of the
family, had, Notwithstanding her con-
dition, come 10 see the hanging. This
was one of the sickening features of the
day, from which humanity naturally
revolts.
wEBB's WRITTEN STATEMENT.
The following is the statement
written by Webb and placed in the
hands of George Washington, Esq,
as above referred to:
"The first beginning of the case
for which now / am under sentence of
death was on the first Monday in
March, 1874. receive a letter from
Foster Brown and Joseph Ayers which
informed me that something was on
the board. | knew Brown very well,
and he wanted me to meet him and
Ayers at the head of Poplar creek on
the Sd of March, 1874, as they had
some particular bisiness. l went to
the place to see what was on hand,
and about 10 or - o'clock that night
they came to the gate and hallowed.
| told them to come in, when Brown
came in and said lie had q friend with
him that had come q long ways to see
me. / asked him who he was, but he
did not say for some time; at last he
asked me if l had got q letter from
him and somebody else. l told him
that had, when he said that is the
man who is with me. lie then said it
was Joseph Ayers. l went out to
where Ayers was, and Brown gave me
an introduction to him, and Ayers
said said that he had come a long
ways to see me, and that Brown had
told him all about me. Then he told
me his business. He said he was
getting up a crowd of X. X. KS. to
go and whip an old rebel and make
him leave the country, and that he
would give me q good horse, saddle
and bride if l would 90 with him and
help him give him thirty-nine lashes.
| told him that l would 90 up, and
asked him when we would go. He
said for me to the same place the next
night, and he would have a man there
that would show me the way to where
the crowd would meet. He said that
he would be there with large crowd,
when / asked him where was the horse
that he was going to give me, and he
says | will give you this blue horse
which l am riding, and he lighted q
match and showed me the horse. On
the next night | went to the same
place, and a man came up and called
my name and shook hands with me.
/ told him that | did not know him.
He told me his name, and then pulled
letter out of his pocket and said this
will make you no me. The letter was
from Joseph Ayers, telling me to come
with Dave Duncan, and he would show
me the way to the meeting ground,
where he would be, and would tell me
all the natures and particulars. On
the morning OF the 9th me and Dun.
can started and went on to the upper
end of Clinton, and he said that he
had some particular business to see
to, and for me to meet him at the
bridge in two hours. l went down in
Clinton to John Martins and got my
dinner and then went down into town
to the grocery and got some whiskey,
then l went up to the bridge and Dun
can was there, and we went on to Bull
Pun, and about one mile from there
we came to the crowd on top of the
Sebon point, this side of Bull Run
creek. There was Joseph Ayers and
Lum Ayers and Foster Brown and one
more man. We all set down on a log
and l asked them if that was all of
their crowd, and they said it was all
that they wanted. Ayers pulled out
roll of money and counted out three
piles and gave Duncan one pile and