Wilmington journal., 1875-08-13
sTONEWAI.L JACKSON,S WIDOW.
Wade Rnltcn's Legacy of Ten
Thousand DOliars History OF a
RlOOdy Feud.

The Memphis (Tenu } 4ua,ancht
gives history of Wade Bottoms lega.
cy of $40. 600 to the widow of Stone
wall Jackson, as well as Of the Bolton
Dickens feud, one of the darkest pas.
sages of crime in the southwest.
During the month of February,
1872. against the positive instructions
of his attorneys, Mr.. E. M. Apperson,
Of this city, as executor of Wade II,
Bolton, paid over to Mrs. L. J. Jack
son the sum of SIS, 900, half the sum
bequeathed to her husband, Stonewall
Jackson, who fell in action at Chan
cellorsville, Va, in 1864, while COM
manding corps of Confederate troops
At an interview on the subject with
Mr.. Apperson yesterday he stated that
the heirs of the Bolton estate have
been in litigation for some time past
concerning the distribution of the
property, and while this legal contest
remains undecided the attorneys deem
1t unwise for him to pay any bequests
not ordered by the courts. Contrary
to this advice. however, and solely be-
cause Mrs. Jackson has stated that she
sadly needed the money, the executor
has paid her half of the bequest, as
above noted. He has also paid the
several heirs considerable sums on &C
count of their prospective inheritance.
VALUE OF BOTTOMS ESTATE.
The value of the personal property
to the Wade Bolton estate is
estimated at $5OO,OOO. A claim was
set up in the courts some years ago by
Wash Bolton and Iom Dickens, his
former business partners, against Ike
and Wade Bolton for ali their estate is
worth. Should the courts decide in
favor of the claimants there will be
little or nothing remaining after salts
flying the Judgment.
At the time Wade Bolton made the
bequest of $4,000 to Mrs. Jackson he
was i'll hourly expectation Of losing his
life by violence. Having expressed
desire to do something to enable his
name to live in the memory OF future
generations unconnected with evil
deeds, Mr.. Apperson himself sugges-
ted donation to Mrs. Jackson of
$25, 900. Bolton liked the idea, but re-
duced the beqnest to $4,000.
After his death, which happened a
few months subsequent to the time of
making the bequest, Mr.. Apperson
wrote and informed Mrs. Jackson of
the matter, telling her also that rs
soon as the terms of the law were
complied with the sum should be made
subject to her order.
AN OLD, BLOODY FEUD.
There is history connected with
the gathering of this large and valuable
Bolton estate which is full of thrilling
svents and violent deeds. The prop
erty was chiefly accumulated by trading
in slaves through long series of
years. The business firm, known as
Bolton & Dickens, had their location
in conspicuous building, situated on
the bluff in front of the lower part of
the city, near the once famous Gayoso
House. Tourists on passing steamers
(then the only method of travcllng)
lad their attention called to
the river side wall of their structure,
slave dealers" The sign and the firm
both figure in Mrs. Beecher Stoves
story of ''Unckle Tom," and many let
ter writer's of the day referred and Of
ten commented severely upon it, and
Bolton & Dickens had more than a ma
tional reputation. They had branch
houses at New Orleans and elsewhere,
and their agents penetrated every sec
ton of the country south of Mason
and Dixon's line in search of black
people customers, who embraced plan
ters throughout the entire southwest.
Many persons and large sums of money
were employed to aid them in their
traffic.
THE INITIAL TRAGEDY.
Over twenty years ago colored lad
was purchased somewhere in Kentucky,
at public sale, who had been manu-
mitted by a will of his master, and who
was to be set free after he arrived at
certain age. The conditions of the
sale were named, and Bolton & Dick
ems agent, one Mcmillan, became the
was conveyed to their
mart in this city, and the firm subse
quently sold the boy for the sum OF
81 800 to Thomas B. Crenshaw, near
Morning Sun, in this county. The
boy was considered valuable and
brought big price for those times,
but he was sold as slave for life,
nothing being said about his promised
freedom. The colored boy informed
his new master of the actual situation.
Crenshaw sent to Kentucky for a copy
of the will, employed counsel for the
boy, and the courts decided against
the slave traders. They were forced
to return their i'll gotten dollars to
Crenshaw, and also pay heavy costs
for their misdemeanor. They had
Mcmillan to testify in their
favor. He failed to do 80 and stuck to
the truth throughout.
The dealers managed to obtain new
trial, and having been deceived in
the belief that Mcmillan would swear
as they wished, to prevent his reap
pearance, Isaac L. Bolton murdered
him in his own house. This was on
the I'd day of June, 1857. The atroci-
ty of the crime was widely commented
on throughout the entire country, and
it created much excitement every
where. Bolton managed by hard swear
ing, sharp ma@uvring and other
tricks to have the venue changed to
Upton county, Tennessee.
In the meantime his friends were &C
tive. They managed to have a sheriff
ana OGQ6r Officers 6leCbeQ 10 stlII CueI
purpose. A jury was obtained for the
case, and after the expenditure of more
than 800, 900 in money, Bolton saved
his neck and went clear. It is a re-
markable fact that in less than four
years afterward eleven of these same
Jurors had died violent deaths. and the
other also died in an unnatural way
some years after.
BLoODsHED FOLLOWS BLOODSHED.
A quarrel ensued between the mem
bers of the slave dealing firm, which
had been dissolved by limitation, with
in few days of the murderous deed,
as to who should pay the enormous
expenses of the trial. One party con-
tended that the firm should be
cherged with the amount, and the
other that Bolton himself ought to
foot the bill alone. The quarrel re-
suited seriously to the contending
parties Ike Bolton, who did the
killing, died natural Geath some years
ago. One after another the rest were
killed in altercatlons with each other.
Finally Tom Dickens killed Wade Boil
l. nv