Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-08-13
s unewaH JacksOn's Widow.

+ FEuD. - s sHyws ME- !
I 1ur Memphis Tanir sAvalah of
July soth gives history Of ~ aae Bottoms
legacy of $4,000 toSthe widowsef Stone
| wall ,ackson, as WeIf5as the. Bolton Dick
ems feud, one of the darkest passages of
crime in the Southwest:
T. During the month of February, 1872,
against the positive Instructions OF his at
| tOrneys, MI. E. M. AppertOn OF tins city,
| as executor of Wade II. Bolton, paid over
| to Mrs. n. j. Jackson the sum OF $4,000.
| half the sum bequeathed to. her husband,
General Stonewall Jackson, who fell III
action at charlottesville. Va, in 1864,
while commanding corp OF Confederate
| troops. g.
| At an interview on the subject with Mr..
| Apperson Yesterday he stated that the
heirs of the Bolton estate have been i'll liti-
CATION for some time past concerning the
distribution of the property. and while
| this legal contest remains undecided tn
ATTORNEYS deem it unwise for him to pay
any beGuests not ordered by the courts.
| Contrary to this advice, however, and
solely because Mrs. Jackson has stated that
| she sadly needed the money, the executor
i has paid her half the bequest. us above
noted. He has paid the several heirs COLI
| siderable sums on account Of their pro-
spective inheritanceS.
VALUE OF BOTTOMS ESTATE.
The value of the personal property be
| longing to the Wade Bolton estate is eSti-
mated at 100000. A claim was set up in
the courts some years ago by Wash Bolton
and Tom Dickens, his former business
partners, against Ike and Wade Bolton ior
all the estate is worth. Should the courts
| decide in favor of the claimants there will
be little or nothing remaining after satisfy
ing the judgment.
At the time Wade Bolton made the be-
quest of $40 900 to Mrs. Jackson he WAS
1 hourly expecting to lose his lite by violence.
| Having expressed a desire to do something
to enable his name to live i'll the memory
of Il future generation unconnected with
evil deeds, Mr.. Apperson himself suggested
IL donation to Mrs. jackson OF 5000.
Bolton liked the idea, but reduced the be-
| quest to S10.U0O.
| After his death, which happened few
months subsequent to the time Of making
the bequpst, Mr.. Appersou wrote and in-
formed Mrs, Jackson of the matter, telling
! her also U,iilt IL, SO N as che terms Of the
! law could be compile with the sum should
be made subject to her order.
AN OLD, BLOODY FEUD.
There is a history connected with the
gathering OF tiis lar re and valuable Bolton
estate which is full of thrilling events and!
violent deeds. The property was chiefly
accumulated by trading in slaves through
Il long series of years. The business firm
known as Bolton Il Dickens, lladther To-
cation in :: conspicuous building, situated
on a bluff in front OF the lower part OF the
city, near the once famous GayosO House
! Tourists on passing steamers then the
only means of travelling) invariably had
| their attention called to the large printed
letters which adorned the river side wall
of their structure, and which read Bolton
Il Dickens, slave dealers" The sign and
the firm both figure in Mrs. Beecher Stoves
story of ''Uncle Tom," and many letter
writer's Of the day referred and often COM
mented severely upon it, and Bolton Il
Dickens had m re than national repnta-
tiOn They had branch houses ut New
4 Orleans and elsewhere, and their agents
Penetrated every section OF the country
south of the Mason and DiXon's line i'll
search of black people to supply the de-
1 ni4ntlS of their customers VINO embraced
planters throughout the entire Southwest.
Many persons and large Sums oil money
were employed to aid them in their traffic.
s. THE INITIAL TRAGEDY.
I Over twenty years ago IL colored lad WAS
4 purchased somewhere Ill Kentucky, ut Il
buublic sale, who had been manumitted by
L
free after he arrived at Il certain age. The
conditions of the sale were named. and
4 Bolton Il Dickens agent, one Mcmillan
! became tie purchaser. He WAS conveyed
to their mart in this city, aud the firm siib-
seuuently sold the boy for the sum of ST.
4 500 to Thomas B. Crensllw, near Morning
Sun in this county. The boy was consld-
! cred valuable and brought II big price for
4 those times, but he was sold as Il slave for
| hnip cpiI Inu i,i SAI
freedom The colored boy informed his
new master of the actual situation. Cren-
{ shaw sent to Kentucky for Il copy of the
i will. employed counsel for The boy and the
courts dtcidedi against the slave traders.
They We're, for ed to return their ll-sotten
dollars to Cfeilsllaw, "nd also pay heavy
= costs for their misdemeanor. They had
/ expected Mcmillan tn leStify in their ia
yor. He failed to do so and stuck to TIE
truth throughout. ..,-si
N The dealers managed to obtain a new
trial, and having BEEN. deceived into the
belief that Mcmillan would swear as they
wished to prevent his temperance, Isaac
. r.. Bolton murdered him in his own honsr.
a This was on the ID day of June, 1857. The
slttrocity Of tire crime was widely COM
mentedlUn throughout the entire 'untry,
. here to welcome him. The verandas of the
and it created much excitement every
t.
Il ing, Sharp inaitevuvring Aid either tricks
| to have tile vbnue Changed TO Upton
county. Tennessee. i,g4sa
a In the mean time bis friends Mere active.
81 They managed + lave u Sheriff and other
NJ officers elected to suit their purpose. A
Jury was obtained for tile case, and after
the expenditure of more than 100000 i'll
money, Bolton saved his neck and went
clear 1t is !. remarkable fact that in less
| 4 -, of
iArors had died violent deaths. and the other
also died i'll an unnatural Way some years
after .Je.t g.. f.4..t :,
be-; !BLOODSuED FOLLOWS BLOODSHED.
IA quarrel ensued between the members
of the Slave dealing firm, which had been
dissolved by limitation, within few days
\ OF the murderGus deed, las to who should
pay the enormous expenses OF the trial.
One party eontended that the firm should
he charged with the amount. and the other
that Bolton himself ought to foot the bin
alone. The quarreiyre seriously to
4 the conJending, parties. Ike Bolton, who
4 did the killing, died a natural death some
Years ago. One after another the rest were
killed i'm alterc ttions with each other. FL
1 Ilally Tom Dickens killed Wade Bolton. as
4 before mentioned, by shooting, him down
in front Of Court Square Some months
after Dickens was iSsasnated while riding
along the public road. "a dozen miles OF so
from this city. and near his lsome.f A few
s! months after that Tom Dickens, his son,
while Trying to gather testimony to, prose
cute the supposed ifllifdereis of his father,
let his loaded gun dropcarelessly sthe cor
cussion caused it to go off and send the
contents through his bosom, causing his
death. .,.'-
! This was the last death by violence.
Since then several prominent members of
I the family have died in the usual way, and
/ the survivors are in litigation as to how
| the estates shall be divided. ImmenseisHms
| have been expended in feeling ATTORNEYS in