Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-08-01
rHE BAYOU TRAGEDY.
Further and Correct De ais of the
Feud, Murder and Criminals
Death-AnxfOus to XIII
Her Son.

Il CORRESPONDENT furnishes the follow.
ing account Of the tragedy Published in
Saturdays Appeal:
Ga Thursday morning last at daylight
Michel Reis, who murdered Mr.. Law
renee Specht at FIenchman's Bayou in
February last, was killed at his place
there by Mr.. Marshal Specht, son of
the man killed. Constable John Rat
tan procured a warrant for his srrest,
after finding out where he was, and with
the assistance OF four other men sur
rounded the house before daylight. Just
before spn-up r -is came cut and
walked towards the fence, when one nf
the posse ordered him to surrender. be
replied, "Oh, not" and moved back
toward the hoGse. Marshal Specht
then came up and ordered him
to surrender, but he made no RnsN er,
and retreat6i toward the cor er of the
housa, calling to his wife, 'POl!y." He
was Ia the act Of reaching bshind some
plank at the corner Of the house when
Marshal Specht raised his gun and fired.
The weapon used was an Enfisld rife,
containing nine navy balls, and had
been loaded for fourteen months. The
most of the load entered his right side,
iust below the fourth rib, c. using death
in q few minutes. The killing of the
outlaw soon became known and crowd
gathered there, some having to come
many miles. Squire Ben Ward soon
afteIw ard arrived, and jury being inn
panellGd, an inquest and trial were held
at the same time, the jury returning the
verdict that "the deceased, Mi hazel
Rsis, came to his death by a gun in the
hanCs of John Marshal Specht, and done
in sslf Defense" Marshal Specht gave
himself up to the Squire as soon as he
arrived, and was released from custody
as soon az tie verdict was rendered
The court was held In a shed on
the banks OF the bayou.
The cause of all this trouble mos, that
Mrs. Lawrence Specht ran away about
eight years ago with Michel Reis, then
a band enploye1 on the fstD, after
which old man SDecht got divorce, and
Rsis married Mis-. Specht. They then
returned to Specht's place, and lived in
one half of the house while old man
Specht occupied the other, but the old
woman qusrrelei with her former hus-
band, Lawrence Specht, Refs and bis
wife left the hntise. and lived further
down the road On the fourth OF Feb
ruaFy last Refs was at Mr.. Barney's
house, which wss at point half way
bstween the two hc uses of the parties.
Refs sent rSpecht 10 come to the house
to sign a deed to some property that he
(Reis) had boGg ht Of Su Ivan, who was
agent for some minor heirs. Rsis told
Specht that if he did not sign it he would
kill him. Specht, in q laughing manner,
told him that the present was as good
chance as he would ever get. Then
Refs fired his gun, one shot from which
went into Specht's hand, from which he
suffered severely for ten days, when
lockjsw set in and soon caused bis death.
At the time of Specht's death, John N.
Specht, his eldest SOD, was out in Texas,
where he had lived six or seven years,
but came home and went to
hunting for the murderer of his father.
A reward of three hundred dollars had
been offered by the governor of the State
for the arrest OF Reis. He had been in
Memphis since the murder, and Chief
very hard character and people were
afraid Of him, es both he and his wife
would shoot in minute. Mrs. Speeht
Reis is a desperate woman and VOWS that
she would have no hesitation in killing
her son W shot r is. She is q good
marksman and q successful hunsress,
game invariably falling beneath her I'M
erriDg aim. When Refs shot old man
Specbt in the hand, from which mort.
fiCation epsued, she exclaimed: 81
knowed you wouldn't kill him; why
didn't you let me shot him?" She was
then armed with gun and would have
willingly murdered her former husband.