The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-10-30
HiGH LIFE AMONG THHE RI.
PUBLHCANS EAST
TENNESSEE
HE Belle of Powell valley and
the MulatIO cksmiIh.
A TRUE TALE OF MIsCEGENATIoN. BEAs
TiLEss, CRIME AND RIGHTEOUS
RETRIBUTION.

TRUE TALE OF MIsCEGENATIoN, BEAs
TiLEss, CRIME AND RIGHTEOUS
RETRIBUrIoN.
From the New York Herald
TAzEwELL, Claiborne county. Tenn.
! October 6, l87S.-This little town. stu
ated in the wild mountains Of Tennessee
near the Kentucky line, and two mile,
from Cumberland Gap, has for a month
been considerably excited over the dra.
matte termination of a somewhat dis
/ graceful scandal. The alleged facts. in
a nut shell, are simply these. and | give
them as they are commonly related
Mrs. Emma Rogers, the wife of Jesse G..
/ Rogers, the Clerk and Master of the
! Chancery Court of Claiborne county,
was detected by her husband in dshon
/ orable intimacy with one Edward Jack
son. a mulatto of this town. The
! husband attacked jackson, and shot at
| him. The negro fed to the mountain
! fastness and thence to Kentucky, where
he was intercepted, arrested, and after a
time, unlawfully turned over to Rogers
and party OF friends, who had pursued
him. This party then started back to
Tennessee with their prisoner. En- route,
1t Is alleged, the poor creature was tor
| tured In manner eminently worthy of
the most atrocious feats of the Inquisi-
ton. When within a mile of the
Tennessee line, at point in Whitley
county, Tenn, he was hanged to sapling
and his body and face riddled with
bullets. The alleged perpetrators of this
terrible deed, viz: Jesse G. Rogers, the
husband James Caywood the father of
the false wife; William Ii. Caywood, a
brother Of James, and John Rogers, a
cousin and a brother in-Iaw of Jesse's,
are still at large, and from present indi-
cations are quite likely to remain so.
After fatiguing journey in the
toughest part of the Cumberland noun
tains, from Morristown, Tenn, the near
est accessible point by rail to Tazewell,
the Herald man arrived here, and found
that the alleged torture and murder of
Edward jackson occurred mouth ago.
JESSE c. ROGERS.
The principal actor in this alleged
drama is Jesse G. Rogers, man of about
thirty-six or thirty seven years of age
He is somewhat portly and handsome.
He was born and reared in this country,
in a section known as Powell Valley.
His father is still living, All estimable
old gentleman, VINO, though never very
wealthy, has always been a well to do
farmer and stock-raiser. Soon after the
war Jesse Rogers went into politics. He
was the leader and the brains of the
Republican party OF this county, and he
and the Caywoods, aided by others,
formed some ten years ago strong pollt-
lcal ring for the purpose of controlling
this county and reaping all the benefits to
be obtained thereby. This ring has ever
since its formation, carried Claiborne
county in its pocket. Rogers was the
originator of this ring, and has always
controlled and Unanswered it to suit
himself. He was elected soon after re
construction as tax collector of the county,
and held the office about four years-as
of Deputy County Clerk for a year or
more, and was then appointed Clerk and
Master of the Chancery Court by Judge
Henry C. Smith, of that branch of the
justice department. This office he still
nominally holds, but will be removed by
Judge Smith at the next term Of his
worth dollar when he entered the polit-
zeal arena, but since then he had accu-
mulated considerable means, and lived
high and extravagantly. In 1868 Rogers
married Emma Caywood, daughter of
James Caywood, of Powell Valley, and
soon thereafter made Tazewell his perma
nent home, he having previous to this
time resided about ten miles from here
Rogers undoubtedly loved his wife, but
his domestic relations were not of the
happiest kind, owing to his dissolute
habits.
EMMA CAYWOOD.
This young lady, the daughter of a
well-to do valley farmer and stock raiser,
was vivacious, active and buxom young
lady. Being pretty, intelligent, moder-
ateiy accomplished and rich-in antici-
patton of pas will, to be forthcoming
some day-she was the belle of Powell
Valley, and was constantly surrounded
by bevy of admiring young mountain
GERS, but not breath of suspicion was
ever uttered against her. She had sew
eral offers of marriage, and finally gave
her hand to Jesse c.. Rogers, who was at
that time just beginning to fatten on the
perquisites of his office.
EDWARD JACKSON.
The victim of the alleged violence is
Edward jackson, a mulatto, who was
what is termed in the South can old
issue free negro, that is, one who was
never a slave. He was blacksmith, and
was regarded as an excellent mechanic
He had a shop here in Tazewell, and
until he allowed politics and female at
fractions to allure him from his business,
enjoyed the confidence and custom of
nearly all who had work in his lire to be
done. jackson was about thirty five
years of age, and had a wife and six
children. He was a large, fine looking
man, well -proportioned, muscular. He
took very prominent part in politics,
though he never occupied any position
other than a delegate to Republican Con
ventions. He was a professional wire
puller, his influence over the colored
population of the county being supreme.
He was the constant wire worker for the
ring of which Rogers was head and mas
ter. For this kind of work he was we'll
paid, and Rogers purse was ever at his
command. There was also a certain
intimacy existing between Rogers and
jackson, the latter finding welcome at
the formers house, and he has often
principally during a canvass been seen
taking meals at Rogers house, sitting
down at the same table with Rogers and
his family. Jackson had had some edu-
cation, could write tolerably well and
was not poor stump speaker; he was
endowed with a strong vein of hard
common sense. The prominent position
he held with his party and in Rogers
ring and the distinguished attention Law
ishoA nI,on him hu tn marty m acrers In