Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-02-06
THE HALTER AND THE BOWIE.
Thrilling Escape Of a Tennessesau
From the Clutches of Judge LynUh...
Muscle and Cold Steel
Triumphant.
Dispatoh to Cincinnati Fnuuiror.l

Special Dispatch to Cincinnati Enquirer.l
LEBANON JUNCTION, KY. Feb, 2
w hen the north bound PASSENGER train
over the Knoxville Branch nf tba
Louisville and Nashville railroad
stopped at Crab Orchard station tb;s
morning, a tall, slender, rough looking
man got aboard, with a ticket to Lebe
anon, and, after the train had fairly
got under way, it was learned that the
individual was Heddy Swayze. of
Fentress county, Tenn, who had made
MS escape from a mob at a point FIVE
miles from Barren Springs, in that
county on Saturday morning last
Learning that Swayze was something
OF a desperate, and that he WAS ins
cllned to be somewhat communica-
tive, the Enquirer representative sat
down and drew him out as follows
They tell me you have had rather
a rough time within the last day or
two2'
Yes, sir | live in Fentress county.
Tenn, and certain people there have
tried Tor a year or two to implicate
me in moonshining and other mean
dolngs there, and in my attempt to re-
sent the lies it was necessary for me to
kill n man. On Saturday morning
last, a party Of five masked men came
TO my home before daylight and called
me out. | got up, slipped my bowie-
knife into my bootleg, and went out
into the yard, when one of the men
said 'Heddy, you are charged with
committing rape on Sue Brown. and
we have come to settle with YOU for
it, | told the men that | had never
heard of anybody by the name of Sue
Brown and was not guilty of the Of
tense but they insisted that | was
and quicker than | can tell il. two az
the party seized me by the arms and
started M off TO the side Of a hin in
sight Of my own house, and here thew
made an attempt to secure me with
ropes. One party knott down and
proceeded to tie my feet. while
another searched me, and two others
were engaged fixing a rope over the
limb OF a tree to hang me. Seeing
that they evidently meant business,
reached down into my bootleg, GOT NV
knife, and, after cutting the rome from
about my feet, quickly plunged the
blade into the side of the neck of the
man who was doing the tying. he
fell over on his side, and | never saw
him Afterwards. ] then started to run.
when one Of the men engaged fixing
the rope upon the tree seized me. and
| thereupon cut him down with a sin
gle swing Of my right arm, and then
felt somewhat relieved. Just at this
point, however, | heard the click of
two pistols, and almost at the same
time the hammers Of both fell. one ir-
ing and the other missing. / then
got hold of a club and felled the nan
whose pistol fired, and then | made NV
escape and here | am now. going to
my brothers in Taylor county. Nv"
DO you really think they intended
to hang your"
Yes, sir there can be no mistake
of il, and, when my wife started
out after the pistol-shot was fred at
her, and | heard hebscream, and don't
know now whether she is hurt or not.
have had a rough time of it since I
left home. Have travelled every way.
and over the worst roads | ever saw"
They tell me that you are quite a
desperate man, Swayze how is that?"
Well, | don't know but. if YOU
had all the hardships to stand that I
have stood, | expect you would be a
hard one, to!' TAT the same time his
eyes glazing a ferceness that looked
reyengeful, indeed.]
Are you going back to Tennes-
"No,si not with my " consent,
and don't think they will send me
back under the circumstances.
Did you kill either of the men on
Saturday morning.
can not tell. The wound that |
gave the nan that tied me ] think
will prove fatal, for she went in up to
here, . (here he showed the knife, a
large, rough, l0-inch blade, old-faAh-
Toned bowie, and described the wound
as penetrating parallel with the main
arteries Of the neck, on the left side).
Swayze, as before stated, is a tall.
rough looking man, with dark, sandy
hair, and his nose is large and inclined
to be twisted to the right. There
were two men with him who seemed to
understand his troubles and to be ao-
compauying him to see fair play, in
case he was interfered with in any
way. The men who accompanied him
say hat they live in the northern part
of fortress county, and never heard of
a rape being committed ON any body
named Sue Brown, but tbat suchmight
have occurred, but they do not believe
that Swayze knew anything of it.
Swayzo denies the charge, and says
that he never heard of any such per
sou or a rape being committed.
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