Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-12
An OUTIAwED MouNrAIEEER.
Slayer Of Lieutenant Mcintyre, Of the
Army, Caught in His F~astness.
Atlanta Constitntinn

Atlanta constitutional
Frog Mountain is one ofthe widest
regions of Georgia. iGilmer county,
from the rock of which it rises, is a
miniature Switzerland, full of the hard
crust Of old mother earth. Two years
ago there lived in the most unfreduen-
ted and barren recess of the mountain
a family named Jones, Ayres Jones be-
ing ITS prop and mainstay. Ayres is a
child of nature. From his boyhood
ne has lived on fish caught in Jack
river and on game killed round about
his home. He has killed bear within
a mile of his house. On the night of
the 10th of February, 1877, there oc-
CURED at that mountain a tragedy
which caused a great sensation in
Georgia, and was warmly dis
cussed by the press all over the
country. Lieutenant Mcintyre, a
gallant officer in the Second United
States infantry, had been sent to the
northeastern counties with a squad of
troops to arrest some offenders against
the revenue laws who defed the efforts
OF special deputies to bring them with
IN the reach of the courts. On the
night of the 10th an attack was made
on the house of the Jones family. The
approach was beset by danger in the
time OF perfect peace, but when the
inhabitants were aroused by what they
deemed wrongs at the hands of revenue
officers the march was perilous to a
degree that might make a veteran feel
nervous. Lieutenant McIntyre fol-
lowed the revenue detectives, who were
leading. the way, until they reached
the cabin, hidden both by the shades
OF a black and fearful night and by its
natural seclusion. About this house
there occurred a brief but fierce fight,
IN which a number of mo~untaineers
attacked the troops. After sharp firing
on both sides the assailants fed and
escaped under the cover ofnight. They
lett blood marks behind them. and some
OF the gang are supposed to have been
mortally wounded. Lieutenant Nc
lntyre was shot down, never to rise
again. The mountaineers were pur-
sued, but no satisfactory results were
accomplished. Governor Colouitt
appointed Colonel Sam Williams to
gather evidence in the matter and the
government at Washington sent troops
to the mountains. Several arrests
were made, but the general belief that
Ayres Jones slew Lieutenant McIn-
tyre saved the parties thus apprehend-
ed. As for Ayres, he fled on the
morning after the assassination to the
mountains of North Carolina. Time
passed. The comrades of Mcintyre
bore him in mind, and when Tom
Jones, a brother of Ayres, was lodged
IN the Knoxville Jail, some weeks ago.
the complaint against him being illicit
distilling, Colonel Farrow went owe
and obtained an interview. Tom
readily told the colonel that Ayres
was really back in the Frog Mountain
raylne by the river Jack. 1t seems
that Ayres and Tom recently had n
bitter quarrel and that they went so far
as to pace off a dueling ground, the in
reference ofthe mother who threw her.
self upon her knees before them, only
preventing iratricide. Last Thursday
several officers, mounted on superb
horses, left this city, passed Gaines.
vile, thence to D~ahlonega, and climb
ed Frog Mountain. They reached the
door of the mountain house at 10
o'clock on Friday night. Deputy
Findley rushed against the door and
in a moment was at the mans bed
side. Ayres looked around as calmly
as If nothing had happened, though it
was a complete surprise, as he did not
have time to reach for the revolver
and gun that slept under the covers in
his bed. He was taken out of bed,
handcufied and brought to this city,
where he was lodged in Jail yesterday
afternoon.