Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-08-18
SORE OVER IT
Are the NsIahbsrs Of lacks Night.
hawks.

One night during the latter part Of las
month the body OF the late Herman G
Wehrum, who died of yellow fever neal
Lucy Station, a dozen miles or so nortl
of this city, underwent a forced burial il
the Hatchie river bottom. The remain,
were on their way to Elmwood Cemetery
at the time under the escort of a young
man named Hoist and a colored attend.
ant or driver. The body was inclosed in
a hermetically sealed coffin or metallic
burial case, and it was regarded as a per.
fectly harmless mode Of tr~ansportion
While nearing the Hatchie bottom, five OF
six miles from the city, a squad Of men
appeared with their faces hidden and
ordered Hoist and his companion to dig a
hole and bury the coffin. Mr.. Hoist was
not used to this kind Of work and he labor
ed all night on the job, the maskers stand
ing at a convenient distance with shot
guns or other weapons to see that there
was no Sinking. Next morning Mr..
Hoist came into the city with hands well
blistered, clothes covered with dirt and
tired, his colored companion being pretty
much in the same order. The circum-
stance of the unusual occurrence leaked
out and was common street talk for sew
eral days. 1t was ventilated through this
journal under the head of Jacks
Night Hawks" Its publication stir
red up the people about Woodstock, a
village in the vicinity of the place where
it happened. On the 9th inst. the people
held a meeting to consider the subject.
Colonel H. Douglass was chairman, and
DR.. 7. B. Mellow secretary. They de-
sired, they said, to inquire into the truth
Of the published statement which had led.
they said, to suspicion that the deceased
had been robbed of his coffin.
It appears from a letter received this
morning relating the proceedings of the
meeting that Mr.. Hoist was present and
he naturally underwent a dose of cate
chising. lie, Mr.. Hoist, did not author
ize the publication of his interesting but
rather unpleasant adventure, and its re-
lation he said was false in several par
~ticulars. He had received an order TO
bury Mr.. Wehrum's body at Elmwood.
but was prevented from doing so by I'M
known parties who forced him to deposit
it in Hatchie bottom. The men who
halted him were stationed at the cdgc of
Mr. Rawlings place, behind an old
fence about a hundred yards from
the road. The men had handkerchief
over their faces, which he supposed might
possibly contain camphor. (He doubtless
not think of that until a later period J
And he thought he would be able to recog-
nize any man from that particular sec
ton Of country. A committe consisting
DIR, I. B. Mellow, John Steele and
BEN. Hawkins, were appointed to 60 with
Mr.. Hoist to the place of burial. Upon
returning they reported having found the
metallic case and the box containing it.
just as Mr.. Hoist had represented.
After all Of the above had been gone
through with, another meeting was held
by the persons interested. Mr.. Hoist was
again called on for a repetition of his
statement concerning the hating of him
by unknown parties. The proceedings
say "Mr. Hoist admits that he might
be'n mistaken in fact, he might not
have been halted at ALL" From all of the
incidents connected with the affair the
inference is drawn that the people in the
of the present grave of Mr.. Web
are ashamed of the business.
and they would doubtless like to wash
their hands Of the whole affair. It is Just
possible, but hardly probable that Mr..
Hoist never hauled Mr.. Wehrum's body,
that he was never halted near dusk, that
he never dug any hole, and that he
never had anything to do with the mat
Ter. lie, however, came into the city one
morning looking rather used up, very
hungry, seemed to be in want of sleep
md rest, and he arrived IN an empty
spring wagon which started from Lucy
Station the day before with a metallic
supposed to contain the remains OF
A deceased Knight of Honor, who had
previously been known as Mr.. Herman
.. Wehrum. 1t will be a difficult matter
10 arrive at the facts in the case.