The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-20
SAVED FROm THE GALLOWS.
A Thrilling Remihiscence OF Early
Times i'm White County.
Nashville Americana

Nashville Americana
In conversation which an American
reporter had with Judge Joe G. Guild,
yesterday, the latter related strange in
cident that occurred in White County in
1922. He said that man had come out
there from Virginia with the intention
of settling in that county. Fond of hunt
ing, he one day went out, with gun and
dog. He was accompanied by one of the
best citizens of the settlement. During
the afternoon they became separated, and,
a storm coming up, the Virginian re-
traced his steps home after having, IN
vain, ATTEMPTED to attract the Tennessee
ans attention by hallooing and shooting
OFT his gun. The dog had gone with the
Tennesseean, and he listened for long
time that he might hear the bark of the
dog, if within hearing distance, but all to
no purpose. When he returned to the
settlement without the Tennesseean he
was suspected of having murdered him,
and was committed to jail.
The country was secured far and wide
in the hope of finding the Tennesseean's
body. The ground upon which he was
wont to hunt was carefully inspected.
The Virginian over and over again pro-
tested his innocence, but every circum-
stance seemed to he against him, notwith-
standing the fact that he described
minutely the route they had taken and
the point where they got separated in
their eagerness to bring down a deer which
had appeared suddenly before them, and
then as quickly vanished. He also de-
scribed the storm, which, in its fury, had
driven him to shelter. Itwas rarely that
such storm had been witnessed. The
clouds were SO black as to put the sun
into eclipse. The pail that hovered over
the face of the earth was only relieved by
the zigzag streaksof lightning that played
athwart it. Women and children, and
even the old men, gathered in their houses
in awe of the element uproar.
In accounting for the fate of the miss
ing Tennesseean itappears this storm was
never taken into consideration. The sky
was bright the following day, the sun
never shining with greater brilliancy, and
everything looked cheerful except to the
man who stood behind the bars accused
Of crime he had not committed. He
was finally convicted of murder in the
first degree, but obtained new trial and
change of venue.
When the second trial came up.s the
evidence for the State and portion in
defense Of the prisoner had been heard
The Virginian's case seemed hopeless
Circumstances pointed so strongly tc
him as the murderer Of the Tennesseear
that all were Of the opinion that be
would have to hang. At this jlmcture
however, some hunters came in and re
ported that they had found the remains
Of a man. beside which were lying the
skeleton Of a dog and a shattered gun
All lay underneath a. giant oak, which
had been split by stroke of lightning
This bolt from the clouds had melted the
: muzze of the gun and killed the mar
and dog. The remains Of the man were
identified as those Of the missing Ten
nesseean. The stock of the gun, which
had fallen to pieces, bore the initials O
his name. The story of the hunters 81
strongly coincided with the repeated
statements, ,of the prisoner that all be
!, came satisfied that the Tennesseean hao
been killed by lightning, and not mur
dered. The Virginian was therefore dis
charged, amidst the applause of thu
spectators, who had gathered around wit
nesses, jury and Judge, to hear the mar
velous story which had saved an limo
cent man from the gallows.