The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-09-29
Letter from sCIinch-'
As TO THE aMURDER or POOR
~ DIVE Berry.
Lee VALLEY, Tenn., Sept. p, ISL

LEE VALLEY, Tenn, Sept "a, 1880.
To the Editor OF The2rorristown Gazette:
1 suppose the public haven't forgotten
the CO wardly and unprevoked murder
Of David D. Berry IN Hawkins county,
some time in March, 1879. by hired
mercenary of the Knoxville Revenue
Ring-one t'Bud Lindsey" / believe a
brief history of this case would be of
interest to your readers. was in Nash
vile at the time Berry was murdered
and did not return hSme until in April.
In May, appeared before the Circuit
Court of Hancock county, as a prosecu-
tor of Lindsey, had witnesses examined,
and "true bill for murder" was FOUND
by the Grand Jury. A capias was issued
and sept to the Sheriff Of KAex county,
whe arrested Lindsey, but-no execution
has ever been made TO the Court at
Sneedville. One of the United States
Judges at Knoxville took Lindsey out
of the custody of said Sheriff on writ
of ha5eGs corpus, on the plea of his haV-
ing been employed by U. s. Internal
Revenue officer at the time he commit
ted the murder; and, without any notice
to me, or any prosecuting witness, or
even any officer of our Hancock county
| Circuit Court, this red handed murder
er was turned loose upon the people
1 attended the last term Of Circuit
| Court at Sneedville, and asked Judge
Hacker and Attorney General Fain If
there was any prospect of us getting the
| guilty party to trial. They both gave
an unsatisfactory reply, and signifed
that they had NO further power or duty
in the matter, since an U. s. Court had
taken the case off their hands. This is
the only deduction. Our State law
can't reach and punish the perpetrator
OF ANY crime, if the guilty person is in
the employ of this great NATION at the
time lac commits the deed, and the Fed
eral Courts cont do It. Hence if any ont
wishes to murder, commit arson, lar
ceny, rape, or any crime in the calen
dar, he can hire himself to some Deput!
U. S. Marshal and defy the laws Of Ten
nessee.
If some decrepit, gray-headed eli
couatryman had been accused Of trad
ing his neighbor twist of tobacco fs
a mouthful of bacon he would have bee
locked up in lousy Jail to pay the pen
atty; but Mr.. Lindsey has only kille
an innocent man in Geld blood, and th
! Nation screens from the just iadigni
i ton and punishment of the State
Tennessee. Poor Dave Berry, he had
- thigh crushed by rebel lead while brav,
- ly fighting the battles of his country
, survived many hard-fought battles, an
'e yet the cowardly hand Of a ReDen'
~ raider makes his wife widow, gnSL. }
%1Siittle daughter an orphan.
Keep these things before the people
n Radicalism has denied that States ha'
b any rights which the Nation IS c0Hstit
re tio11aUy bound to respect Our right
at try criminals for violating our Sta
k laws is infringed upOR, and our Sta
7. elections interfered with by armed Sc
n diers. Think of all these things, your
or men of Tennessee, when you go 70 ca
u your next vote Remember that a.
,e otner term of Radicalism at Washin
H. ten will be the end of free goVernme
N in this fair land. Remember that p,
Dr. tibone is the pet of the Knoxville CT
er tom House Ring''-that he is an arr
h CANT Northern upstart who has no 10
E. or respect fer the people he seeks
E. misrepresent-thath he was beaten on
IL on his own merits, and aoiU be Ggai
Dr. Vote for Hancock and English al
LIBERTY u Vote for the friend of q
cry man in East TenRessee-our ov
blood, home-spun mountain-boy of Ca
ter, Bob Taylor Respectfully,
~ CLINCH,