The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-01-17
Mysterio,,sly Murdered.
Finding the Bones Of Old Man Tom, Who
Disappeared Two Years AGA
Tenth Ward Tragedy.

Tenth Ward Tragedy.
TENTH WARD, Ascension, Jan. 8, 1880.
Nh. EDITOR.
On the 22nd day of December last, as
one Of our most Industrious planters was
quietly riding through the woods look
ing after his stock, he came upon bone.
It was evidently skull-bone, but of a
different form from those usually seen in
such localities-being neither the skull
Of a horse, COW, sheep or hog. He got
down to examine it-being keen old
on the grinning teeth re-
vealing themselves he dro. ped it quick
", for at the instant there flashed across
his memory the mysterious disappear
ance Of poor j" odd Tom and the suspi-
cious circumstances connected there-
with.
This 'sOld Tom was cOlored man
who bore a general character Of partial
moral obliquity regarding the distinc-
tions pertaining to. the law of " meam ct
twum" in such slight matters as hog and
property; in fact his advent in
this parish was anteceded by his being
run off from the neighboring one Of East
Baton Rouge, some Of the sterner ele-
ment Of said parish wholly failing to ap-
preciate poor Toms facetious manner Of
feaHllered stock.
Some time in the month of March, two
years ago, the news spread that Old Tom
was missing, and suspicious Of foul play
were freely interchanged in the commu-
nifty, for it was generally received
opinion that the unfortunate man had
his little pile secreted somewhere, all his
purchases being invariably paid for in
cash-some Of his payments for hogs
to quite little figure. Search
was duly instituted and strict watch
kept on his shanty for some time, but
nothing was ever learned of the fate of
poor Old Tom till on Monday, the 22nd
Of December last, the circumstance oc-
cured with which started this commu-
nication. As soon as Mr.. B. had made
his discovery known, the neighbors be-
gan to gather at the grave; and after
serious deliberation and due consulta-
ton with Mr.. Brown, our worthy Justice
of the Peace, there occurred little man
aging slightly characteristic of Ward 10
under such circumstances. Perhaps al
most any other community would have
dug up the poor mans remains, and sent
for the Coroner, and held a post morton
and tumbled and disarranged the dilapl-
dated old man badly, but our citizens
wisely concluded that that was old Tom
and that all he wanted was burying q
little better so they piously gathered
the old mans perquisites, consisting of
his skull, one of his shoes, a protruding
or obtruding bone or two, and the cord
with which he had evidently been stran-
gled, and which was still hanging from
limb overhead, arranged them in the
grave with the rest of him, covered all
dccently, and left Old Tom in peace.
And now, Mr.. Editor, excuse a word Of
comment here: I we'll know that in a
section like this, where the majority of
the inhabitants are struggling under the
disadvantages of poverty and the severe
toll Of clearing and fencing land, the idea
of sending to a distant town for the reg
ular Coroner would he very inconve-
nient, and in some cases, owing to the
decomposed state Of the body, utterly
impossible: still this cheerful spirit of
resignation, this quietly picking up of
the remains from where the murderer
had left them, giving them decent burial
and going each one to his own affairs,
what effect is this to have on the i'm
pressible minds of the rising generation
growing up to see murders committed in
their midst and not half the effort put
forth to bring the perpetrators to justice
that there is to catch hog or horse theft
1t is true Old Tom was only a aiggcr; it is
also true that he was said to be chick
ell stealer, and while in the flesh he
might have in his own conscience even
aspirod to the dignity Of hog thief, still
all this does not in the least excuse the
"deep damnation of his taking Off" for
this was no lynch,ng affair by justly
outraged citizens, but a secretly planned
and secretly executed murder.
Ever since the fiat went forth from the
lips of Eternal Wisdom, Whosoever
sheddeth mans blood by man shall his
blood be shod," all civilized nations have
recognized the justice Of the decree and
formed their laws accordingly, and it
augurs ill for the future well-bcing of q
community that allows such enormities
to be perpetrated in their midst and let
them pass unpublished. D.
DIED FROM THE EFFECTS OF A Blow
At an early hour Tuesday morning, Mr.
Henry CARTE of this town, u native Of
Hamburg, and photographer by occu'
patton, died from lockjaw at his resi-.
denco opposite the post-office, on Rail
road Avenue. The Coroner was called
upon to hold an inquest and a jury wa,
duly empanneled. After q full investi
cation the conclusion was reached that
deceased came to his death from the
effect Of blow upon the head inflicted
by Mr.. John L. Dry, and a verdict was
rendered accordingly. An affidavit wa
made by the Coroner charging MI. Dry
with murder, and on Wednesday the &C.