The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-09-23

men, this is a hard thing, but such is
life, | suppose" At this point Rev Mr.
Peterson came into the room. Mollie
Dejaruette's face lighted up when she
saw him. and as tie man of God sat
down and rOOk one of her hands i'm his, !
she said q am glad you are here" The
minister asked her if she was willing to
die, and she said Il die cOntented !
am willing to 90, for l believe it will be
tor the best" At this remark Thomas
DeiarEetie's stern demeanor broke
down. and he wepi like a child. The
painful scene was soon brought to a
close, and, rs her brother started to
leave the room, she said "Oh, brother,
let me hold you in my arms for the last
time! Let me tell you how mach l love
you! Let me know you forgive me!'
~ do not want to excite you, Mollie,"
was his only reply, as he left the room.
Thomas Deiarnette, after he was
taken to his prison cell, was asked why
he committed this grave crime. He
said the letter he received from his sis
ta. twenty minutes tAfore he lett HTasyy.
Summit brought him the first rews of
her fallen condition, and he made up
his mind at once that her death would
be preferable, and immediately left
DanVille. He came to the house of sin
the door, he went with her to her room,
entered it, locked the door, threw away
the KEY, drew his pistol, and then be-
gan firing. He said further that he had
loved his sister, and had paid for her
e1ucatien. The letter from her con-
tanning the sudden announcement of
her shame tOrmented him, and he
thought over the whole matter on the
way to Danville, and determined to do
exactly as he did, and to make an eX-
ample of his sister. Young Dejarnet5e
was twenty years of age, and was tele-
graph operator ana depot agent at
Brown Summit, on the Richmond and
Danville railroad. He was quite good
looking young man, with black hair
and eyes, and slightly above medium
stature. Mollie Dejarnette had been
terribly wounded 1t was plain that
her determined brother had meant she
should die. Upon an examination of
her wounds it was found that there
was one in the right side of the chest,
the ball entering about one inch from
the breast bone and making its way
obliquely downward and outward, en-
tering the cavity of the chest in such
way as to most likely wound the outer
edge of the right lobe of the lung. An
other leaden messenger struck the chest
near the first in a glancing direction,
and did not penetrate the cavity of the
chest. a third ball entered between
the shoulder and neck, just above the
collar-bOne, and, ranging backward and
downward, passed out above the shOul-
der blade. The fourth ball entered the
back part of the left side of the chest,
about three inches from the spine, and
near the lower portion of the lett lung,
and entered the abdominal cavity. The
fifth ball entered the small of the back,
over the region of the left kidney, and
entered directly the abdominal cavity,
and most probably wounded the kidney,
and still another passed through the
back of the left hand, passing out near
the upper thumb-jOint. With such an
array of wounds it was not believed
that the poor girl could recover, but on
Saturday she was still alive, and sun
day she was so much better that some
of the physicians had hopes of her re-
covery. She, however, insisted that
she knew she would die. Sunday Il
persistent effort was made to get from
her the name OF her seducer, but she de-
c.ined positively to tell. Finally the
names of several young men were men
toned to her, whereupon she promptly
and Indignantly said she must, in JUS
tice to the gentlemen wrOBgfulIy ac-
cused, give the name OF nUr- bOtray or-
She then said that Edwin Luther Dech-
ert, of Harrisonbur Virginia, was the
man, and that he had accomplished her
ruin while she was living as a domestic
in his fathers family. MOllie Dejar-
nette fingered for a whole week, and
on the Tuesday after the shooting her
physician had hopes of her recovery,
but she insisted that she knew she must
die. Her presentiments were true, tor
on Thursday she grew rapidly worse.
He mother brother and sister were sent
for, and came at once to her death
room. A party of seven or eight per-
sons were gathered in the room just be-
fore her death. The apartment was
flied with flowers and fruits sent by
the sympathizing women OF Danville to
their erring sister. Thomas, her broth
er, and murderer, was the first to break
the silence. The mother asked him how
he felt, and he replied, 81 feel misera-
BILE" Annie, the younger sister, threw
herself into her brothers arms and said,
ooh, my poor brother! what will be-
come of you? 1t will kill me. l can't
stand it." The young man, at this,
! broke down completely. The wounded
| girl, who had been sleeping, woke.
| Then her last hours, which were mex
| pressibly touching. Seeing her friends
weeping, she said: ooh, God! have
mercy upon me! Be with me, Jesus, in
the dark! Brother! mother! sister! o.,
God, lead them to happy end! Guide
| them, and lead me home now. Let
this be a warning to them" Then,
turning her face to the wall, she said
slowly: "Jesus, l give myself to Thee,
tits all that can do. Mother, L am dy-
| ing. Raise me up"
"Mollie," asked the minister, ''do you
| die in peace with every body and for
give all who have wronged you?"
''Oh, yes, sir" she replied, and, con-
! tinuing said: ''For Heavens sake save
| my brotherv' Soon after she died.
| Thomas Dejarnette was allowed, in GUS
I tody of policeman, to attend her fun
eral, and as the clods fell upon her cof-
| fin he wept bitterly. During his prison
| life afterward he was calm and collect
ed. y few days after the funeral an
other lady appeared on the scene-Mis-
| Jennie Murray, of Brown summit, the
aflianced of the prisoner. During his
confinement she was untiring in her at
tentions to him, and her bright pres
ence cheered the prisoner in his lonely
cell.