Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-10-20
The TripIett ----..~ $50.

OF september You puDNSneQ an artcl0 rom
Athens, Tenn, signed Justice" purport-
ing to give facts relative to the killing of
Elijah Axley in Monroe County by my son,
Robert Triplett. The article not only does
my son a gross injustice but is calculated to
operate to the injury of every member of
my family, and l therefore ask that you
give this reply the same publicity that you
did the article referred to. I desire in the
outset, however, to say that !, with all my
family, regret the unfortunate difficulty as
much as any one. " 800
"Justice" says: "It seems that Triplett
and his wife did not live very happily to-
gether." To prove the faisity Of this
charge, I refer to all his neighbors at Cog
Hill and in Monroe County. Justice says
also, that when Tripletts wife was sick that
he CTripletD objected to calling in a doctor
and that after he had been called in by his
neighbors he ordered him away, and he
went. This latter charge was thoroughly
investigated before the grand jury Of Mon
roe County at its last sitting, and every in
tlmatlon, as to wrong on the part of my son
during the life of his wife or during her
sickness or at her death, was proved absolute
ly false by witness from whom convicting
testimony was hoped for and further refer
to DR.. Bicknell, who attended his wife. Rel
alive to the killing Justice" says: On
last Sunday morning.. Axley being on his
way to work the road, went by DIR. Bayless'
house to borrow a watch to keep the time
on the road, and when he got there Bay
less family, with Bob Tripett, were at
breakfast. ,Axley took q chair and sit down
on the front porch. AS soon as Fnplett saw
Axley he left the table, went into another
room and then came Immediately out on
the porch where Axley was, and said in q
rude angry manner: What authority
have you for talking about me?' When MIR.
A. replied, he was denounced q liar, then
he arose to his feet and attempted to strike
Trplett, when Triplett stabbed him three
or four times in the side, once in the neck
and several times in the head. Now as to
the facts. When Mr.. Axley arrived at DR..
Bayless' and took his seat on tho front
porch, neither the family nor Bob Triplett
we're at breakfast, Axley made his business
known and was informed that there was no
watch on the place and never had been.
Then the family and Triplett went to break
fast, but Mr.. A. remained until Triplett eat
his breakfast and went out on the porch to
pull on his boots, preparatory to going
to work. When Axley, (not Triplett, in .
rude, ugly manner, raised the difficulty by
referring to letter written by Triplett to
him, about which they had talked before,
and, as Triplett thought, had made the mat
ter entirely satisfactory. Mr.. Axley gave
my son the lie several times and he never
resented it; nor did he attempt to defend
himself with tongue or otherwise until Mr..
Axley struck him with chair. Justice"
further says that "Jim Bayless was q Bit
ter enemy of Alleys" and attempts to cou-
pie this with his theory of the difficulty and
make it what he terms ga foul and afro
cious murder"
Elijah A1ley and James Bayless were
friends and never had been otherwise, ex-
cept several years ago few short words
passed between them about road but this
enmity of James Bayless to Mr.. A1ley as
Justice" attempts to fix i, has as much
truth to sustain it as any material statement
made by ''Justice;" and say this in the
light of reliable living proof, in support of
which I need only refer to the fact that the
district attorney and grand jury, at the last
term of the Circuit Court for Monroe coun-
ty, did their full duty in investigating the
against my son.
the heels of the killing, and were
erthing was excitement and when naturally
most of the public sympathy run with the
dead man and his family, and, it seems to
me, should have satisfied Justice" So
called. And more, "Justice is not resi-.
dent of Monroe County, and there was no
obligation resting on him to NEEDLE with
the affair while there were plenty of persons
in Monroe well qualified to take care of its
good name, and remove wrong impressions
if they had been made.
will say that " JUSTICES" statements are
false-absolutely SO, and that he viii have an
ample opportunity to introduce the reliable
parties who lived in the neighborhood when
the killing took place and prove his state
ments, and that the people of McMinn
County would think much more of "Jus-
tice," so-caled, if he would in act conform
to the name he so unrighteously used as his
"nom de plume to the article in question.
FRANKLIN TRpLETr.
Cog Hill, Tenn, October II, 1881.
Papers that published the article signed
" Justice" viii please copy this, especially