Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-11
THE sWEETwATER TRAGEDY,
Jos. Boyd, the Slayer of his Uncle, Thos.
Ct. Boyd,
VALVES Examination and is Bound to Court
at jacksonville this Week,

VALVES Examination and is Bound to Court
at Jacksonville this Week,
Joseph L. Boyd who shot and killed his
uncle, Thos. G. Boyd, mayor of Sweetwater,
Saturday, waived an examination before
justice of the peace, and was bound
over to the Circuit Court at Madison
vile. He was guarded at Sweetwater
Sunday, and taken yesterday morning
directly to Madisonville, where the court is
in session this week, and the case will be
| disposed Of at once, in some way.
From conversation with parties acquainted
| with the facts, we gather some additional
/ details which shed somewhat different
/ light upon the tragedy from our first report,
| based upon information received Saturday.
| The general impression seems to be, as we
/ learn that the killing was deliberate and
| cold-blooded murder, and the immediate
cause was a dispute over, not note, but
/ a check for $500 for bacon which had pass
ed between Alban A. Boyd and Thos. G.
Boyd, only day or two before the death
/ of the former, which check the
bank refused to cash. Joe Boyd,
who was a partner of Alban
at Columbus, Ga, and came to Sweetwater
to attend the funeral. demanded of Thos. G.
some writing to show for the amount. This
occurred at the room occupied by Joe Boyd
at the residence of Mrs. A. A. Boyd. But
the interview was sought, it seems, by joe
1t seems also that fears were apprehended
by his friends that he intended to have
trouble, for it is said that
VIM. Cannon extracted a promise from Joe
that he would say nothing disrespectful to
Thos. G., and then went and brought Thos
G. to the room. 1t was he (Wm Cannon
| of jacksonville, a brother of Mrs. A. A.
Boyd, and not Charles Cannon, who was in
the room and witnessed the killing. In reply
to the demand of Joe for an instrument
of writing from Thos. G. the latter replied
that Joe had no authority to make such a
demand, which was replied to by an insult
ing remark by Joe that Thos. G. was at
tempting to take advantage of and swindle
Thos. G. and according to the evidence of
Mr.. Cannon, he rose to leave the room, and
Joe went towar is the door heading him of,
drew his pistol and fired the fatal shot Joe
claims, however, that Thos. G. started to
draw a chair to strike him 1t was shown
that Thos. G. was not armed. Joe is a
comparatively young man, and just one
week before had married Miss Kinser, of
Monroe County, and taken her to his home
in Georgia.
The funeral of Thos. G. Boyd occurred
Sunday, and the remains were inferred in
the cemetery near by. We understand that
there was the largest attendance from all
the surrounding country, and the longest
funeral procession ever before witnessed
there on a similar occasion.
Notwi thstanding the stnpenduous crime for
/ which Boyd was sentenced and served a
term in the penitenhary, after his return,
it is universally acknowledged that he bore
himself in such manner as to ingratiate
himself to a wonderful degree in the good
graces and confidence of the people, and
being man Of pleasant social bear
ing and generous impulses he had
hosts Of warm friends. He was an
indefatigable business man, and was
in reality the life of Sweetwater. Besides
his large private business operations he was
one of the leading spirits in the fair organ
lied there last fall, as well as in the cotton
factory about to be established, and in a
business sense he viii be missed very much