Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-04-04
A HORRIBLE DEED.
A Fiend In Human FERN Kills In Colp
Blood His Stepchild.
A Little Girl Three Years of Age.---He
Escapes for Parts Unknown


country for many day, and the revolving
details are enough to ourtlle the blood in the
veins of any good citizen
Bill Nance, a worthless and shiftless
character and as the details of this occur
renee goes to prove, villain of the deepest
dye, originally from Granger County, has
been drifting about from place to place for
years In August last, he was married, ac-
cording to her statement, to woman
whose first husband was named Potter, and
now about three years
old. About two weeks ago they squatted
down IN an old house on the Cooke farm, at
a point about seven miles from Knoxville,
and between this place and McMilIan's sta
ton. There they seemed to have lived in
the most abject poverty, on account of the
worthless character of Nance, who Is an
able bodied man, plenty able to work and
provide.
for his family The only contents to be
seen in the house are pile of straw in one
corner, fenced of by rail, on which was
spread quilt or two, used for the purpose
of bed. and two old chairs. And it was
in this place they lodged,
About half past two O'Clock yesterday
morning the wife and mother was swak-
ened from her sleep by the
PITEoUs wAILIsGs OF The CHILD,
which had slept between them, aud which
was being numerically beaten by the bruit
of father As soon as she was aroused,
she called to know why he was doing so,
when he gave frivolous excuse, which was
no excuse at ALL He continued his brutal
punishment of the helpless and innocent
little creature till the heart of the mother
was touched to the, quick, and
she took hold of his hand to stay
it from its hellish work, when he turned
upon her NTH all the
MADNESS or DEMON.
and gave her violent kick in the stomach,
warning her TO desist, or he would settle
her About this time the unfeeling villain,
with all the force that the evil spirit would
give Nun, SOIuulhulSu VI uST Tie
HELPLESS, BLEEDING AND PAINTING
little piece OF humanity, from which the
blood was gradually but surely ebbing
down against the sharp edge of the rail
which enclosed their reposing place, and the
littls creature made no further artieulate
utterance, but
aoASED AND soBBED AND EXPIRED
in very short time.
The horrified and woe-stricken mother,
having witnessed the brutal murder
of her tender offspring when she was total
ly helpless to prevent it, ran to the door and
began to scream. Her cries resounding
through the clear atmosphere of tbs early
| morning, aroused from his slumbers Esq.
| Stewart, who lives across the road. He
! came to his door and asked what was the
! matter, when the woman called out that
+! her child was dead The
BLooDY-RAEDED DEAMoS,
/ in the meantime, had told his wife that if
she informed on him he would kill her.
| Esq. Stewart, in response to the cries,
| fastened to robe himself and went to the
| fatal house, where he found the mother in
| the door with the mangled corpse of her
/ infant in her arms, and her husband
+ crouched in one corner, like the
/ cEISGING, SINKING HOUND
+ be is, afraid TO face q w-being with his
I blood-stained hands and yillainous heart.
/ When she got an opportunity she told Esq.
/ Stewart of the act, and while she was talk
j ing TO the Esquire, Nance no doubt sus-
/ pecting her, called and tried to get her to
come to him. Upon the advice of Esq.
, Stewart, she declined to do SO. Nance
made as if to get hold of an az, but
! the esquire got hold of the Ak first. Char
/ ley Stewart arrived on the scene, after
/ time, and then Mr.. Cooper. who lives near
/ by. Nance began to show igns of
| RBsrLEssNEss AND UNEAstsEss,
as if to go. but was persuaded that he had
| better remain. Soon, however. some
one started to get q warrant from
Esquire Armstrong. al those present
| thinking they had no right to arrest
| him without warrant. Nance, no doubt,
suspicioned what was up and made away
with himself. Cooper started to follow and
catch him, but wss warned that if he did
so it would be
AT HIS OWN PERIL.
This was just before daylight, aud moth
ing fuather had beed heard of Nance, but
an effort will be made to arrest him, and it
is certainly to be hoped it will be done.
/ CoRoSER's INQUEST.
Coroner E. II. Hood was notified and
went out to the scene of the tragedy. He
empanneled the following jury of inquest ::
Ed. Runnels, ]. w. Luttrell, Hugh Harper,
J. r. Harper, Maynard Rutherford, T. R.
Crumpley, W. NJ. Fowler. The evidence
of the woman was heard, which accorded
with the above facts, and verdict was
rendered of malicious and unprovoked
murder.
DIR. NJ Rodgers was summoned, and
made an examination of the mangled re-
mains of the infant, and it
PRESENTED A FRIGHTFUL ASPECT.
The skull was found to be indented in
three different places, and the back and
limbs of the little creature were found to be
beaten aud bloodshot. to an alarming ex-
tent coffin was procured by Coroner
Hood, and the remains viii be buried to-day.
Nance is brother of John Nance. who
was hung at Rutledge for murder, few
years ago, and another brother OF his-Dick
killed man few years since also. He