Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-20
WEEKLY CHRONICLM.
THE FACTS OF THE CASE.
How the Governor of Missouri Pro-
tectS Murderer.

MAYNARDvILLE, Tenn,
January IA, 1882.
Mr.. EDITOR: Having read in your
paper, of to day, a special dispatch to
the st. Louis Globe-Democrat, ta~
ken from that paper I suppose, cons
corning the arrest of John b. Kin
caid, of Vernon County, Mo, for the
murder of David Cawood, of Clai-
borne County, in 1865, and seeing
the gross misrepresentation that
were made to Governor Crittenden,
by Kincaid's friends, and knowing
something about the murder of Ca
wood, I could not let the matter go
unnoticed.
Cawood was my brotherein law,
and we were living little over two
miles apart, when he was killed.
John B. Kincaid's father was muir
dered at Fricastle, Tenn, just short
time before Cawood was killed. Ca
wood, it is true, was a Union man,
and was living on Kincaid's father
land, having written lease in his
pocket at the time of his death, from
Kincaid's father. John B. Kincaid,
after the death of his father, swore
vengeance against all Union men in
Powells Valley, as 1 understand,
saying he would kill some of them to
pay for bis father. Accordingly, on
the night of March IL, 1865, John
B. Kincaid, at the head of band Of
guerrillas,, dashed into Powell's Val
ley, arrested John Vanbeber, we'll
| TODD and respectable citizen, took
him some three miles with them, when
John B. Kincaid, according to the
sworn statement Of some of his own
men, made Vanbeber get off his horse,
and get down on his knees, and then
deliberately took the life of Vanbeber
by shooting him twice, all because
Vanbeber was q Union man, and be
cause Vanbeber was full>handed and
it was thought would buy some Of
Kincaid's fathers land, not that he
bad anything to do with the death of
Kincaid's father. But John B. Kin .
caid did not stop there, but after
killing Vandeber went three miles
further down che valley and found
Cawood in the house, with his wife
and four little children and there, in
the house, while his wife was hold
ing to him, they broke his skull in
two places by striking him over the
head with their pistols, then ierked
him out of the house and shot him
six times before he fell dead in the
yard. Cewood was peaceable, law
abiding, unoffending man, and the
only excuse that John B. Kincaid
could have had for killing him was
because he was Union man, and
John B. Kincaid was lost, utterly
lost to every principle of humanity
John B. Kincaid, with his guerillas
made a rush for other Unior
men that night My father
among the rest, and would have
killed them had they not received
news of his coming. My father an6
I, (although I was but boy hac
been advised Of their coming anC
he'd lett the house and was on the
mountain. But they came an(
robbed the house Of everything they
could carry away.
Aud this is John B. Kincaid
whom Governor Or ttenden, of Mis-
souri,, would not allow brought back
few days ago, that he might pa.
the penalties of his crimes, sufferini
to be governed by the misrepresen
tations of Kincaid's friends, than IL
Indictment of the grand jury {
Claiborne County, and the requis
ton of the Governor under the gres
seal of the State Of Tennessee.
John. B. Kincaid, is not on Y il
dicted for the murder
David Cawood, but he
indicted for the murder of job
Vanbeber, and he should have a fa
and impartial trial by a jury of h
peers of Claiborne County for tt
atrocious crime with which he
charged; and nothing but polite;
prejudice could induce the GovernC
of great State from surrenderin
such a fugitive from justice, to IL
] proper authorities upon propt
1 representation of the facts.
I I have never heard of any al
I tempt to kidnap Kincaid, this bein
4 the only attempt to bring him bacl
4 All that the people of Claiborr
q County want is fair trial under IL
4 law in a county where there is
q Democratic judge, a Democrat
4 sheriff, Democratic clerk, both CT
i cult and county, and Democrat
4 trustee. But if the Governor
Z Missouri is acting out the principl
4 of Democracy in withholding tn
q fugitive from justice, would sa
8 God pity Democracy.
q l refer to all honest and TRUTH
s citizens of Powell's Valley who a
& acquainted with the facts in Il
i above case as to whether or not
q have properly and fairly represent
q them. Respectfully,
4 JNo p. Rogers