The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-06-21
MURDER AND MOBBING
A Midnight Assassin Sinks an Axe
Into the Face
or II Sleeping Man, Ch0pping
His III cad to Pieces and
RObbing the Store.
The Murderer Lynched.

A most horrible murder occurret
at Veto Station last Monday, Jane
, Trice, young man about Is year
of age, was found dead in his beC
Tuesday morning with his face anC
head horribly mangled An AXE
was the instrument used by his as
sassin. He was struck behind the
left ear with the pole of the axe anC
his skull crush, and there were
three great gashes cut in his face
with the blade--one across the
mouth cutting bones in two, anoth
er on the left cheek which almost
severed the lower jaw bone in an
other place and cut his tongue near
ly of, and the third wound in the
face was under the chin. Mr.. Trice
was sleeping in Mr.. Frank Camp
BELLS store, but lived with his IA
ther some distance away and
worked on the farm. Failing to
come to breakfast, his little brother
went to see what was the matter
and found the store door open, and
entering first discovered the CHASTITY
corps.
Mr.. Jesse NJ. Neill Of Pulaski,
from whom we learn these facts,
had slept with young Trice up to
twelve o'clock that night, when q
freight train passed and he left for
Pulaski. When he got out of bed
he awoke Trice and told him he
was going and that he had better
get up and close the door after him,
and he stopped again at the door
and called to him to be sure that
he was still awake. Mr. Trice
told him he was all right and would
get up directly. Mr.. Neal heard
nothing from him until the next
morning about nine o'clock when he
received a telegram stating that
Trice had been killed and request
ing him to return to Veto. He did
so, and was present at the inquest
held over the dead body, by which
inquiry the following circumstan-
ces we're made known.
1t had rained about two o'clock,
which enabled the investigators to
track the assassin. The tracks led
to the house of a negro named Har-
ry Reed, who was arrested and
brought before the jury and who
claimed the axe with which Trice
was killed, it having been left in
the store covered with blood, but
he could not account for the blood.
He told a straight tale that was be-
lieved. He had left the axe in his
yard and that was all he knew
about it. But the bare-1ooted
tracks that led to Reeds house were
traced, some distance beyond. The
man that made them after walking
about the house for while was
joined by a second party and the
tracks of two bare-footed men were
followed across the fields to where
it was evident they had stopped
and put on shoes which were Judged
to be new. From here the shoe
tracks were traced to a thicket and
disappeared. From the thicket the
tracks of a mule were traced in the
direction of and near to the house of
another negro, Wesley Warren, who
lived on Mr.. John Davis place
about one mile from where the MUIR
der was committed. Warren was
arrested, and upon a suit of his
clothes that was found concealed
about his house were found the
stains of blood. He said he killed
three chickens Sunday morning,
which he claimed accounted for the
blood on his shirt, and that on his
pants he said he got by riding a
mule with sore back. But War
ren's wife was examined separate
from him and she testified that
while they had chicken for break
fast Sunday morning, there was but
one and she had killed it and
dressed it herself; that her husband
had nothing to do with it. AS for
the blood on his pants, it was in
front and extended down the leg
and was different character from
that which would come from a
sore ON a mules back. Nor could
the sore-back mule be found.
The tracks that led from the
store almost to his house were of pc
culiar shape and correspond with
Warren's tracks-showing there
was no hollow in the foot, but
bulge. Mr.. Davis found Warren in
his house Monday morning and
asked why he was not at work. He
replied that he had been blowing
ever since daylight, and it was dis
covered in so doing he had obliter-
ated many of the mule tracks that
we're made the night before in the
field-those mentioned as leading
from the thicket. This chain of
circumstances fully convinced all
who became acquainted with them
that Warren was the murderer.
There was large crowd present
and some gentleman took it upon
himself to inquire if there was sin
gle individual present who doubted
his guilt, but not one could be
found. Excitement was high, and
about nine o'clock at night, and be-
fore the jury had returned verdict,
Warren was taken in charge by
about one hundred men, carried into
the woods near by and
HUNG TO A LIMB.
His executioners then emptied their
shot-guns and pistols into his body
as it swung suspended by rope,
and left it hanging 1t was rumored
that the negro confessed that he
was guilty before he was hung, but
the most reliable report is that he
was given no opportunity of con
Tossing or denying his guilt. His
general character was bad, and he
was once indicted for stealing hogs.
He was about 80 or 40 years old.
Harry Reed, the owner of the axe,
was released. A third party, Ky
Walker, colored, who was generally
thought to have been implicated
and possibly equally as guilty as
Warren, had been arrested, and in
the confusion incident to the lynch
inc he made his escaDe and skinned