Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1884-02-28
BAD BLOOD.
A SOUTHERN TRAGEDY FELT IN THE
SAGINAW VALLEY.

A SOUTHERN TRAGEDY FELT IN THE
SAGINAW VALLEY.
Information was receive FriGny,re
garding tragedy which occurred at
Macon, Ga., on Tuesday night. where
by II. &. Turpin, a former eside t OF
Saginaw, was stabbed i'm quarrel and
kille by JohI Burnett. who also re-
sided ut the latter place few years
since and still has relatives living there,
Turpin and Burnett were rival sewing
machine agents. John Burnett and
his brother, Tobias. also a former Sag
ilawian. went to Turpin's office and
dem ,nded a -etraction Of epithets APP
piled by the latter to John Burnett
Tu pin refused, whereupon lie was
stabbed four times in the arm, an ar.
terry being severed. he diod on tn
sa ne day. Th, Burnrtts we're arrest
e and at the preliminary trial john
vas Admitted to...beil in $4,000 on a
char - of voluntary manslaughter.
auH Tobe was ad niited 70 bail in 81,
90 on - cha ge of assault with intent
to kill. i here had been bad feeling
exi'tinG between John Burnett and n
&. ,Furpin for several months both
p rites +. Dreseuting q iTer,nt sewin-
machine companies. Sa urday, Bur
nett sent a negro TO Turpin for Il Ii owe
instruction book. Turpin remark ed
TO clcrk'n the store that he would
not send the - one if he had
hundred. Tuesday evening John Bar
nett and his brother Tobe armed them
selves and went 10 Turpin'S office, wait
ing half an hour for his ar:i "a, with
the result stated above.
Yesterdays Courier says: John Bur
nett, the principal in the affair, came
TO this CITY some y;ars ago from De
troit, where he had been in the employ
of the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Ma
chine Go. as collector. His home is in
Georgia, where lie had lived prior TO
coming TO Michigan. He assume II
position as agent and collector for the
Singer Sewing Machine Co. here, the
Office being then in charge OF Charles
Winans. lie was regarded as gen.
tlemanly young man by his associates
and friends, and was great favorite
with ALL While in the ofii:e he be-
came acquainted with and afterwards
married Miss Josie Herb, with whom
he lived happily. He was in Charge OF
the Office about n month after Mr. Wi
mans left as speci ogent of the com
pany. The victim of the TRACE ~, II
G. Turpin, was also connected with
the East Saginaw Office, being employ
ed as adiuster and for ii weeks hav
I ing charge of the office. Burnett ant
Turpin were OH the most friendly tervi
during their residence i'm this city, be
, ing regarded as cronies." In Sep
tember, 1852, Burnett removed will
, his wife 10 Macon, Turpin following
r short time a'ttiward There lie friend
{ ship existing between the two Inei
: seems to have ceased, both being agent
, for rival companies, Burnett being i
, the employ of Burr Brown, who ha
I the Ngencyiof a number of sewing ma
{ chimes, the principal ones being TN
e Household and Domestic. Turpin wa
e in the employ of II. j. Anderson
c Co.. engaged in selling the White an
; New Home machines. Both men b,
ing imbued with the blood of the sout
e were ,.aturally impetuous and hot ten
;. pered, and a slight misunderstanding
), probably arising cut of soine busines
e transaction, has led to the terrible r,
: suit stated above. Turpin, shor
S time ago, publicly horsewhipped Bur
e Brown, Burnett's employer, on tn
{ streets of Macon. A letter from Bul
4 nett, written on the 26th ult., was see