Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-12-04
WHO STRUCK BILLY PAT
TERSON?
4 Singular Claim on IA False Foun-
dation Exploded by Investigation.

dation Exploded by Investigation.
A telegram repeating an old story Is
about to start on its rounds again. aud
was received NJ this office yesterday.
The story rs told holds out prospect
OF 4 solution to the mystery OF who
struck Billy Patterson" but unfortun-
ately for those who are very curious to
TO have the query answered, the narra-
tive is not founded on the bedrock of
truth. 1t rs to the effect that Mr.. Will
lam Patterson. the father OF Nine.
Bonaparte who was a prominent and
respected Baltimore merchant was the
Billy Patterson who received the
mythical blow. and that he offered n
reward OF 81, 900 in his will for the dis.
coyerey of the r,rpetrator of the as
sault The story goes on to describe
the blow rs having been given in
Franklin County. Georgia, in 1887, the
narrator being ignorant that that was
TWO years after the Baltimore mer~
chants death. 1t is related that ne
owned land there which he had bought
up on foreclosures of mortgages &Nhat
in the course OF riot. in which he
wanted 10 act rs peaeemaker. he was
felled by blow which so injured him
that Mr.. Patterson left the reward to
CONTINUE THE SEARCH
for him even after his death. A Mrs
rennie a. Corey, OF Athol. Warren
County, n. y. comes forward rs tho
daughter of the man who struck Billy
Patterson, and wants q finger in this
mythical $1,000
The story, as it comes from u corre-
spondeut in Atlanta, Ca, says: ''Mr
Patterson's will containing the clause
perpetuating the reward offered for the
discovery of the man who had struck
him, is on record IN the office of the
clerk OF the court in tho counties of
Franklin and Ebert Mrs. Corey writes
10 the ordinary OF Franklin County rs
follows:
"My father struck Billy Patterson.
1t was great many years ago, or at
least | suppose 1t was, rs | was very
small child when he told me about it.
He is dead now. As near as can find
ont he was wild and mischievous when
Young. and ran away from his home in
| Vermont where he was born and rails
ed by tender parents. He was of
rowing disposition, and among other
places which he visited was Franklin
County. Georgia. As he was fond of
sport he attended most of the public
affairs. He attended the one in Geor-
gia--l say the one In Georgia, because
| he left Georgia rs soon rs possible, and
never returned to see how Billy Patter-
son came ont. He said when the row
begun and Mr., Peacemakcr rs he call
ed Billy. stuck his name in to break up
the sport. he Just leyeled him. and
dug out as soon As possible, and
LEFT GEORGIA FOREVER
| He went TO Cleveland. Ohio, and rs he
grew older and wiser he began TO grow
stricter. and became as good an en-
| gineer as was ever on the road, and
run fifteen years on one road. besides
| others Nv mother went from this
place 10 OHIO and married my father.
| aud / was born there. We came back
| here to live. NV fathers name was
/ George w. Tillcston. He never knew
| there WAS n will made, and ] am not
sure that he would have cared TO have
told. as he had money enough; but ~
am mn invalid might ns we'll have
the money ii II is still offered, The
ordinary OF Franklin County has had
transcript OF the viii taken, and has
forwarded ii to Mrs Corey. ut Athol,
N. Y. The next step will probably be-
u demand upon the representatives of
the late Mr.. Patterson for the money.
and in the event of n refusal TO pay
it. the matter will become a subject of
litigation in one Of the United States
| district courts Of New York.
| Mr.. Pattersons will may be of rec
ord in the counties of Franklin and Ell
bert, Ca, If he had land or other pos
sessions thore, but the origlnil win is
OF record IN the Register of Wills Of
| ice in Baltimore. where it WIS hunted
up By q SIN reporter, and found to
contain no such clause as described
In the Georgia story. Tho will is u
very Yoluminous document. 1t is pa
per which has often been quoted from.
and is in some sense historical. II was
made in 1927, with various codscils up
to the time OF his death. The will was
proved in February, 1885, a few days
after his death From The baltimore
! SIN.