The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-09-24

SVs' Auui WOVeu 70 tennessee, ana had
never seen his brother.in-law Tom Taul
But after the death Of Mrs. Taul he re
tuned to Winchester, aud meeting Hop
kins L. Turney he asked him, seeming
casually, If he could pint out Ton
Taul. Mr.. Turney, looking across tho
corner Of the Square, saw 'raul standing
~ the door Of frame house-a store
just burned down the other lay--ant
pointed him out. Anderson, without
more, walked across to him aud askeC
him If he was Tom Taul, aud upon be
ing answered in the affirmative, shn
him and killed him.
Tbs trial came on in less Than II year
and Felix Grundy, with Hopkins L.
Iurncy and other leading lawyers, ap
peared to defend Anderson. Col Tau
had employed, among other distinguish
Ell lawyers To prosecute, Col. Sam
Laughlin, the most powerful prosecu
ting lawyer the State has ever had
10 the establishment Of everybody Mr..
Grundy selected and hm put on the
jury twelve leading citizens, who, i,
seemed, had formed no opinion. BY til,
time the trial was had the whole coun
ty was divided off aud arranged under
the respective banners Of the contend
ing families. The jury promptly re.
turned verdict of mot guilty" Up IL
the time the writer read law in 1916
with Col. Taul, he had never spoken t.
one Of the jury, and had never allowed
one OF them to sit on jury in IL case
where he was attorney, and this was al
most every case in court.
Time and again he has related to the
writer the history of each member OF
that jury, undertaking to show thu,
each one of them had in some way in
his loss Of property, or in his loss Of
reputation, or In his family been spec.
tally punished in this life In the cxag.
erations Of that great trial, and how the
verdict was accomplished, there are men
in this county now who have grown up
with its history who believe aud will
tell you that every man on the jury got
tract Of land for the verdict. This is
all fiction. The jury we're men of char.
acter, but selected because they were at
least not enemies of the Andersons, and
they were carried into the great error
by the eloqnence of the most wonderful
criminal lawyer the United States ever
produced.
The Taul trial produced social disin.
tegration in this community, and polit.
ical divisions, the traces Of which still
linger here, though all the actors are
long since dead. Twenty years after
the trial the community was socially di.
vided as if the occurrence was of recent
date. 1t was not only n controlling fac.
tor in politics, but it divided families
and often warmed the blood Of young
people when they would meet. Like
the Jews and the Gentiles, there were
but few inlermarrlagcs. The writer
was Wing, and, reading law under
Col. Taul, was, of course, on the Taul
side ; but. beinga little hcadstrong, he
broke over and married into IN Ander.
son household.
The deed executed by Mrs. Tanl pro.
duccd most exciting litigation in after
years. One Of the law suits, reported
in one Of the early Yergers, involved the
title on the lot on which the st. Cloud
Hotel stands in Nashville. 1t was de.
cidcd in favor of Taul as the heir of his
son, the court drawing the distinction
between Il joint estate and a deed to
husband and wife which is an zen
tircty."
The litigation about the property in.
volved brought out all the proof US to
the marital life of Mr.. and Mrs. Taul,
AID | trust, without giving offense to
any one at this late day, l may be per.
mitted to say showed the charge against
Tom Taul to be totally unfounded, and
that the deed was the voluntary act of a
loving wife who. on her dying bed, was
only bearing testimony of her husbands
affection and devotion to her iu her lin.
gering illness.
In 1913 Col. Taul moved to Alabama
and settled at Talladega, leaving fami
ly Of young children by second mar
riage. One of them, Mr.. Micah Taul
came back to Tennessee and read law
with the writer. He was most prom.
ising man and was elected Secretary Of
State Of Alabama, but died young Of
consumption.
This was the home of that distinguished ju.
rist, the Hon. Nathan Green, whose opinions
through n long period on the bench of the
Supreme Court, did 40 much to make Tenncs.
see law not only technically the law, but 10
weighted and frcightcd with common sense
that, like Marshall'S opinions, they speak for
themselves.
Judge Green came from Virginia to this
country when he had reached middle life
He settled, fsst in the country on the land OF
old Uncle Johnny Faris was plain in his
dress, wearing homespun; was not known for
two years AZ anything but farmer. Uncle
Johnny FariS got into lawsuit about ne.
gro, involving nice questions, and, when the
day of trial came, no little merrimCnt ~.
created by the old man bringing his ten
the farmer lawyer, in town to take charge OF
his case. The interest was intensified by III,
appearance, wearing badly fitting homcspun
At that bar, at that time, was Judge Isaacs
Frank Jones, Hopkins l.. Turney, with Other
able men, several of whom were conducting
the case against Faris. The trial of the cass
made the farmer lawyer great man in tina
community. In short time he was not onl,
at the head of the bar, but by common con
sent he was made Chancellor and then soor
put on the bench OF the Supreme Court, wher,
he 20 long distinguished himself. Judge Greer
left five sons and one daughter by his frs
marriage. His Oldest son was the celcbratet
Tom Green, soldier and statesman OF Texas
who was, beyond doubt, next to Sam Hous
ton in the affections Of the people at the tim,
Of his death, he having lost his life in tn,