The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-10-09
WHO STRUCK BILLY PAT
TERSON?
A Singular Claim on False FOun-
datiOn Exploded by Investigation.

telegram repeating an old story is
about to start on its rounds again, and
was received at this office yesterday.
The story as told holds out a prospect
of a solution to the mystery OF "Who
struck Billy Patterson" but unfortun-
ately for those who are very curious to
10 have the query answered, the narra-
tive is not founded on the bedrock of
truth. 1t is TO the effect that Mr.. Will
lam Patterson, the father of Nine.
Bonaparte. VINO WAS n prominent aud
respected Baltimore merchant, was The
Billy Patterson" who received the
mythical blow, and that he offered Il
reward of s 900 in hi; will for the dis
coverey of the pcrpetrator of the as
saulL The story goes on to describe
the blow as having been given in
Franklin County. Georgia. in 1857. the
narrator being ignorant tha; ihat WAS
two years after the Baltimore mer-
chants death. Ii is related that ne
owned land there which he had bought
up on foreclosures OF mortgages; that
in the course of riot in which h
wanted to act as pcaccmaker, he wa
felled by blow which SO injured him
that Mr.. Patterson left the reward to
CONTINUE TIE SEARCH
for him even after his death. A Mrs.
| Tcnnic A. Corey, of Athol, Warren
County. n. Y, comes forward rs the
daughter of the man who struck Billy
Patterson. and wants finger in this
mythical $1,000.
The story, as it comes from q CORE
spondent in Atlanta. Ga, says: MIR.
/ 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 tffice of the
clerk of the court in the counties OF
Franklin and Ebert Mrs. Corey writes
10 the ordinary OF Franklin County as
| follows:
My father struck Billy Patterson.
1t was great many Years ago, or al
| least | suppose il was, as was d very
small child when he told me about it.
| He is dead now. As near as can find
out he was wild and misc, ievous when
Young, and ran away from his home in
| Vermont, where he was born and rails
ed by tender parents. He was of q
rowing disposition, and among Other
| places which he visited was franklin
| County, Georgia. As he was fond oi
| sport he attended most OF the public
affairs. He attended the one in Geor.
| gia-I say the one in Georgia, because
he lett Georgia Us soon rs possible, anC
never returned 10 see how Billy PItter-
| son came out. He said when the row
| oeyun and Mr.. Peaccmaker, as he call,
! eli Billy, stuck his name in to break III
the sport. hs just leveied him, anC
dug out" as soon as possible, and
LEFT GEORGIA FOREVER.
II went to C.cve.and, Ohio. and as ht
| grew older and wiser he began to grow
| strlcter. and became as good an en-
| gineer as was ever on the road, and
run fifteen years On one road, beside:
others. Nv mother went from thi:
| place 10 Ohio and married my father
/ and ! was born there. We came bacs
here 10 live. My fathers name wa:
George W. Tilleston. He never knew
there was a will made. and l am no
| sure that he would have cared to have
told. as he had money enough; but i:
| am al invalid / might as well have
the money if it is still offered. The
ordinary of Franklin County has had ,
| transcript of the will taken, and ha.
forwarded 1t to Mrs. Corey, at Athol
n. Y. The next step will probably bt
a demand upon the representatives o
the late Mr.. Patterson for the money
and. in the event of q refusal to pa,
it. the matter will become a subject o.
litigation in one of the United States
district courts of New York" f"
Mr.. Patterson's will NAV be of rec
ord in the counties of Franklin and F..
bert, Ga, if he had land or other nos
sessions there, but the original will i,
of record in the Register of Wills of
flee in Baltimore. where il was hunted
up by 81 Sam reporter, and found Il
contain no such clause as described
in the Georgia story. The will is I
very voluminous document. 1t is n pa
per which has often been quoted from
and is in some sense historical. 1t wa
made in 1927, with various codicils ur
to the time of his death. The will wal
proved in February, 1885. few day:
after his death.-FrOm the BaltilRor
| SIll