The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-18

t"suo-' "SIn very young, went 20 Ie1as nie
father had lived in Georgia, Alabama and Missis
sippi, and my father was born in one of those
States. l am not sure, but / think he was born
in Georela, possibly near Atlanta. In Novem,
per. Ioo4, ne was married to Miss Margaret 7.
Inurma nla mother. am twenty-seven
my, father was elected first lieutenant
under Capt Jim Taylor, of Larissa
Cherokee county, Texas. He served through the
war. and in the fall of 1865 he removed from
CneroKee to johnson county with his family.
which consisted of himself, wife, three children
ana my aunt He bought a farm a few miles
east OF Cie6urne, and during the year 1866 was
not out OF johnson county, except one trip to
Ellis county, Texas. He lived on his farm there
until the winter of 1870. He sold out and moved
to Cleburne, where he resided two years. He
then bought a farm in Somervell county, on
the Brazos. He lived there three years, and
while there his wife died. He then removed
with MS children TO Brown county, and from
there to McCulloch county; and in December,
1879, he was married to a lady living at Mount
Calm. Limestone county. Her maiden name
was ADAMS, but she was a widow when he mar
rled her, and her name was Mrs. Bell Harden.
They llved at Mount Calm until February, 1883,
when they removed to San Angelo, Tex He
never made his home in Fort Worth a day in his
life, nor ever run a hotel anywhere. His name
was Joseph Warren Pierce, son of David Pierce;
but somehow. when a child, got the pet name OF
Woodle, which, when he grew to manhood, was
shortened to Mood. and he was known all over
Texas as Wood Pierce. and there are hundreds of
people In Texas that will testify in any court to
the truth of what | say"
''When did he leave for Georgia on his last
tripg"
Il don't remember the exact date, but / saw
the day before he started. He was at Stark
wether's pasture, in Coleman county, getting out
his stock. He had selected about eighty head of
horses. Part were branded ID. O. d. on the left
thigh and S. 0. N. on the right. Some were
branded with a single d.. on the left hip. Others
had VII on the left shoulder. l have seen some
of the horses since. have been here and recog-
nize them as having been my fathers. My father
started to ship to Florida, but changed his mind,
and from Shreveport wrote my step-mother
that If she needed anything to lot him know at
Atlanta"
How did you hear of the accident in which
your father was killed2"
Isl think it was Mr.. w. o. Jones who tele-
graphed about it to John Nasworthy. ny fathers
partner at San Angelo. My step-mother lived
~ffty-five miles further on at Fort McCavett. A
telegram was sent to Manardville and was then
sent by hand twenty-five miles to her. / had
charge OF a cow outfit in Concho county. and she
telegraphed me. That telegram had to be taken
back by hand to Manardville, and was sent by
wire to Coleman City. 1t then came by hand to
me seventy-6ve miles. | went to see my step
mother, and found that before l had received
the news Of the accident. my father had been
uliC "A oOOh do l. CDulu tudh0 my arrange
ments to leave | came on, and my step motheri is
coming, and will be here in a day OR two. Al
though the government telegraph lines to the
fort go near her home. she is a long distance from
a railroad. She had to travel l55 miles by pri-
vate conveyance before she could take the train. -
How far was your fathers home from Fort
WORTH"
Three hundred miles"
Mr.. Pierce said further:
"My father was never in Indiana that I know
of, and was never shot in his life. l Know moth
ing of any scar on his neck, but if there is any
there it was made by a boil. AS to his writing
letters, | may say he was not educated at all.
could not write his own name, and could not
read it after it was written. The mare Gypsy
was sent to his partner. as also was the saddle
that he always used, and that his acquaintance
all knew. There can be no mistake about his
identity. NY mother had four children, who
are living, my step-mother had one after her
marriage to my father and two by her first hus-
band"
There is also in the city Mr.. M. W. Thompson,
of Gordon, Tex. He is a son-in-iaw Of Mr.. j.
w. Pierce. He says he knows people in Fort
Worth who knew both Weaver aud Pierce. He
says that the Fort Worth people say Weaver dis
appeared from there after the scandal, and where
he is is not known there. Meantime Mr.. Lovelady
is still ready to bet five to one that the body at
Westview is not that Of Weaver. The body has
been buried again. At the banks here and
wherever Mr.. Pierce had occasion to sign his
name he ssSned it with an TX" His partner,
Mr.. Nasworthy, will be here with Mrs. Pierce.
E. NJ. Heath, vice president of the National
bank at Cleveland, Tex, is in the city on bust
ness. Touching the identity of the corpse he
said: II knew J. w. Pierce, or Wood Pierce, as
we called him, Tor twenty years, and believe
that / have seen him every year in the twenty.
Most of the time l have seen him every month.
1t is simply and literally impossible that he
should have been Weaver"
"HoW do Won know that the cornse buried is
that of PierceF'
Because l know that he came to Atlanta to
sell stock, that it was his carload of stock that
was here, and because Mr.. Lovelady, a Texas
stock man, who is here now. saw Pierce in At
lanta just before he was killed. Pierce had
shipped his stock originally to Shreveport, but
hearing that Lovelady had shipped to Atlanta,
he shipped here also. They were together in
Atlanta constantly, and as Lovelady said to me
this morning, suppose I was to leave here now,
and 60 back to Texas, and you we're to get killed,
could anybody convince ME that | had not seen
you in Atlantal Well, that is just the way by
my seeing Pierce here. / was with him con-
stantly. Mr.. Lovelady is q man of character,
and what he says may be relied on"
Mr.. W. +. Patillo says. II have known Mr..
Heath a long time. knew him in Texas, where
he stands as high as any man. / met Pierce
when he was here, had several conversations
him. and he certainly was familiar with all
the people that l knew in Texas"
In reSaru 10 the story Lnat MT. y. W.. Flerce
wrote a letter, which he signed j. p. Weaver, to
Mrs. Weaver the day before hs left on the
Georgia Pacific, Mr.. Heath says that j. w.
Pierce could not write, and that he invariably
made his cross-mark instead of signing his name,
and that it was therefore impossible that he
should have written the letter.
How do You account then for Mrs. Weaver's
storyf"
II have seen Mrs. Weaver, and she is un-
doubtedly a lady of high character. am sorry
for her, but it is simply a case of mistaken
1t is not possible that j. w. Pierce
was the man known as Weaver in Indianapolis.
Wood Pierce was known in Texas from ono end
of the State to the other, and his history for the
past twenty years can be established by hun
dreds of witnesses. Ell have no interest in the
matter at all, except such interest as any friend
of his would have. You could not be more certain
of the identity of your closest friend than l am
of Pierce's."