Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-26
| lady with whom World correspondent

lady with whom Horid correspondents
was driving;
"Do YOU see that piece OF woods yon..
derY Well. down in the middle of that
once happened very celebrated murder.
Won have doubtless heard OF it. Mop Then
shall tell you?"
Yes and she proceeded with the story
n we drew rein before the stretch of dark
woodland lying before us toward the west:
"Once in ante-bellum days there lived
in Dinwiddie county n certain Colonel
Eppes, of very excellent family and social
condition. who had borrowed of MIR.
Mahon, wealthy citizen OF Petersburg.
some $4,000. Colonel Eppes was jolly,
rollcking sort of fellow, and lived on
splendid estate in splendid style down
there in Dinwiddie. So one day he invited
Mahon up TO his place for deer hunt. At
that time this woods in front OF us was
iull Of deer. which were not then,
ne they are now, confined 10 the re-
Cions across the James river. so 1t was
into these woods the next morning that
Eppes and Mahon came hunting, accom-
panied by an OLD body-servant OF Eppes;
Now comes the tragedy. They bad reached
q certain spotsome two miles from where
we are sitting when Eppes suddenly cooked
his Gun and coolly said to Mahon that he
was going 10 kill him, that be was not pre-
pared 10 pay the amount Of his indebted
ness, and moreover he had no idea OF
Good God' said the startled Mahon,
what do you meanY'
81 mean TO kill you. Mahon; so get
ready and he pointed his gun at the dn-
fortunate man.
"Mahon fell upon his knees and pleaded
for his life, crying like q child, that the
man whom be bad so bcfriended meant to
XII him. He offered to give Eppes re-
ceipt IN full for the amount Of his lndebt-
edness. saving that his wife and children
were dearer, far dearer to him than the
money. But il was all Of no avail. tppes
deliberately took aim and fred. Mahon
fell dead, with his hair and brains blown
over the woods and into the trees ana
then Eppes and the old negro buried HIM
there among the leaves, after taking from
his pocket q gold watch. That was pretty
cold-blooded murder, was 1t nott But
that IS not all.
"Fppes then went 10 New York and
wrote letters back TO Petersburg. the home
of Mahon, signing the name OF Mahon,
saving that he would 90 to Europe from
that point. Eppcs arranged that the let
ters should not be mailed until inter ne
had had time 20 reach his home IN Dln-
widd.e So home he went, and then on
went the letters TO Petersburg, ana thus
this dark thing over here IN the woods
Mahon was never heard from, but no
suspicion seemed 20 fall upon Eppes; who
belonged to one Of the +. +. VS. and was
very popular and prominent w'tbal.
"Soit NAV have gone on forever, but Tor
one thing. You remember sand that when
Mahon was killed Eppes took IRON the
pocket of the dead man a watch. Well, n
after vears fl daughter of Eppes grew mp,
raf.sl lty hDr fqf her mar
red a citizen Of Petersburg. and went
there to live. And one day she took the
watch 10 "A ieweller. b. name LUmsden, for
repairs. who recognized 1t as having been
sold by him 10 Mahon. and so told the lady.
She Immediately suspected her father OF
the murder of Nahon, and gave negro
his freedom to convey TO him the informa-
ton, and that for her sake, for her poor
dead mothers sake. for Gods sake, TO iiee
the country.
He did so. went to Texas. assumed the
name Of judge ---. claiming TO be a large
laud-holder in Virginia. For some reason,
however. letters of inquiry Were written
20 Virginia concerning him, which ultl-
mately resulted in his arrest. He was
found fiddling at a merry-maklng IN
hotel. brought back 20 Virginia, tried, con-
victod, and hanged.
$50 il was over there in the woods
continued my little friend, that they
brought that poor old negro ana
made him reveal the location Of the re-
mains of Nlahou. Not much OF him were
found but it was near stump, be-
meath the leaves. and IN a pool Of water,
and lily grew out Of it all And then
she laughed, this friend, a weird little
sought of uncanny laugh, whipped up the
horses. and we were soon rolling down the
ROADWAY.
But the grim old woods back of us look
ed black enough indeed. lust the place for
some foul deed. one would think had
they never known Of this. W. W.
l1he above evidently has reference to
the Epps-Boisseau murder case, and the
whole proceedings of the arrest, trial. and
conviction Of Epps have been published
in pamphlet form.