Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-05
THE DODGE COUNTY CONSPIRACY.

city and vicinity. IL streGrS to ns circulation
No other Washington paper has yet done this
THE DODGE COUNTY CONSPIRACY.
An Account OF the Killing of Capt. Forsyth
While Seated In His Home.
PROMINENT GEoRGIASs ON TRIAL FOR MURDER
ALL THE EVIDENCE sUBxIrTED-aREAT INTER.
EST THROUGHOUT rHE SOUTH IN THE cAsE-AI-
LEGGED CONSPIRACY OF rrMBKR THIEVES
The murder trial which has been in progress
at Macon, Ca, has been of peculiar interes,
ffom the fact that Of the five conspirators
one. Col. Luther A. Hall. is a distinguished
lawyer, man Of property and has frequently
served in the state legislature, while another
Col Lancaster. is high sheriff of Dodge county
The remaining three are the tools of the two
mentioned. The second popularity is that
this Is one of the few cases for which United
States court infiicts tine death penalty.
HISTORY OF TIE CASE.
Following are the facts in the case. On the
evening of October Capt. John C. Forsyth,
agent Of the Normandale Lumber Company,
was assassinated while seated in the library OF
his home, Normandale, Ga. presumably by
Rich Lowry. aims Herring, supposed to be a
member of the notorious Lowry family of Mis-
sissippi. The murder OF Forsyth the out
come of a sort OF guerilla warfare conducted
for several years by a number of the residents
OF Normandale against the company, which is
really owned by the firm of Hilton Dodge of
81 New street. New York.
The firm is the owner of about 800 600 acres of
valuable pine lands in Telfair. Dodge. Mont
g0mery and Lsnrens counties, Ga, extending
from the Oconee river to the Ocmulgee. both of
which Join and form the Altamaha river. 1t is
valuable tract of woodland. inasmuch as
Georgia pinecommands high price, and there
are patches here and there which yield large
revenues from pitch ard turpentine.
THE LUMBER THIEVES THREATS.
Mr.. Norman w. Dodge Of the firm of Hilton
4 Dodge has just gone to New York from the
year he has spent among the pines of Georgia,
ard that he is alive today is due largely TO his
good fortune. for he has been picked out many
times for death. He has received many threat
ing letters. and as result his tours of inspec-
ton over the property of the company had to be
conducted with the utmost secrecy. Even at
such times he literally carried his life in his
hands. for at any moment he might have been
shot ut from behind tree by one of the out
laws.
Years ago the Arm Of Hilton q Dodge organ
lied the Normandale Lumber Company and
began the purchase of pine lands in the coun-
ties mentioned. After 800 600 acres had been
acquired the tronbles began. Normandale had
grown rapidly and the other and smaller towns
felt the impetus of the investors. Business was
booming. Mills were built in all directions.
employment was given to thousands of men
aud hundreds of RATS floating on the rivers
told of the push and enterprise of the company
Ii was Just at the time when the company was
corgratulating itself on the success OF its in
vestinent that the conspiracy was first discoy-
cred. The resident agent ut that time was not
over careful and consequently the conspirators
were enabled to conduct their depredations
with more than ordinary boldness. They cut
down acres of the best pine trees, made
them into logs, foated them down the
streams and actually sold them to the company s
representatives,, who were unaware of the rob-
berries.
TRACKING THE THIEVES.
Informal ton was conveyed to Mr.. Dodge and
an Investigation followed He found that the
various titles to the land held by the company
extended as far back as 1896, and we're abso-
lutely withouta flaw. Detectives were hired
agents were changed, and he learned the names
of some of the men who we're despoiling the
forests Suits were Immediately brought
against them. but in the courts they produced
titles and transfers which seemed at the time
to endow them with certain rights and so the
trials Jagged. the firm bending every endeavor
to iathom what they firmly believed was a con-
spiracy of considerable dimensions
Through their detectives they learned that
the firm of j. W. Burke & Co., paper manufac-
turers in Macon, had made in 1882. in response
to an order from some of the leading men of
Normandale, a quality of paper suitable for
deeds, bearing an ancient appearance. The
paper was smoky, dingy and frayed, and the
handwriting was calculated to deceive the
casual reader. This paper was used in making
deeds bearing dates far back as 1884. 1t was
in 1887 that this was first discovered, and from
that time until the past summer all the actions
having gone against them the conspirators con-
Quoted a constant warfare against the company
and its agents. During the early fall the anony-
nous threatening notes directed to Mr.. Dodge
increased in number, and at last the writers
declared that Capt. Forsyth would be killed at
an early date and that other deaths, including
his own, would soon follow.
CAPT. FORSYTH AssAssINATED.
On the evening Of October z Capt. Forsyth
reached his home, tired and exhausted from a
long journey. He sat in his library reading.
His back was toward the window. All the sur
roundings were favorable for an assassination
the house was isolated and wayfarers were not
about Lowry, the alleged murderer, and the
one whom it has since transpired was hired 10
do the job, crept up to the window with a
double-barreled shotgun in his hands. He
took careful aim. pulled both triggers and For
syth fell over on the floor dead. the upper hall
of his head literally shot of by the heavy
charge of buckshot-
An alarm was instantly given, and the chase
which followed. under direction Of Sheriff Lam
caster, lasted several days. The officers re-
turned from the swamps, saving they had
traced the crime home to Andrew j. Reneau,
who. resisting arrest, was shot dead. This story
the federal officers did not believe. The de-
tectives hired by the company and the state
searched everywhere for a clue, but they failed
Then the state offered 81 600 reward and the
company duplicated it.
LEM BuRCH's CONFESSION.
No one doubted that the land thieves and the
writers of the letters had hand in the crime
but there was no direct evidence discriminating
them until Lem Burch. one OF the number
while lying ON his bed, stricken with paralysis
which ensued two days after the murder, told
tie whole story and revealed the name Of the
murderer. He said that Rich Lowry committed
the crane and that he had been hired to do it,
Fur thermore he declared that Lowry was the
noted outlaw Bob Brewer. for whose body. deao
or alive. there are several standing rewards IN
the southern states.
Burch confessed that he hired and housed
the murderer for weeks before he did the deed
pointed ont the victim. and welcomed back hii
slayer, while. hguratiyely speaking, the life
blood of Forsyth was still upon his hands. To
day Burch is slowly dying, repentant. sorrow
stricken man.
CLEMENTS ooSFEssEs.
The evidence of Burch. while it fastened The
crime on Lowry, might have been considered
lacking in some points had il not been for the
confession of Charles Clements, a young man Of
respectable parents. who had joined the lanc
thieves in moment of recklessness aud who
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