The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-13
CRUEL AS DEFINING.
MOSES CATIONS INDUSTRIOUS
CRIMES AVENGED By FARMERS.

When Tired OF Them-And Fed the
Bodies OF Children to Birds and
Beasts-His Sons Initiate Him and
Die Violent Deaths With Their
Father.
Louisville (Hy.) Cor. st. Louis Post Dispatch
The career of Deeming, the murderer,
brings to Kentuokians' minds that Of Moses
Cation. They are similar in atrociousness
Moses Cation was born in Henderson county,
Kentucky, May s. 1889. of respectable par
ents.. He was educated in the country
schools. He joined Old Highland Baptist
church when a youth and claimed full fell
lowship the day Of his death.
When but boy his father notified the
merchants Of Morgandeld to give full credit
to all his sons but Nose, but only to sell
Nose goods for cash or on a written order
from him. The other sons are prosperous
and respectable men, now living near where
| they were born.
When Nose was not quite 81 he was ar
rested for attempted rape on Mary Ann
Wade, girl IL or 10 years old. The case
was settled, as no injury was done.
Nose soon left his kindred and went TO
| live in Coon county, an unsettled wildwood
skirting Highland. The denizens of Coon
| county depended on hunting trapping and
timber working. There was little farming
and less industry. There were few churches
and no schools, The people were honest,
ignorant and without ambition. In this
| territory Nose was king. He was hated
| but he was feared.
In April, 1862, he married Melvina Willis.
| She bore him seven children. Twins died
in infancy, and the third child died.
Thomas Berry, who afterward became his
| brother-in-law, was living with Nose at the
| time. He said: "Mose, let me and brother
John go and get coffin to bury the baby
| i'm
"No." replied Nose. "You 20 to work,
will attend to that"
| GAVE HIS BABY TO THE BUZZARDs.
Shortly afterward Berry saw Cation going
| to slough with the child wrapped up in a
handkerchief When he went to dinner the
child was gone. A few days afterward he
saw ouzzards on a tree in the slough and
| went there. He found the skeleton of
| child. Berry showed the chlld's frame to
| the mother. IL was never buried. The first
wife when dying told Mrs. W. J. Williams
| to look on her back when she was dead and
she would find what caused her death. Ex-
animation of the corpse showed great welts
and bruises. She died in October, 1875.
! Nose married Nancy Berry the latter
part of 1876. She died on April 20, 1877.
there was no child, and current whisper
was of violence. Cation bought some hogs
| or w. A. Powell and quarrel followed.
| Cation went to his house and shot him as he
came from his door, while Cation was be-
| hind tree. Cation dashed into a crowd of
negroes and inflicted wounds on an old ne
gro cripple, Louis Tyson, from which he
never fully recovered. A warrant was
sworn out against him for that offense, and
| when the officer went to serve it, Nose met
| him with his rife leveled and cooked and
made the officer chew the warrant. He
started to spit it out, but Nose made him
swallow it, and then made him say it was
| good.
His word was superior to law in Coon
county. Adam Martin, an old negro, bought
gun from John Holland, who owed Nose
| So, Nose went 70 Adam and asked to see
the gun. It was given to him and he said,
This is my gun, :" and walked out with it,
The negro went to Esquire James v. Lilly
and swore out a warrant. This was put in
the hands of Sheriff John e. Hickman to
serve. When the officers called for the gun
| Nose refused to surrender It and told him to
| get out of the woods. He started for his
rife and Hickman ordered him to stop or he
would fire.
Nose replied. Sire and be -" and
kept on.
Hickman fired, the ball taking effect In
/ the house and Hickman tried to fire again,
| but his pistol refused to revolve. He walked
to his horse and as he was mounting Cation
came to the door with his rifle Ia hand and
cried out:
Nov, I've got you, - you" and fired.
the ball cutting through Hickman's coat
| near the waist. Nose fell, the blood gush-
| ing from the bullet hole in his breast Hick-
man left him and delivered himself to Es-
| Quire Lilly, saying he was ready for trial
| Esquire Lilly went to Cations and was re-
| fused admission until he assured Nose that
| he had no papers to serve. When he went
in he found Nose proppsd up ia bed with
| two guns lying on the bed beside him on the
half-cock. Nose said:
"Do you see those gunsi They have vine.
| gar in them, and the man who tries to ar
rest me will drink it"
Esquire Lilly replied: "Caton, have
come to try to arrange your difficulty with
Hickman. He has nothing against you"
Nothing against mel l should say notn
snorted Nose "But I have somsthing
against him and we will come to settle
ment some of these days"
Nothing could be done with him Ia his
| wounded condition, although the magistrate
| did not think he was as badly wounded as
he pretended. A few days afterward he
left the country. Nose kept old Adams
gun, however.
POlSONhD hbh fOobAND FOR NOSE,
Following this there we're four indIct-
| ments against Nose for minor offenses. He
boldly went to the city Of Henderson to de-
liver a load Of hoops, and was then arrested
by Hickman and his deputies He offered
no resistance, and gave the bonds.
Nose needed a mate. His devil nature
was not satisfied with ordinary women. A
tiger is out of place welded to a ewe Liv-
ing near Nose was Jack Fritz, who had a
buxom wife. by name Josie. She was not
the housewife the sturdy German desired.
Her morals were unhinged. She knew
Nose and often met him. One day passers
by the patch of Jake heard a groan and
found him doubled up in fence corner.
He said Jose had just given him his dinner.
He died in few hours. Poison was the
verdict. Josie went to live with Nose.
There was no marriage. Two so well mated
did not consider divine decree or civil law
necessary for them to enjoy each other
This was in 1881.
They were brought before Esquire Lilly
charged with adultery, and the evidence Of
his children-John, Wesley, Annie and
Tom-cleared them. Annie Cation is re-
sponsible for the statement that two chill
dreu born to Nose and Josie at different
times were fed TO the hogs. The story was
corroborated by circumstantlal evidence.
Many of Moses acts had won him the en-
nifty Of his fellowman. Mated to She
devil he plotted with her and planned more