The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-03-10
CORRESPONDENCE.
KENTUCKY VENGEANCE.


To the Editor of the Bdnner.-DEAR
SIR.-Jellico is cut by the State line be-
tween Kentucky and Tennessee, with the
post Office in the l3tter State. The L..
and N, the E, T. V. and c., the Proctor
and the Bird Eye railroads meet here. 1t
is the centre of a vast coal section. These
mountains have as many as six workable
seams of excellent coal all high enough
above the valley to run the coal down
immense shoots to the loading places.
There are thousands of miners in this
vicinity. The late miners war involved
Jellico, for it was here that the mails
were stopped and the trains captured
and run by the miners who had some
cause for their hard feelings though they
might not have been wise In the rome
dies attempted.
But / took my pen to write of other
disturbing influences.
A few weeks ago young lady, Miss
Nadia Bryant, was assaulted on the
highway about one and half miles
north of JellicO, about o clock in the
morning, and in the desperate struggle
with her satanic enemies she lost her
life. An approaching engine frightened
the wretches away. Several arrests were
made, white and colored. The gran
certain that three men were in the foul
affair. A negro had attempted to drag
another young lady from her horse that
morning near the spot. Leu Tye, negrS
ex-conVict rapist was strongly suspected.
She could not positively swear to him.
Much testimony was against him. He
was taken to the spot, = rope put round
his neck; he denied the murder, but
knew who did it-PaXton, white man.
Tye was taken back to Jail and Paxton
was hunted up. But though both were
indicted by the grand jury neither was
convicted on trial. The grand jury be-
lieve these two and third man did the
deed. Well, last Tuesday night young
lady, Mamie Belle Cecil of Huntsville,
got off the train and with her aunt, Mrs.
Sally Nassengale, attempted to go about
six miles To where the young lady's
mother lived. On the way they were
met by negro, not half mile from
where the Bryant girl met her death.
He drew revolver and demanded the
girls honor or her life, telling her the
Bryant girls fate and assuring them
that an old house near by was not in
habited. The girl tore of part of his
coat sleeve in th struggle, but the shin.
ing pistol and death near by-Who shall
judge Che poor frightened souls. On
Friday he was found and on Saturday a
preliminary trial took place where 200
men heard the women tell their terrible
story. Several negroes and white men
were witnesses. One white man swore
he lived in the old house near by and
heard the women's cries, and the threats
of the negro, knew all that was done and
yet the coward did not dare interfere
lest he should be shot. Out on such a
bastard. The trial ended at clock at
night, with binding over the negro
Robert Payne-to the County Conrt
But at o'clock crowd of men took
hiM away from the officers and hung
him. He not only confessed this crime
but said that Tye and Paxton were the
murderers of Miss Bryant. They are
being searched for again. Payne's body
was left hanging until nearly noon on
Sunday, when it was cut down by Miss
Cecil.
enclose with this photo" of the
hanging man, near the iron railroad
bridge, crossing the Elk Fork half mile
north of Jellico.
L. G. PARTRIDGE.
Accompanying this letter is photo
graph as stated, and it has excited con-
siderable interest in the Office. ED.