Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-14
Iron MAN" AN ISSUE.
THE KING GEORGE FIND LIKELY
TO GEE INTO COURT.
Two Claimants to the Relic-Ihe
Recollection of Old Citizens-Per-
sonnl POints-The Assessments
Seeking Homes-CriticaIlyI Ill.
0corresnondence OF the DIspatch.)


VA, July i3-The "caged skeleton dug
I'D near the courthouse OF this county
last week, and described in Sundays Dis
match. continues to attract sightseers from
many directions The Iron man,
as it IS called. is not only the prime
curiosity and leading topic, but may bring
about a lawsuit Of no ordinary proper
tions. As stated in this correspondence
a week ago. Mr.. w. ii. III. Cawood Is
road surveyor and was repairing the
public highway with a force or men
when the ironclad human skeleton was
unearthed Whether or not one or Two
of the men then and there set up claim
to the bleached remains OF the executed
darby, Mr.. Cawood carried the Urea
sure 10 his own home, some two or
three miles away. and invited newspaper
men, doctors, lawyers, ana others 10
inspect it, For days and days curious
crowds thronged to Mr.. Gatewoods yard,
beheld the sight" and theoriZed and
| coniectured Meanwhile, Mr.. X. ii. HUG
| son. a well-to-do citizen OF the county,
who owns the land on both sides
| OF the road where the skeie-
| ton was found, sets up ms
| claim to the "iron man." and notines
| cawood not TO dispose or II, but 10 re-
turn it forthwith to his premises. MT
| Hudson says he has known since tne
| spring Of :S59 that the remains OF deah
| men lay buried at the spot where inns
| skeleton was unearthed, ana Claims 'Ha.
| the land and everything thereon ana
therein is his private property, except
| the right of way to the public. In this
| opinion many people agree with Mr.. Hud-
| son, but Mr.. Cawood is as yet quite I'M
| able to see II I'm that way, and therefore
| refuses TO return the "bones" OF conten-
| ton TO Mr.. HudsOns premises. but on
the contrary proposes TO get thousands
and thousands" of dollars out Of his re-
markable find. IL possible.
PROSECUTION THREATENED.
Mr.. Hudson told the Dispatch CORE
spondent the other day that the value
! Of the skeleton, or why he wanted II
back on his land. was a matter or no
| concern to any one, but 1t belonged to him,
and IL should be brought back, or else
he would proceed to prosecute Mr.. Ca
| wood TO the fullest extent Of the law.
| The fact that Mr.. Cawood and Mr.. Hud-
| son are both stubborn. determined men,
| and that they have declared their pur-
| poses in this matter, lends great public
! Interest to the controversy, and the Iron
| man" has already kicked up bigger sem
satlon I'm the county than any half dozen
ordinary live darkies could have done in
the same length of time.
While the absence of index 10 old-;inle
court records has so far rendered Il I'M
| possible to find positive data relative to
| the execution of any one in .h's county,
who was subsequently hung up In irons
as a terrible spectacle. the theory ed
| vanced in this correspondence week
| ago is still regarded as the mos. plausi-
BILE. AS then stated, the story CT the
hanging OF negro named Emanuel, and
OF the subsequent suspendins IN the air
In an iron cage Of his remains, is stu
fresh in the memory of many Of our old
citizens, whose ancestors witnessed the
horrible scene. And as there 10 no .e-
gend of any similar disposition having
ever been made of any other criminal
here il is no longer doubted that the
recently found skeleton vs. that OF the
desperate Emanuel, wh) was executed
for the murder Of dis master, L1nshJin
Harrison, once a prominent citizen "
this county. Some % OEr people hOiI t.
the theory, however. rhG5 this murifrf
was not hanged dead ar all. put that he
was suspended in The air alive IN the iron
outfit, and there starved AMI rerished,
but there Is no evidence Of tus one case
of gibbeting in this county. desperate
negro named Jared. was some time in
the eighteenth century nailed to tree.
and there remained Until he starved TO
death, and this took place on farm
near the Potomac river. some seve1 or
eight mhes north of whore 'he skeleton
was found last week. The place where
this cruel execution TOOK place - 10 this
day known as "Jareds level" and some
of our present inh1bitlrts claim 20 have
seen the tree, AMI fixtures attached 10 1t,
since 1890. the tree, etc. berg In z &C.
caying condition .hah, OF course.