Evening journal., 1897-11-01
1873.
DAVID EVERHART
Was Born IN october.
Murdered Sept. %, 1910.
r73

:...........................
There is a tragic story connected
with the death of Everhart that was
well known to 1hc generation that has
all but passed away, and in this manner
has been handed down to the present
time.
Everhart came to Kentucky from
North Carolina with a party OF adven-
thrers. and for n time they dwelt In
Roclcastle county. whittier they had
been attracted by the fabulous stories
of Swift's silver mine, said to have been
located in that section of the state
Tradition speaks of Everhart as a wild,
dissipated man who was wholly with
out fear, and as a gambler who would
stake his life upon the turn Of a card.
Everhart and his companions erected
near where the railroad water tank now
stands at Broadhead n rude log shanty,
remnants of which are yet TO be seen.
From there they would daily sally forth
TO prospect for silver. One of the
party, man by the name of Wise, had
with him his daugter Mary, who is said
to have been girl of rare beauty.
r. Everhart and Cyrus Thomas were
suitors for the girls favors, but her
fclxleness kept each of them in uncer-
tainty, and in this way fierce enmity
was engendered between these two
men. Finally they agreed to play a
game Of cards for tthe possession of the
girl. the loser not only to renounce any
claim he might have upon her, but was
to take his departure from the country
also.
This arrangement was agreed to by
all parties and the momentous game
was played in the log shanty after the
days work was done, the girl herself
being a witness to it. Anexciting game
it was, too, both men keeping well to-
gether until the final deal, when Ever
hart turned a winning trump, which
gave him the game and the girl.
This angered Thomas, and he sprang
upon Ev0rhart, stabbing him with q
glittering knife. At this juncture the
lights were extinguished and no one, OF
course, knows exactly what happened,
but passers by the shanty next morn
ing discovered Everharts body, covered
with wounds, lying upon the threshold
His companions had disappeared and
were never heard of again.
The dead man was buried in the lone
ly spot spoken OF above, and some years
afterward his relatives in North Caro-
lima caused the rude stone 10 be erect
ed which marks the grave to-day. One
remarkable feature IN connections with
the last resting place of the unfoItu-
nate man is that the grave has never
sunk a foot in all the years since it was
first filled. This is no surprise 20 the
superstitious mountaineers. however,
who aver that a murdered mans grave
never sinks.
The vicinity of the lone grave is said
to be haunted, and many are the g1'ue-
some stories current of the unnatural
occurrences that transpire there. No
one VIII be willingly caught in the To-
cality after nightfall, the best-men in
the county concurring IN the opinion
that the place is frequented by visitors
from "the other side" The favoritc
story in this line tells of ball of fire
which burns steadily and brightly at
the head of the grave every night. Nc
one has ever had the courage to APP
proach the spot near enough to solve
the mystery. 1t is also told that a
shadowy nan, bearing a coffin upon
his shoulders, emerges once n year from
the old orchard and travels hastily
across an open space, disappearing
near the forsaken grave.-Louisville
Courier-Journal.