The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-07-25
A MORAL MONSTER.


lore. has been closed, and the '.hnis" =
written in letters Of blood upon the erim-
.on-sinned heart OF a man who had com
mitted crime enough in his life TO have
sent him up for life to almost every penn
Tertiary in the union, even suppOslng has
life had not been early cut OF by the hand
Of the law, as it should have been on several
separate occasions, for the offense OF muir
der.
A founding, with never bit OF knowf
edge as to his parentage or any other rela-
tive in the world, he was IN early years
bound out to farmer near Canal Dover, ",
and was a playmate of the afterward no
torious guerrilla, Quantrel, whose aged
mother is now living in that some eommu'
nifty, and who still clings to the belief that
her son was more sinned against than SIN
ming, for the reason, chiefly, that he was
always good to her.
Dawson was not good to anybody ior
any length of time. He was as Thoroughly
bad, through and through, as any pirate
vino ever nit a weazand or seuttled
ship.
When but a lad at school he nearly killed
an inoffensive boy who CHANGED to anger
him by some trivial occurrence. de struck
the little fellow over the head with oah
bat, and it was question for weeks whether
the child would live or not. Dawson was
next arrested for leading a gang OF boys
On a thieving expedition one night, ROD
bling henroosts and cellars, in order to have
a big feast out in sugar bush couple OF
miles from where he lived. de dubbed the
wife of the man who raised him because
she refused him money to go TO circus
and then held up small boy en- route TO
the show, took his money from him, and
with it purchased ticket. The character
of deviltry and wickedness manifested IT.
self in every conceivable form,
When but 20 years of age he killed miner
named Morenci near Cannelton, u, robbed
him of his wages, and fed. A year later
he was captured while beating woman
10 death in the Gore region OF the Hooking
Valley, and sent to the Ohio penltentlary,
where he served a term of three years and
eight months under the name OF Ira Smith.
He appeared to have a penchant for
mingling with the rougher class about the
coal mining districts, and he soon drltted
into the 'Lehigh Valley, where he was run
out of mining camp one night after nav
ing brutally treated a young woman, a
miners daughter, and almost beaten the
father to death in fight which subsequent
w ensued. He was a muscular, brawny
fellow, and absolutely without fear. After
his trouble in the Lehigh district he dis
appeared, and it was learned few years
later that he killed a man on Mississippi
river steamboat, for which he was rall-
roaded to the Louisiana pententlary, where
he was put to hard labor for nearly seven
years. He was as ugly and intractable IN
the pen as out of it, and was never known
to make any good time" 1t was his boast
that he was afraid of no man, woman or
child that ever trod the earth, and ne gave
every evidence of believing what he said
IN perfect sincerity. He was brutal alike
to man and beast Once in Wellsville, u,
he was arrested for nearly beating horse
to death because the animal had kicked at
him as he passed by. 1t is said that on
more than one occasion he has caught dogs
that barked at him when passing them and
deliberately cut their threats.
He got mixed up with a notorious coun-
terfeiting gang that infested Seymour and
Osgood, Ind, number of years ago, and
aided not only in that work but in running
other peoples horses up into the then recog-
nized horse thieves rendezvous, Osgood.
He was a blunderer, and at all times tool
hardy. He would brook no words OF eau
t;on and when demonstrated with by mem
bers of the gang for job near North
Vernon. Ind. he lost his temper, as usual,
and started in to kill somebody. This time
he had reckoned without his host, for big
Dave Hammerstein, who prided himself as
heinp the king of Indiana counterfeiters,
stretched Dawson upon the floor, and then
proceeded to stamp upon him with his
boovy boots. Dawson's career would likely
have ended then and there had it not been
for the intercession of Dawson's wife and
ber sister. For several weeks Dawson was
laid ND for repairs, and when he emerged
som his hiding place he was promptly ar
rested. tried Tor steanng the horse OF
farmer near Aurora, Ind, sent to Jef1er-
sonville penitentary, and worked couple
more wears for the authorities.
Within two weeks after he was released
from the Jacksonville prison, by virtue
of expiration of sentence, man hanfu
Horace Dargness, who had been the chief
witness against Dawson, was found hun
dred wards from his own house one sun
dav afternoon, stone dead, with bullet
hole through his back and heart. There
were no witnesses to the crime, but few
questioned the conjecture that Dawson had
killed him out of sheer revenge, especially
as Dawson had been seen in that community!
q day or two before.
Then he disappeared for time. lie was
growing older, ugrier, more vindictive, and
was, in fact without friend upon earth.
He had not the slightest respect for the OPP
posite sex, and Usually put himself out to
make himself as obnoxious as possible to
them whenever any of them attempted to
make any overtures toward him. he never
married, although he is known to have lived
with a squaw in Indian Territory for
time. and it is said that when he tired OF
her he killed her in fit of anger and fled
the country, only to land in Sing Sing tor
a short term for attempting to hold up and
rob wealthy manufacturer in small town
in eastern New York, in which act he was
detected and caught redhanded, despite the
vicious fight he put up to prevent capture.
Dawson was treacherous and absolutely
Enthusiastically to or with anybody. he
would rob the hand that fed him or admin
istered to his other wants with just as much
wantonness as he would his worst enemy.
During the last few years the infirmities