Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1913-10-24
WHY Don't Mr.. Davis
Tell The Truth?

Sheriff, is circulating and paving
one or two other fellows to ride
over the county and circulate false
hood in regard to Sam Lewis kill.
ing one General Williams.
Now the cts about this are these:
Several years ago there lived on
Brush Greek, a fine old Baptist
Preacher. by the name OF Wesly
BAYS. We undertake say that
there never lived in Knox county
a more honorable citizen than this
man. He had daughter who was
deaf and dumb and was unfortunate
in other respects, and this General
Williams took this deaf and dumb
girl from her home, and carried her
off into the mountains and finally
into the Mountains of Tennessee.
A warrant was issued for General
Williams, and lot OF citizens lol.
lowed him, and found him in the
Mountains of Tennessee and he had
this deaf and dumed girl tied to a
tree, and he had mistreated this
poor girl shamefully, and Williams
was brought back to Knox county,
and tri d by Jury and sent to
the Penitentiary for something like
| 10 or IL wears. after he was con
yicted and before he went to Il
Peniteutiary he stated that when
he got out he was going to kill the
witnesses. who testified for the
Commonwealth against him. He
served his time out, and on the day
that he was released from the
Penitentiary, he told the warden at
the Penitentiary that he was com.
ing back to Knox County to kill
witnesses who swore against him
and then they could do what they
pleased with hun. One of the
witnesses by the name of John
Williams and who was related to
this General Williams lived at Cor
bin Kentucky, and this General
Williams, as he comes back from the
Penitentiary got off the train at
Corbin, got him winchester. rifle
and stayed there two or three days
trying to get an opportunity to kill
John Williams but he didn't get tie
chance and left Corbin and walked
through Grays and made the state
ments to some people at Grays,
that he was going to Brush Greek
to kill these witnesses. He went on
to Brush Creek. and called the
brother OF the deaf and dumd girl,
whom he had wronged to the door
of his home and without any warn.
ing, shot him down, and General
Williams escaped to Whitley county
and Squire Burch issued a warrant
Tor General Williams for shooting
this Young man Bays, and placing
the warrant into the hands of Sam
Lewis. who was an officer OF Knox
county, to go and arrest Williams
Lewis did go and attempt to arrest
Williams.
Williams attemp ted to shoot Lewis
with this same Winchester rifle, but
the gun hung up and in that way
it saved Lewis life, and while Will
Jams was trying to shoot Lewis
Lewis. did shoot Williams. Lewis
was indicted and the case was
transferred from Whitley county to
Laurel county, and Lewis was tried
before a jury of Laurel county and
was acquitted within a few minutes
alter the jury received the case,
and the facts as stated above were
brought out, in that trial. and it
was shown in that trial that the
only thing that kept Lewis from
getting killed, was that Williams
gun hung up and failed to fire.
Williams was laying Tor the officers,
and would have killed Lewis but
Tor his gun hanging up.
Now Davis and some of his
henchmen are going over the county
aud claiming that Lewis shot Will
Jams while he was asleep. This is
absolutely false, and Davis and some
of his fellows who are hired to ride
over the county and tell it, know it
is false. Williams had the very
Winchester rifle in his hands try ing
TO shoot Lewis with which he had
shot young Bays. Williams was a
desperate. He had committed a
terrible crime against the deal and
dumd girl, and then he was under.
taking TO murder her brother and
other people. who testified against
him it took a brave man to go and
arrest a desperate like that. Sam
lie wis was an officer. The warrant
was placed into his hands and he
was ordered TO arrest Williams.
Many a man would have failed to
go. Lewis tried to do his duty and
he almost lost his life. Hou might !