Year: 1873

Frsm the New York World, III


TALLAHASSEE, June 8.-The particu-
lars of perhaps the most curious case OF
killing that ever occurred in this State
case in which the person who was H.
nally killed persisted for upward of half
an hour in vain endeavor to murder
his MISUNDERSTANDING just reached
the white settlements" "


1t appears that Mr.. George Leden, Of
Boggy Bayou, in Walton county, had
several times been guilty of the offense
of clandestinely cutting cedar timber on
government land near where the killing
occurred, for which he had been reported
by some Ito him) unknown party to the
Superintendent of the Navy Yard at
Warrington. Leden suspected the per
son who was reporting him was his
brother.in-law, Captain George Parish,
who lived near Leden and who was aware
of his conduct. On the Afternoon Of
the 18th of April, the day of the kill
ing, Captain Parish took his little dinkey
and was going down the bayou some dis
tance on business for his wife, who was
lying sick at home, when, hearing some
one call from shore, he turned and saw
Leden sitting on log on the beach.
Not suspecting anything and fearing
that perhaps Leden had some message
from his sick wife, Parish at once pulled
for the shore and landed. Leden imme-
diately assailed him with torrent of
abuse, telling him he would now settle
that little difficulty. Parish protested
his innocence of informing on his
brother-in-law, but Leden raised his gun
and made two deliberate attempts to
shoot Parish down in cold blood, but
both barrels of his gun missed fire. Par
ish had no arms except an old broken
horse pistol, and seeing Leden recap
ping his gun ran up and gathered him
with both hands around the hips. In
the scuffle which ensued Leden dis
charged one barrel of his gun within
few inches Of Parish head, but did him no
harm. AT length he succeeded in throwing
Leden to the ground, but Leden was on
his feet in an instant, and clubbing his
gun aimed a blow at the head of Parish,
which would have laid him out stiff il it
had been well directed but fortunately
for Parish the gun struck the log on
which Leden had been sitting, and was
badly broken. Leden, not to be banked
in his murderous undertaking, thrust his
hand in his pocket to draw his knife, de-
ol., ring that he would finish Parish with
that Parish now saw that Leien was
determined to kill him, Notwithstanding
his repeated declarations of innocence,
and conserving the difficulty into life
and death struggle, which complexion it
had certainly by this time assumed,
raised his old horse pistol and struck
Leden heavy blow on the head, in the
region of the ear, which felled him
senseless TO the ground. Parish then
inflicted several flesh wounds in the face
of Leden.


Captain Parish then pulled his skift
across the bayou to point where several
persons were working who had been WIT
nesses of the bloody and fatal reneontre.
The parties at once recrossed with Par
ish to the place Of the difficulty. They
found Leden sitting up against the log
on the beach, and an examination
showed his skull fractured behind the
ear, the bridge of his nose broken, and
the upper lip cut through and hanging
down over his mouth Altogether, he
presented horrible spectacle, but was
sensible and able to talk some little,
though very indistinctly, on account OF
his wounded lip. He lived about three
hours after the fight, and died while
being carried to his home, a short dis
tance of.


Parish made arrangements for the
proper burial Of his brother-in-law, and
then rode over to Ucheeans, the county
site of Walton county, where be surren-
dered himself to justice Of the peace,
who after hearing his statement at once
released him, and he returned to his
home, where he is now.