Irwin County GaArchives History .....History of Irwin County - Chapter 7 1932
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CHAPTER 7.
FREAKS OF NATURE IN IRWIN COUNTY.

Capture of Jeff Davis.

The Bostwick Case, etc.

The Ross Lake.

   On the western side of the Alapaha River in Turner County, origin-ally Irwin,
near where Deep Creek flows into the Alapaha River, is a large lake, probably
being three-fourths of a mile long and one-fourth of a mile wide, abounding with
all kinds of fresh-water fish. At the eastern extremity of this lake is a high
bluff, probably 150 feet high, and at the foot of this bluff is an underground
waterway which continually flows; this waterway is probably twelve feet square
at top but much smaller where the water enters the rock passage-way. When an
extremely dry season occurs, sufficient to keep Deep Creek from flowing water
into this large lake, it naturally be-comes gradually lower in depth and if the
dry season continues long enough all the water in the lake disappears and the
lake bed becomes perfectly dry. So soon as the lake becomes low enough to
warrant it, the people gather and catch the fish with seines and nets and other
devices. I have witnessed the catching of the greatest quantity of fish at this
place of any and the catch would continue for a week, each day, before all the
water would disappear, furnishing great sport for all who would attend.

   Mr. Joseph Fletcher, one of the pioneer settlers of Irwin County, being a
stock raiser, on one of his cow hunts was in the neighborhood of this lake
hunting cows and he discovered any quantity of buzzards and upon going to
investigate what these buzzards were after he discovered this lake. It was a dry
season and the water had all disappeared from the lake leaving quantities of
fish on dry land which were decaying and it was for the decayed fish the
buzzards had gathered. It is called the Ross Lake and is on lot of land number
121 in second district, Irwin County, Georgia, and is named for Mr. W. D. Ross,
one of the pioneer settlers, who owned the lot of land upon which the lake is
located. At present time it is owned by Mr. Daniel Davis of Ashburn, Georgia.

Coleman Pond.

   There is a similar lake only not quite so large upon lot of land number 107
in third district, Irwin County, owned by the writer of this sketch, called
Coleman Pond, named for a man by that name who in the early days owned it. This
lake has an underground outlet similar to that of Ross Lake but much smaller
which allows the water to leave it when the seasons are dry. These lakes go dry
at intervals from three to seven years. This lake, like the Ross Lake, abounds
with quantities of fresh-water fish, and when it becomes low enough to fish,
furnishes great sport and plenty of good eating for those who are fond of fish.

The Rock House.

   On the western side of the Alapaha River on lot of land number .... in second
district, originally Irwin County, now Turner County is another freak of nature.
There is a large depression or hole about three hundred feet long. and one
hundred fifty feet wide; it is almost round and this depression or hole is
probably two hundred feet deep and in the bottom of this depression is a rock
house some fifteen feet square. This house is of rock and was not built by man,
but by nature. God made it so. It is rather steep to walk down to this rock
house but it has been visited by many for ages past and is still a show place
and visited by many people. Many have written or chiseled their names upon the
rock walls of this building. William Hamilton, a large cattle owner in Irwin
County in the early days, was the first man to write his name on these stone
walls, and he has been gone to his eternal reward many years.

   In the early days my mother's father, Mr. Lott Whiddon, lived about two miles
from this place and being on a hunt one day, he shot and killed a bear at this
point, the bear fell in death at the edge of the depression. His rendezvous was
probably in the pit where the stone house is located.

The Bone Pond or Crystal Lake.

   On lots of land number forty-seven and forty-eight in third district of Irwin
County, owned by Dr. W. L. Story of Ashburn, Georgia, is located one of the most
beautiful bodies of water in all of this South Georgia country. It covers about
one hundred acres of land, is away from any stream of water; no water course
empties into it except one small spring which does not afford sufficient water
to maintain this lake, which is evidence that it is supported by hidden
underground streams. This lake is seventy-five feet deep, in the deepest place
and has a beautiful sandy bottom and except at two places is shallow from the
edge gradually becoming deeper for from thirty to fifty yards before it becomes
deep as a man's head. It is surrounded by a beautiful sandy beach and back of
this is a perfectly dry hammock covered with oaks with beautiful foliage and
attached to these trees are long streamers of gray moss. The water is crystal
clear and has been analyzed to be pure. It abounds with all kinds of fresh-water
fish which can be viewed from the banks or the pavilion, coming to the surface
to gather bread when thrown into the water for them. It is one of the most
beautiful and most healthful resorts for bathing, boating, picnics, etc. The
name of this place is Crystal Lake. Its name in the early days was the Bone
Pond, named after a man by the name of Bone who once owned it. Bone came to
Irwin County about 1858, and the next year he moved to Crystal Lake and cleared
a small farm. A man by the name of John Mathews cultivated this land for Bone.

   During the Civil War two escaped Federal Yankee prisoners took refuge at
Bone's home and he protected them. They remained hidden in the hammock on
southwest side of the pond and cleared about twelve or fifteen acres of hammock
land for Bone. During the time they were at Bone's place they went to the farm
of Hon. MaNassa Henderson, Sr., about twelve miles away and stole two of
Henderson's horses. Everybody thought Bone instigated this theft as Henderson
was a Secessionist and Bone a Union man. Daniel Henderson and others secured the
trail of the thieves following them into what is now Coffee County and come so
near overtaking them until the Yankee thieves fled leaving the horses which were
captured and returned to the owner. One of the thieves stopped some distance
farther on and committed another theft and was killed by his pursuers.

   Bone was relieved from going to the war because he was a miller. He, having a
steam corn mill on the bank of Crystal Lake. At the time Bone built this mill at
the lake it was much smaller in size than at the present time. Where his mill
was located at that time on dry land the water is five feet deep at present
time. It is said that after Bone's death in 1865, the lake rose up to the eaves
of the mill house, then in a few years it remained low for a number of years,
but in 1928 and 1929 it gradually began to rise until at present time, 1930, it
is as full as any of the old citizens have ever seen it, but is now on a
standstill.

   Bone proved to be a criminal of the vilest kind. In the spring of 1865,
Toney, a negro slave belonging to Mr. Sam Young, ran away from home and went to
Bone and he concealed him in the same hammock he concealed the Yankee horse
thieves, and put him to work cutting growth off his newly cleared land.

   Mr. Jack Walker was Justice of Peace and the neighbor of Bone, living about
three miles west of the Alapaha River from Bone's place. Walker owned a large
stock of hogs, many of which ranged near Bone's plantation in the swamp. He left
home on Monday morning about April 20, 1865, carrying a wallet of corn, as was
customary in that day, also his rifle gun, looking for his hogs to feed them and
incidently to kill a deer for provision. In looking for hogs he went by Bone's
hammock field and found the negro, Toney, there. Walker was a strong man so he
decided to capture the negro. In doing this he got into a scramble with the
negro but from the sign left on the ground Walker had the negro down and was
preparing to tie him when he was shot from ambush.

   Night came and Walker did not return home. The neighbors were notified and
went in search of him but failed to find any trace. The news was spread of
Walker's disappearance and the people turned out en masse to search for him.
Wednesday came and still no trace of Walker could be secured.

   Wednesday was mill day at Bone's mill. Dink Walker, a son of Jack Walker, and
James H. Fletcher went to the mill. Bone spoke to them and told Dink Walker he
had heard his father was missing and also said, I've heard that they say I
killed him. Bone also talked very rough to Walker. A short while after this,
Bone was taken into custody. He refused to tell his captors anything. Bone had
two children, Mary and Tayler. Tayler was a boy about fourteen or fifteen years
old. He was taken away from his father and was told by his captors that they
believed he knew where Walker was and that the whole crowd would be hung unless
he told all he knew about it. Tayler replied, "If you'll not hang me, I will
tell you how it all happened." He was assured that if he would tell the truth
and tell all about it that he would not be hurt. This is about what Tayler said.
"Daddy carried the negro's dinner and called me to bring his gun which I did.
The negro and Walker were in a scuffle and Daddy shot Walker from the gap of the
field and hit Walker but did not kill him. Daddy went to Walker while he was
down and hit him on the head with his gun until he thought him dead. He and the
negro then took Walker up and carried him to an old bay north of the pond and
buried him and his gun in the mud. I don't know what became of the negro."

   The people who were there searching for Walker went to the field and found
the sign of the struggle, found blood on the fence where Bone had crossed it
with Walker and went into the swamp and found where he was buried. Evidently he
was buried alive as his hands had worked upward through the mud and blood had
come to the surface. Walker's body was taken to the pond and they attempted to
cleanse it by washing but this could not be done, he having been dead so long
decomposition had set in to such an extent the body could not be cleansed, the
skin would burst and come apart. The negro Toney has never been seen or heard
from. It was the supposition at the time that Bone killed him and put his body
with weights attached in the deepest part of the pond.

   All the people in the country had gathered to assist in the search for
Walker. It being about the close of the war many soldiers had just returned home
from the army. The best people of the county were there. They organized by
electing Rev. Jacob Young, a Primitive Baptist minister and a former judge of
Inferior Court, as chairman or judge and organized a court of justice and
proceeded to try Bone for the murder of Walker. After hearing the evidence he
was promptly and properly convicted and sentenced to be hung.

   A scaffold was erected on the edge of the pond under a large oak tree with a
large limb extending out over the newly erected scaffold.

   Ropes in those days were scarce. Mrs. Jemimah Hogan, wife of David M. Hogan,
had spun and woven a rope to use around a bale of cotton in place of ties and
this new rope was used to hang Bone. All things being ready for the execution,
John and Sam Walker, sons of the murdered man, were permitted to tie the
hangman's knot and Sam Walker was allowed to climb the tree and place the rope
over the limb, which he gladly did. Then Bone was made to mount the scaffold and
told that he had fifteen minutes to make any statement he desired. These were
his last words, "Take warning from me and don't come to what I have." He moved
and the scaffold fell and launched Bone, the murderer, into eternity.

   A grave was dug in the jamb of the fence of one of Bone's patches at the
northwest corner of the pond and when the grave was ready, Bone's wife sent or
brought a sheet with the request that his body be wrapped in it, which was done
and the body was placed in the grave.

   After Bone was hung, his wife told a Mr. Pridgen that Bone, after killing
Walker, placed or hid Walker's shoes and hat in a hollow log and told where the
log was and upon investigation they were found to be there as she stated.

   The family were notified to wind up their affairs, dispose of their property,
and move out of the county. This was done as speedily as possible and they moved
back to Taylor County, Georgia.

xxxxxxx

138	HISTORY OF IRWIN COUNTY
THE FLIGHT AND ARREST OR CAPTURE OF JEFF
DAVIS, PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERACY.
  The last chapter of the War Between the States has never been faithfully and
truthfully written. It deals with the flight and capture of President Jefferson
Davis of the Confederacy, after the fall of the Confederacy, a flight which
lasted for a week and lead him through the lonely, yet lovely pine forests of
south Georgia and ended near Irwinville, in Irwin County, on May 10, 1865. This
flight began in Washing-ton, Wilkes County, Georgia, at the home of General
Robert Toombs. The last meeting of the Confederate cabinet was held on Wednesday
night, May 3, 1865, in an upper room of the old Heard home, also known as the
State Bank Building. It was known that a price had been set upon the head of Mr.
Davis and his cabinet. The present and pressing need was a place of safety for
the president. It was decided that Mr. Davis should reach a southern port and
embark for England with his family. On the morning of Thursday, May 4, 1865, Mr.
Davis with a single companion rode on horseback out of Washington, Georgia,
bound for the south. About twelve miles out from Washington, Mr. Davis and his
companion,
  
FREAKS OF NATURE IN IRWIN COUNTY	139

without disclosing their identity, secured lodging and had their horses cared
for. Just after dark Thursday night, Judge Raggan of Texas and a small party
left Washington and some-time Friday morning overtook Mr. Davis. Others who had
left Wash 


Over 1,000 Miles Good Gravel Roads in
Irwin County.

ington in small parties joined them until they had quite a company made up of
some of the most distinguished men of the South. After traveling about fifty
miles from Washington, on Friday evening, May 5, 1865, they came to a prosperous
looking farmhouse and they decided to camp if suitable arrangements could be
made. This was the home of Mr. Lee Warthen who had just returned from the army
to rebuild his shattered fortunes. He and his brother lived on an extensive
plantation at what is known as Warthen, in Washing-ton County. The Davis party
concealed their identity but secured from the Messrs. Warthens a wagon load of
provisions paying for it in gold. When this was done, Mr. Warthen asked, "Where
did you get all that gold, it's the first I've seen in four years." The man
turned and walked away saying in a low tone, "I reckon we stole it." Upon
inquiry of a suitable place to camp they were directed to a woody dale about two
miles north of Warthen, known as the Griffin Pond. The camp was pitched about
200 yards from the road where tents and men were out of sight and sound of any
who might pass the main road.
  On Saturday morning Mr. Davis resumed his journey. That afternoon a small
party escorting Mrs. Davis from Richmond passed, going south, spending the night
at the home of Mr. E. J. Blackshear, ten miles from Dublin, where she and family
were joined by her husband on Sunday morning.
  General John C. Breckinridge accompanied by a single soldier passed along
going south. Col. Jack Lane, of Sanders-
  
ville, guided them through the country. Mr. Lee Warthen stated that Gen.
Breckinridge rode up to his gate making him-self known and said, "The -Yankees
are scouring the country for us and I want all the information I can get." Mr.
Warthen directed him how to travel with safety and he went on his way. General
Breckinridge went to the farm of the grandfather of Judge E. D. Graham in the
piney woods of Montgomery County and was safely kept unmolested for a number of
weeks. When it was safe for him to resume his journey he asked what his bill was
and he was told there was no charge, so he ex-pressed his thanks for the many
kindnesses shown him and pulling out of his pocket a handsome gold watch
presented it to the old gentleman as a keepsake for his service to him and his
loyalty to a cause sacred to the heart of all southerners. This watch was given
by the grandfather to Judge E. D. Graham who owned it at the time of his death.
I have seen this watch, it was very fine and beautiful. General Breckinridge
made his escape.
   After an early breakfast at the house of Mr. Blackshear, Mr. Davis and
family, he riding in the carriage with his wife, resumed their journey in a
southerly direction arriving at Dublin, Laurens County, about noon. The carriage
was driven by a negro named John Davis. The carriage stopped at the store of
Judge F. H. Rowe, and the Judge, being informed that a party was at the store
desiring to buy provisions, came down to his place of business; learning that
Mr. Davis was in the party, he gave them a cordial invitation to his home for
dinner, but it was deemed prudent to decline this invitation and after securing
the needed provisions the journey was resumed.
   While the carriage was waiting in front of the store, quite a number of
people gathered about to ask questions of them, among them were many negroes.
One of them a comely young woman attracted the attention of the driver of the
carriage, John Davis. He entered into conversation with her and learned her name
was Della Connaway. She made a deep impression upon him and he impressed her as
being a young man of more than usual importance. After the capture of Mr.
  
FREAKS OF NATURE I\ IRWIN COUNTY	141
Davis, John Davis, the driver, was released at Macon, Georgia. Not for-getting
the girl he saw in Dublin he made his way back to hunt her up. He found her,
courted her, married her and settled down as a farmhand in Laurens County. They
lived there many years,
then they moved to Dodge County, near Eastman. They had thirteen children, three
of whom died in infancy. He named his youngest child Jeff, after his "old
marster." He lived in the Davis home in Mississippi, and went with the family to
Richmond.
   Mr. Davis and his family, unconscious that the enemy was anywhere near them,
enjoyed that Sunday's drive through the piney woods of south Georgia's wiregrass
country. It was springtime, new buds on the trees were giving out their
spring-time odor and the honeysuckles were filling the air with their fragrance.
The mockingbirds were mating. The new leaves on the trees contrasted with the
darker color of the murmuring pines. The magnolias and bays which were beginning
to bloom along the water courses must have reminded them of their beautiful
Mississippi home. They camped on this Sunday night about four miles from
Eastman, now Dodge County.
   The next day they resumed their journey and crossed the Ocmulgee River at
Poor Robin Ferry. They were ferried across the river by Mr. Alex Willcox. They
camped in the town of Abbeville, Wilcox County, formerly Irwin, camping under an
oak tree which stands in the yard of Ordinary J. M. Warren of Wilcox County.
   Tuesday morning they resumed their journey south and reached a point one mile
north of Irwinville in a pine grove on south side of a branch where they pitched
camp. Mr. Davis came into the town of Irwinville, spent quite a while talking
with different people but did not let any one know his identity. Dr. G. E. White
lived at Irwinville at that time and ran a hotel.
  
142	HISTORY OF IRWIN COUNTY
Mr. Davis spent some time on the porch of the hotel conversing with different
people.
At this time there
were two roads leading
from Abbeville to Irwin 
ville. One was the di 
rect road south, the road
Mr. Davis traveled and
was camped upon, the
other one came by Bowen's Mill and from thence to Irwinville.
  The Yankee Cavalry who were following Mr. Davis and had been on his trail from
Washington, Georgia, reaching Abbeville, learned they were not far behind Mr.
Davis, also learned of the two roads leading to Irwinville, consequently they
divided their force into two squads, one squad taking the direct road south to
Irwinville, the other squad following the road by Bowen's Mill to Irwinville.
This latter squad, upon arriving at Irwinville, learned they were ahead of Mr.
Davis so they turned back north on direct road to Abbeville, hoping to secure
President Davis. After traveling about one mile they came to Mr. Davis' camp.
The squad following Davis down the main road, arrived about this time on the
north side of the branch. Each squad of Yankees thought the other was a company
of Confederate soldiers with President Davis and a battle was fought between
themselves until daylight came, so they could distinguish themselves as Yankees,
although they had been repeatedly told by Mr. Davis that he had no one with him
fighting.
  Mr. Davis was captured and the story told by some Yankees that he was captured
with women's clothes on was as base a falsehood as could have been uttered. I
knew personally a Mr. Clute, a Union soldier, who was one of the Michigan
Cavalry who captured Mr. Davis, and he said that that story was a base
falsehood. He said that as Mr. Davis walked out of his tent, it being early
morning and somewhat cool, Mr.
  
Davis threw the cape belonging to a man's overcoat over his shoulders and
remained with it around him. That he made no attempt to disguise himself or to
escape at that time or any other. Mr. Clute was a truthful man, even though he
was a Yankee Cavalryman and assisted in the capture of President Davis. I knew
him personally for many years. My father, R. W. Clements, who was a thorough
unreconstructed rebel and Confederate soldier, knew Mr. Clute for many years and
had great respect for his veracity.
  Mr. Davis was captured between midnight and daylight Wednesday morning, May
10, 1865. In the battle the Yankees fought among themselves, one if not two were
killed, one horse killed and two or more men and horses were wounded. The dead
were taken to Abbeville and buried. The pine trees had many bullets in them.
Quite a few of these were cut out by people to melt and run into bullets to use
to shoot game with, others were cut out by souvenir hunters. My father had just
arrived home from the war, when this capture took place and in a few days he
visited the scene and saw quite a few bloody rags on a stump beside the road, a
dead horse and signs near Mr. Davis' camp next the branch, where a keg of peach
or apple brandy had been poured out.
  If Mr. Davis had let himself been known upon his arrival in Irwinville, the
people would gladly have secreted him, which they could and would have done and
kept him for months with-out his being molested, until he could have made his
escape out of the country and avoided the horrors of Fortress Monroe.
  At the time President Davis was captured, Rev. Jacob Young, a Primitive
Baptist minister, lived one mile east of Irwinville. Wednesday, the day of the
capture, had been as-signed by Mr. Young as the day to gather and shear his
sheep and he had invited his friends and neighbors to come and assist him in the
work. In response to his invitations they came, many of whom were ex-Confederate
soldiers. It was customary on such occasions for them to carry their guns and
after the sheep shearing was over they would engage in a deer hunt or upon
returning home, try to kill a deer to take home for the
  
family larder. On this occasion many were at Mr. Young's house, their guns being
stacked along the yard fence as the day's work had not commenced. No one knew of
the capture of Mr. Davis, some had heard the report of the guns but no one knew
what it meant. Just at this time there appeared upon the scene two of the Yankee
Cavalry, who rode into the yard and went to Mr. Young's smokehouse and looked at
his meat, then rod to his crib and looked at his corn and then told Mr. Young
they had to have the corn to feed the Yankee horses and the meat to feed their
men. Mr. Young prevailed with them not to take his meat and corn; that if they
did, his family as well as quite a few widows and orphan children he was
assisting, would suffer. This had no effect upon them, they stating that wagons
would be along as soon as they returned, for it, but it was noticed that the
Yanks kept their eyes on the men and guns. They soon left and the wagons did not
appear. It was supposed that they decided the men with the guns were there to
protect Mr. Young's property and to molest it, they would again have to face the
bullets of the southerners as they had to their sorrow in the past.
   They returned with Mr. Davis to Abbeville, where they camped on the same spot
Mr. Davis camped on Monday night. They also buried their dead.
   While in Abbeville the whole population turned out to see the distinguished
prisoner. Many of his loyal friends and admirers called to pay their respects
and tender their sympathy. Among them was Major Ried, a patriotic fire-eating
old rebel. After seeing Mr. Davis, he approached the leader of the Yankee
soldiers and asked what would be done with the prisoner. The soldier replied,
"We intend to hang him." Major Ried flew into a just rage and cursed the whole
Yankee army and dared them to try the hanging game. He told them it would be a
d-m shame and a stain on the whole civilized world to hang Jeff Davis for being
a gentlemen, a soldier and a patriot.
Arriving at Macon with their distinguished prisoner, the

FREAKS OF NATURE I\ IRWIN COUNTY	145
party was broken up and Mr. Davis was sent to Fortress Monroe.
  My father, Mr. R. W. Clements, after viewing the spot where they captured his
chieftain only a few days after it happened, made a vow that if God would endow
him with strength and health to rebuild his fortunes, the war leaving him only
about twenty head of piney-woods cattle and 245 acres of land in the woods in
Worth County, worth about $100.00, that so soon as he was able he would buy lot
of land number fifty-one, in third district, Irwin , County, upon which the
capture was made and that no Yankee should ever own it. God prospered him and he
soon bought it, and kept it until his death. In his later years Fitzgerald
sprang up as a colony town with numbers of ex-Union soldiers as its inhabitants.
He had many friends among them, all of whom, if they came to him in the proper
spirit, expressing a desire to see the spot upon which Davis was captured, he
would stop his work and go with them to the spot and permit them to secure canes
or souvenirs to carry home. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald, like other boom towns had
some who were not as desirable citizens as they should have been. One Sunday
after dinner a neighbor Dr. W. L. Julian, sent word to my father that a crowd of
those old Yankees were at the Jeff Davis camp ground cutting down the light-wood
stump which stood nearest to Mr. Davis' camp and had wagons there to carry it away.
  Never have I seen my father as angry as he was at that time. He called to me
to get my gun and go with him. He secured a double-barreled shotgun loaded with
buckshot and his pistol and went to the spot as quickly as possible. Upon our
arrival, we found everything as the neighbor had communicated it to us. My
father, after calling them all kinds of thieves and everything he could think of
in the category of mean men, in-formed them that he had shot at you, the
infernal Yankees, four years during the war and that he had not forgotten how it
was done and that he would delight in doing the same thing in Georgia in
protecting his property from such as they were but that he would allow them
three minutes to hitch their team
  
to the wagon and get off his land and stay off. Should he ever catch them there
again on a similar errand, he would shoot first and ask questions afterward. To
my delight they gave my father no back talk, but long before the time he gave
them expired, they had their mules hitched to the wagon and drove off and never
to our knowledge returned again. They had cut the light-wood stump down and had
cut it up into about four foot lengths to carry away, but my father's appearance
on the scene prevented them from doing so.
   On numerous occasions my father made the remark that no Yankee should ever
own this spot of land as long as he lived. On his death bed he told me he wanted
my mother and me, we being his only heirs, to fix it so that it would always
remain in the possession of Southern people and could never belong, as he
expressed it, to a Yankee. After consulting with many able lawyers as how to
carry out the wishes of this loyal Con-federate, my father, in the year 1915,
during my term of office as member of General Assembly of Georgia, I introduced
a resolution tendering it to the State of Georgia in conjunction with the
Daughters of Confederacy in fee simple four acres of land with the spot upon
which Davis' camp was located about the center. My father would never allow the
pine timber turpentined or sawmilled. and the original timber is there today as
it was on the tenth day of May, 1865, when the President of the Confederacy was
captured, only it has grown much larger.
   To the shame of my native state, it has never spent one dime towards marking
this spot or beautifying it in any particular. A spot holy in the eyes of all
Confederate Soldiers. We trust some day our state will wake up and do the
proper, the nice and appropriate thing and mark and beautify it as it should be.
THE BOSTWICK CASE.
   Several years ago a family named Bostwick lived in Irwin County, about four
miles west of Irwinville. The wife before her marriage was Miss Mallissa
Fletcher, the daughter of Mr. Wiley Fletcher. They had several children ranging
in ages
   
FREAKS OF NATURE IN IRWIN COUNTY	147

from a baby in arms to a boy about seventeen years old. Henry Bostwick was
always considered a peaceable man, in fact somewhat cowardly, rather flighty and
imaginary in his talk, not a fool but rather mean. He and his wife had some
domes-tic trouble and it was said that he ran her away from home. She secured a
warrant charging him with wife beating and placed it in the officer's hand for
his arrest.
  The deputy sheriff, a Mr. McCraw, went to Bostwick's house to serve the
warrant. Bostwick met him with a gun and resisted arrest. The sheriff; not
desiring any trouble with him and feeling assured that he would not leave the
country and thinking if given time to reflect that he would give up to the
sheriff, left his place and returned home.
  The next day being Sunday the sheriff, Mr. J. P. McInnis, Mr. Clay Bass, Mr.
W. A. Tucker and Mr. Seaborn Davis, all of them deputies, came to arrest
Bostwick. They were all acquainted with him well and did not anticipate any
trouble in making his arrest. Upon arriving at his place they alighted from
their carriage, Mr. Davis was hitching the horses and Mr. Bass and sheriff
McInnis started to the yard. Without any warning, Bostwick shot Mr. Davis while
he was hitching the horses, killing him instantly, with the other barrel of the
gun he shot Mr. Bass, wounding him severely, but he finally recovered. The
sheriff sent runners out to secure aid, he remaining near enough to see that
Bostwick did not escape. Bostwick barricaded himself in the house with his
children and to have shot into the house of Bostwick would have endangered the
lives of the innocent children.
  In response to the sheriff's call for aid soon a large crowd had gathered. The
sheriff repeatedly called upon Bostwick to open up the house and come out and
surrender, he assuring him that he would give him protection. This he refused to
do. The sheriff as did others in the party called to the children to come out of
the house but Bostwick refused them to go out.
  The sheriff and deputy, W. A. Tucker, and one other walked to the frontyard
gate directly in front of the house and called to Bostwick and asked him to come
out and surrender and he was assured by the sheriff that he would be protected
and that
  
14S	HISTORY OF IRWI\ COUNTY
he would see that he had
a fair trial; that if he
would not surrender to
please send his children
out of the house. This
he refused to do. The
sheriff and deputy then
shot into the top of the
house thinking by doing
so it would cause Bost 
wick to surrender. Bost 
wick immediately shot the sheriff with one barrel of his
gun and with the other shot deputy Tucker. The sheriff
was mortally wounded and died in a few days, deputy Tucker
was painfully injured but not seriously, he recovering in due
time. Soon there was a large, angry, determined crowd of
people on the scene but the fact of those innocent children be 
ing in the house and having no desire to injure or harm them,
they were at loss to know what to do or how to proceed as
Bostwick would shoot any one who came in his vision. Soon
after shooting the sheriff he shot and killed Mr. James Gill
and a little later he also shot and killed Mr. Timmy Sheffield.
  It was finally decided to call upon the Governor and request state troops to
be sent to the scene as Bostwick was shooting everyone who came any where near
and a large majority of his shots were fatal. The throng of people surrounded
the house at a sufficient distance to prevent his being able to kill any more
and rested quietly until the Governor was communicated with over long distance
telephone.
  So soon as the Governor was communicated with, he acted promptly and ordered
out one company of militia from Albany under command of Captain Say and one
company from Fitzgerald, to come to the scene.
  
The troups arrived about daylight Monday morning, Captain Say in command. The
military were handicapped as were the citizens by the fact of the children being
barricaded in the house with their father and to shoot into the house would
en-danger their innocent lives. The military marched up in line in front of the
house and Bostwick was commanded to surrender peaceably. He refused to comply or
make any response. The military shot several rounds into the top of the house
seeking to induce him to surrender or to frighten the children to come out of
the house as the soldiers and citizens were continuously calling upon them to
come out. After so long a time the children did decide to come out, the largest
girl in the lead with the baby in her arms and the others following after her.
They ran to the fence surrounding the house and were immediately gathered into
the arms of the waiting soldiers and conveyed to places of safety. Men wept for
joy at their deliverance. Men were seen with tears streaming down their cheeks,
who had never been seen or known to weep before. None of the children had been
injured in any way.
  Then the way was clear to capture Bostwick. He was again called upon by the
soldiers to surrender which he refused, remaining in the house without saying
anything.
  The soldiers fired several volleys into the house, riddling it with bullets,
then made a rush advance to the door breaking it down and upon entering they
found that Bostwick had been killed by some of the shots which were fired
through the house. He was taken up and later buried.
  The sheriff, Mr. J. P. McInnis, was an excellent young man, a good citizen and
a capable fearless officer. He lived to know that Bostwick had been killed.
  This was a deplorable tragedy, costing the lives of four men, all good
citizens, the wounding of two others which was caused by Bostwick's refusal to
submit to arrest for a crime which if it had been proven against him and he had
been given the extreme penalty of the law, he could have expiated his sentence
in twelve months. Had he gone to trial, it would have been more than probable
that he would have received a small fine with the admonition that he and his
wife live together in peace and harmony and rear their children to become useful
  
citizens. He was born and reared in Lowndes County, Georgia.
  The dwelling house was riddled with bullets, the walls and top were
practically a sieve and unfit for the family to try to inhabit, but the
neighbors and citizens of the county came to their rescue and built a new and
better house than the old one was, where she lived until her death.
WOLF PITS.
  In the early days, all kinds of wild animals were plentiful in this country,
such as bear, wolf, panthers, catamounts, etc. The wolves were a menace to stock
raisers, preying upon calves, sheep and all other domestic animals. The early
settlers used every means at their command to exterminate these beasts of the
forests. Ofttimes what were called wolf pits were dug, many of which are still
in existence today, in different portions of Irwin County, but I fear many
people if they see them have no idea for what purpose they were constructed. I
will give a brief description of a wolf pit.
  A round ditch was dug about six feet wide, several feet deep. In the center
the earth was not disturbed. A very high fence was built around this ditch
except at one place which was left low enough to allow a wolf to jump over it.
In front of this low place the ditch was covered over with light brush, straw,
etc., to look very much like the surrounding earth. In front of this low place
in the fence and directly in front of the covering of twigs and straw over the
ditch, on the ground in the center was placed the bait for the wolf, which was
usually a sheep, calf, or some other dead animal. And the wolf would jump the
fence not suspecting the ditch he would fall into in attempting to reach the
bait and would land upon the straw covered ditch and fall through and go to the
bottom from which he could not escape. When his captors arrived, they would find
him confined in the ditch where he was quickly dispatched with a gun.


Additional Comments:
From "History of Irwin County" by J. B. Clements (1932)

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/irwin/history/other/gms140historyo.txt

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