The Ouachita Telegraph - Mysterious Murder Date: Mar. 2004 Submitted by: Lora Peppers ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** The Ouachita Telegraph April 22, 1868 Page 2, Column 3 Mysterious Murder. On Saturday last, the 11th instant, as several persons were in the woods driving for deer one of the party discovered the bones of a man and some articles of clothing. Upon this being made known, on the following morning several of our citizens proposed to go to the place indicated, examine the remains and whatever could be found there, and endeavor to obtain some light upon the subject. We found the bones of a white man in the woods, at a distance of about one hundred and fifty yards from an old road leading to what is called the Applewhite old mill on the Bayou Chenaire. This road is seldom traveled, except by persons hunting, and we might say never by any wheeled vehicle; it having grown up in bushes and obstructed by fallen timber. However we must make one exception; about two months ago there was observed fresh tracks of a small wagon or buggy drawn by from the size of the hoof mark, a large mule, along and about said road and in some places the tracks are still visible. Could not find any person who saw the vehicle or knew anything about it except the tracks. In the absence of a Coroner, the magistrate present summoned a jury of inquest who upon examination of the clothing, found in the coat, on the left shoulder, a small hole having the appearance of a bullet hole and the sign of blood on a large space around it. There were evident signs of blood on a white cotton shirt but the part on the left shoulder, where, if shot, a hole would have been to correspond with the one in the coat, was torn off and could not be found. This shirt together with a knit under shirt and a pair of woolen socks were much torn and partly destroyed by buzzards, as we supposed. There was also found a white cotton handkerchief and a hickory stripe shirt very little worn. The coat mentioned was of homespund (sic) black jeans; pockets of the same material sewed upon the outside and lined with cotton cloth similar in quality to osnaburgs; only one button, on the front, a gutta percha with a star impressed upon the face, the eye or shank going through and rivitted in centre of star. Search was made in the woods around, but no remains could be found of any hat, shoes, vest, drawers or pants, or any knife, pocketbook or paper or anything that could in the least tend to identify the deceased. Verdict of the jury: "that deceased came to his death by a shot or stab about the left shoulder blade, inflicted by the hands of some person or persons to them unknown." Description of remains: height, supposed, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet; large frame; hair, originally black, now about half grey; teeth very regular and set perfect; no sign of decay and no operation of dentistry visible; head tolerably large. The bones were gathered together and buried, and place marked. T.L.S. FORKSWILLE, (sic) LA. NOTE: An account of the same murder can be found in the Louisiana Intelligencer, Wednesday, April 22, 1868, page 1, Column 5. # # #