Blount County TN Archives News.....News Articles April 3, 1878 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Glenn Teffeteller glennt@icx.net August 19, 2005, 12:58 pm MARYVILLE INDEX April 3, 1878 Wednesday, April 3, 1878 The Jonesboro Herald and Tribune notices the capture, in Somerville, West Tennessee, of Matt McInturff, charged with the murder of Calvin B. Shaw, constable of Jonesboro, in 1868. Henry Smith, colored, who was convicted of the murder of Chaney Long, a colored girl, on the night of the 11th of September last at Memphis, has been sentenced to be hanged on the 17th of next May by Judge Logwood. The hanging of the Brassell brothers, at Cookeville, Tenn., has created a great deal of excitement. Their names were George Andrew and Joseph Lewis Brassell, and were hanged for the murder of Russell and Claude Allison in the presence of a crowd of people estimated to be 10,000 in number. George denied being connected with the murder, but Joseph confessed his guilt. It is the same old story of bad company, disobedience, Sabbath breaking, whisky and murder. Joseph made the following farewell address: “Gentlemen and Ladies: I wish to speak a few words to you if you will hear me. I am here to die today, and what is it for? Murder, murder! What is the cause of it? Whisky, bad company and hard seeking after money. I was a reckless boy. Let me give you some advice, boys--let whisky alone. Have nothing to do with whisky. Take warning by me. It has brought me here in this fix, and you are all liable to be put in this condition by following the same course. Young men, take warning. Be good to your mother, go to meeting and keep the Sabbath day holy. Farewell to you all. Meet me in Heaven. Farewell.” Will James, a lad of the 9th district, while returning from a singing at the Lutheran Church, last Saturday night, received a pistol ball in his leg. Maryville jail-birds call bacon “Cincinnatti Chicken.” Mrs. M.E. Hood, wife of Gen. R.N. Hood, died suddenly March 29th, 1878, of congestion of the heart and brain. Mr. Hood was the daughter of R. and Mary McKenzie of this place, was born August 27th, 1844, and was consequently in the 34th year of her age. She was united in matrimony with R.N. Hood March 15th, 1866. She leaves three children: Willie, ten; Mamie, eight years, and baby, a little daughter eleven days old. Little Lina, her first born, died when but little more than a year old. Although of a nervous temperament since 1861, when she was prostrated for several months with a lingering fever, and at times a little sensitive, she was what the writer would call a most amiable, lovely lady. She was of a retiring, unobtrusive disposition, but certainly no one ever knew her well but to love and respect her. She was a loving and affectionate wife, seeking in everything to promote the pleasure and happiness of her husband, and was, as might be expected, tenderly devoted to her children. She never connected herself with any church, but gave abundant evidence in her conduct and conversation of genuine Christianity. In 1860, during the first meeting that was ever held in the Methodist Church at this place, she became deeply concerned about the salvation of her soul, and was in great distress for several weeks; such was the view she had of the depravity and sinfulness of her own heart that at times she was almost persuaded that she had committed the unpardonable sin, and it was this constant appreciation of the sinfulness of her heart that kept her from connecting herself with the Church of Christ, for the last sixteen or seventeen years of her life. She always talked freely on the subject of religion, and seemed to regard herself as a Christian and to desire others to so regard her, but thought she was not consistent enough to unite with the church. And although death came at last with scarcely a moment’s warning we confidently believe that she was ready. At the time of her last confinement she seemed to have some apprehension that she would die, and frequently asked her physician and friends if they thought she was going to die, and insisted that they would be honest in telling her true condition, saying that if she knew that she would die it would not excite her. Reader, “be ye also ready.” W.H.H. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/blount/newspapers/newsarti38gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/tnfiles/ File size: 4.6 Kb