Blount County TN Archives News.....News Articles August 14, 1878
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Glenn Teffeteller glennt@icx.net August 19, 2005, 1:09 pm

MARYVILLE INDEX August 14, 1878
Wednesday, August 14, 1878



The murder of the Revenue Officer, Mr. John Cooper, by Hut Amerine and his

crew adds another to the crimes instigated by the liquor business of this

county. Only evil, and that continually can, result from this cursed traffic.

It is remarkable, too, that the men who speak lightly of this foul murder, or

in any way extenuate it, are men who love liquor. Liquor drinking deadens the

conscience and makes men insensible to the obligations of good citizens and to

the true nature of crime. Mr. Cooper was engaged in the performance of his

official duties, as his father’s deputy. The murderers are outlaws, and as

such are enemies to the good order and peace of society. They have inflicted a

life-long sorrow upon the wife and children, the father and brothers of the

murdered man. Can any good citizen fail to execrate the crime or fail to co-

operate in bringing the murderers to speedy punishment?



Died, near Friendsville, on the 12th inst., Harriet Dunlap, wife of Henry

Dunlap.



Last Saturday as the train was returning from Knoxville, passing the farm of

Mr. Marsh French, about a mile beyond Little River Bridge, Mr. French was

driving a mule team in the road which runs alongside of the railroad. The

mules took fright and ran at a rapid rate for some distance when Mr. French

was thrown violently, head foremost, against the fence at the side of the

road, cutting two severe gashes on the head, one just below the right eye, and

several other wounds on the face, while the right shoulder was badly bruised.

The train stopped, and Dr. Park being on board, gave the wounded man the

necessary surgical attention. It was almost a miracle that he escaped with his

life.   W.



      Written In Memory of Father McCully

By M.M.Y.



As die the embers on the hearth

And o’er the floor the shadows fall,

And creeps the chirping cricket forth.

And ticks the death-watch on the wall,

I see a form on yonder chair

That grows beneath the waning light---

There are the wan, sad features there,

The pallid brow and locks of white.



Oh, father, when they laid thee down,

And heaped the clay upon thy breast,

And left thee sleeping all alone

Upon thy narrow couch at rest,

I know not why I had to part

With one that I have loved so dearly,

But death will separate us all:

That is plainly seen and clearly.



But when I saw thy vacant chair,

Thine idle hat upon the wall,

The book, the penciled passage, where

Thine eye had rested last of all,

The tree beneath whose friendly shade

Thy trembling feet had wandered forth,

The very prints those feet had made

When last they feebly trod the earth.



I thought, while countless ages fled

Thy vacant chair would vacant stand,

Unworn thy hat, thy book unread,

Effaced thy footsteps from the strand,

And the widow in this cheerless world,

The heart that gave its love to thee,

Torn like the vine whose tendrils curled

More closely to the falling tree.



Oh, father, then, for her and thee,

Gushed madly forth the scalding tears,

And oft and long and bitterly

These tears have gushed in later years,

For as the world grows cold around

And things assume their real hue,

‘Tis sad to find that love is found

Alone above the stars with you.



The Revenue Raids---A posse of four Revenue officials left Knoxville Tuesday

night of last week and were joined by Deputy Marshall Pate of Maryville and

one other to make a raid upon the distillery of Hut Amerine, of this county.

They reached his premises about daybreak Thursday morning. The distillery,

however, was strongly guarded, and a fight ensued. J.B. Snyder, one of the

revenue men, received a shot, the ball taking effect in his left hand and

coming out near the elbow. The revenue squad seeing that the chances were

against them, retired, and Snyder went home on the Maryville train. Another

and stronger posse was sent after the moonshiners, under William and John

Cooper. The result we clip from the Chronicle. “On arriving in the vicinity of

Amerine’s distillery about daybreak Friday morning, the posse of officials

under the command of Deputy Collector W.R. Cooper divided into four squads,

and were sent around to four points commanding a view of the still house,

which was situated down in Miller’s Cove. They soon discovered that the

distillery was deserted and the still hid away, and stationed themselves

around in a reconnoitering attitude for the purpose of capturing the

violators, if possible. Deputy John Cooper, with Lea Lewis and Frank DeArmond,

had gained entrance to the yard of the distillery, while the others were at

their different stations. It was now after sunrise, about 6 o’clock, perhaps,

when from a point on the side of the hill near by John Cooper and his squad

heard three parties calling for them to throw up their hand and surrender.

They at first thought it was some of their own men, but almost immediately the

violators, who were discovered to be Hut Amerine, Ad Wilson and Fletch Emmett,

opened fire. The entire volley was evidently aimed at John Cooper, and there

are different theories advanced to explain that. Some think that Amerine and

his men thought he was a man named Davis, who resembled him somewhat, and had

been blowing on them. Another theory is that they had ascertained that he was

a Cooper, although John had never been in that locality before, and it is

known that those fellows have sworn vengeance on all the Coopers. It seems

that three shots struck John, or at least the first went through his hat. The

next struck his left arm near the wrist and ranging upwards shattered the arm

in a frightful manner. At this time he had moved from his first position and

was rather squatted behind a sapling, trying to get a bead on the fellows with

his gun. The same shot which struck his arm, he being in a reclining position,

scapped out a small gash in his left thigh. The next shot did the work,

however. That took effect in the soft part of his abdomen, just below the

ribs, and ranging down, coming out near the spinal column, almost severing it.

This was a very large sized rifle ball, and from the best information that

could be obtained, this came from Wilson’s gun. The other ball was a smaller

one, and it is supposed was fired by Amerine himself. John was heard to

exclaim “I’m shot!” and dropping his gun started to run up the hollow, but

fell exhausted after going 40 or 50 yards. His brother Will, who was only

fifteen steps off at the time discovered his situation and came to John,

giving him some water from the branch at his request. The bushwhackers after

firing took to the bushes at once, and were followed some distance by part of

the force, but their whereabouts could not be discovered. John was then cared

for and taken to the house of Mr. Webb, who is the nearest neighbor, and in a

very short distance of Amerine’s dwelling house. John told his brother that he

was shot fatally, but he was prepared, and had no fears of death.” Dr.

Blankenship, of Maryville, went over to attend to the wounded man, and arrived

at about 12 o’clock Friday. But the wound was such that the patient could not

recover, and, as the Dr. tells us, reaction did not set in. Dr. Boynton, of

Knoxville, was also summoned to his relief, but everything had been done that

could aid the wounded man, and he could do nothing further to prevent the

approach of death, which came at 11 o’clock Friday night. Another strong posse

was sent after Amerine and his followers, but we believe all have returned to

Knoxville, having despaired of finding the villains. A reward of $300 is

offered for the arrest and delivery of Hutsell Amerine, Adam Wilson and

Fletcher Emmett, the murderers of John Cooper, or $100 for either of them. The

reward is offered by Joseph A. Cooper and his two sons. We understand that an

additional reward will be offered by the Government, and probably by Gov.

Porter also. It is hoped that these rewards will have the desired effect, and

that the notorious Hut and his associates will be brought to justice. We are

sorry that some of our whisky men sympathize with the murderers, but all good

citizens of Blount unite in condemning the foul deed. The revenue law is a

law, and should be enforced, and John Cooper was engaged in a noble work in

trying to arrest the illicit distillers. But how much better it would be if

this would be succeeded by entire prohibition of the accursed stuff. Since

writing the above we learn that Gov. Porter has offered a reward of $200 for

each of the three murderers.



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