Lee County, Va Genealogy

Bristol, March 14.--- The Body of Miss Julia Hall was taken from a pond in Lee County, VA., Friday. She is said to have committed suicide, but no reason is assigned.

Three Brutal Ruffians

Jonesboro, Tenn. May 20.-- Information has just reached here of a most revolting crime which has been committed in the neighborhood of Rose Hill, Lee County, VA., near the Tennessee line. The victim of this outrage is Miss Sarah Saunders, a girl about 19 years old. On Wednesday night last George Edmondson, Caleb Markham, and Tennessee Fugale, three white men, visited the house of a blacksmith named Rozier, the step-father of Miss Saunders. The men knocked at the door and demanded admittance, pretending that they had come on a visit to the old folks. The old man, his wife and the daughter arose, dressed themselves, and built up a fire. The three men made themselves unusually agreeable for half an hour or so. When suddenly they drew their pistols and forced Rozier and his wife into one corner of the room. The men forced the girl to submit to their designs. The old people were forced to be witnesses of these outrages, the outlaws holding them at bay with drawn pistols and threats of death if they offered any resistance of made any outcries. Then the three ruffians fled across the line into Tennessee. A party of citizens of Lee County pursued the men. Markham was traced to Hancock County, Tenn., where he was arrested, and, without waiting for requisition from the Tennessee authorities, he was hurried back to Lee County. Threats of lynching him are freely indulged in by the people in the neighborhood of the scene of the outrage. His two confederates have not yet been arrested.

Lee County Fire

Knoxville, Tenn., Dec. 3. - Information reached this city to-day from Jonesville, Lee County, Va., that nearly all the prominent business houses of the place and 12 dwellings were destroyed by fire Friday Night. The fire broke out in O.C. Lee's store about 10 o'clock and in two hours J. M. Lenk's building, which was occupied as a general store, Post Office and dwelling; Brown's Hotel, a large two story brick building; Smith & Sewell's clothing store, H.O. Ballou's jewelry store, J.S Thomas's drug store, M.H. Crockett's saddlery and harness shop, and twelve other buildings were consumed. The total loss is more that $100,000 and there is but little if any insurance. Water for domestic uses must be hauled three miles, and there was little to be used in case of fire.

Henry O. Ballou, one of the heaviest losers by the Jonesville fire, met Daniel and Berry Craig on the main street of the town yesterday morning and accused them of setting fire to his premises and starting the terrible_______ which came near destroying the entire town. The Craigs resented the charge, and one of them assaulted Ballou. He drew a pistol and shot them down. Daniel died instantly and Berry died after a few hours of horrible suffering.

F.K. Hyatt Marriage

Bristol. Dec. 28- F. K.Hyatt, a young business man of Jonesville, Lee County, Va., and Miss Gertrude Lyle Burrow, a daughter of Robert Burrow, a Bristol Lawyer, were married here this afternoon, Rev. J.A. Burrow of Abingdon, uncle of the bride, officiating.

Distillery

Washington, Aug. 26 - A letter from Abingdon,Va. reports the following:

Major Jacob Wagner and Deputy Marshall W.O. Austin, with a strong posse, have just arrived in this place in charge of six prisoners, arrested near Cumberland Gap, in Lee County on the night of the 17th inst. The parties are charged with illicit distilling and other violations of the revenue laws; also with breaking jail in Jonesville, Lee County, last April, where they were confined, some being among those released, and some belonging to the rescuing party. Their arrest was attended with considerable difficulty, as it was almost impossible to enter their section with a large force without being observed and giving the alarm, and thus enabling the culprits to secrete themselves in the mountains, while a small force would have been whipped out. The advance of the force was therefore effected by night marches, and by a circuitous route, and the parties were all found in their bed. The west of Lee County, VA is a narrow strip of very mountainous country, running west of Cumberland Gap, between States of Tennessee and Kentucky, and has long been a resort for a desperate and lawless class of men, affording them ready access to the adjoining States in case of pursuit of officers. About the period of the ripening of the corn crop last Fall this section was a nest of illicit distillers, and their establishments, some of them of considerable capacity, were operated openly. By a series of well directed raids during the Winter they were broken up, and now the local officers report that there is not a distillery in Lee County, and the wholesale liquor dealers in the cities are at last enjoying the patronage of a section which has long been closed to them, for the illicit producers could always under sell them. During the present month eleven prisoner have been brought from Lee and the adjoining county, Scott, by the officers named and no effort will be relaxed until the last offender is brought to justice. To avoid being "bushwhacked" the arresting force always went well armed.

Harman Obit

Bristol. June 10 - O.C Harman, aged 54, died here today from a stroke of paralysis. He came from Roanoke a few months ago to enter the automobile business. He is survived by his wife, who was a daughter of W. G. Gibson, of Lee County, Va.

Duel

Bristol, Va., Oct. 15- News was received here today of the killing of Raleigh Quinn, of Oakdale, Tenn., at Keokee, Lee County, Va., in a duel with Thomas Herd. Quinn, it is said, was intoxicated, and drew an revolver on Herd, whereupon Herd pulled his revolver. The men fired simultaneously. Quinn's shot went wild, but Herd bullet entered Quinn's heart. Herd was arrested, but released on the ground that he shot in self-defense.

Distillery 2

Washington, May 29,-The following is the full report of the recent internal revenue troubles in Lee County, Va., made to collector Rives, and forwarded by him to the Internal Revenue office in this city. It is from Deputy Collector Joslyn and dated Bristol, Va., 24th inst.: "On the 14th of the present month, while I was in Jonesville, I made a partial report of a raid that Deputy Marshal Austin and myself had made on the night of the 12th, with a promise that I would make a full report when I reached my office, Which I now proceed to do.

In compliance with your instructions dated April 6 1877 , I have the honor to report now while on my way to Lee County on business , I met Deputy Marshal Austin and two men, Charles A, Bitting and Edward Tailey, and upon information I had obtained we at once planned a raid upon the illicit distillers of Lee County. We arrived at Jonesville on Friday, the 11th, and on Saturday night, the 12th, assisted by Deputy W.S. Doyle and a posse of 10 citizens, we made a raid upon the illicit distillers in the locality known as Blackwater Creek, and succeeded in arresting six persons and seizing four large whiskey distilleries, that were being carried on illicitly, three of them located on Blackwater and one on Wallins Creek. The names of the persons arrested are Oliver Brewer, Eli Brewer, George Brewer, Whitt Duvalt, Jerry Mullins, and Wash Levishay. On the morning after the arrests and seizures were made, while on our way to Jonesville, Lee County Courthouse, with the prisoners and captured stills, we were intercepted on the road by a body of armed men, probably 15 in number, who had placed themselves on each side of the road at a gap that we were compelled to pass through. This party was led by Richard Brewer, a son of Oliver and brother of George and Eli Brewer, and John Duvalt, the brother of Whitt Duvalt, who endeavored to stop us and threatened to fire upon us if we did not release the prisoners and stills. This we declined to do, and went through the gap without being fired upon but would have been entirely at their mercy but for the prisoners, who were so placed that they might help stop some of the bullets had the desperadoes fired upon us. After we crossed the Powells River they did fire upon us, but did no damage , and we lodged the prisoners and stills safely in the jail Jonesville and placed a strong guard over it. The citizens who went with us and assisted us, and who live on Wallins Creek, below where we captured the distillery that was located on that creek, then returned home that they might get some rest and be ready to resume their usual ______ the next day. On the following day, Monday, the 14th, near sunset, and while they were at work in their cornfields, with only ____ notice to enable them, some six in number, to get together, they were attacked by an armed body of men numbering 2?,and one of their number, Jesse Vaudewinter?, was mortally wounded and has since died. The little party of citizens fought _____ and being reinforced by some four others, drove the murderers to the mountains, with a loss of four wounded--one mortally and three pretty severely.

This attack was led by Richard Brewer, John Duvalt, and Bert Louis, three noted desperadoes, who reside on the Blackwater. The names of those ot the Blackwater Party who were wounded are Jesse Anderson, mortally, and Andrew Testament, James Collins and Hiram Levisay. The County Judge of Lee County at once caused warrants to be issued for all the persons known to have been engaged in the attack, and placed them in the hands of Deputy Sheriff Doyle, who will do all in his power to arrest the guilty parties, and if caught they will certainly be brought to justice. The friends of the prisoners threatened to tear the jail down or to have them come out, and we were compelled to summon 50 citizens to guard the jail at Jonesville until the Marshal could summons witnesses and get ready to start to Abingdon with the prisoners, and have them tried by the United States Commissioner. On Wednesday, May 16, Deputy Marshal Austin, with about 30 citizens, well mounted and well armed, left Jonesville for Abingdon with the prisoners and stills. This large force was necessary because of his being compelled to cross both Wallins Creek and Powells Mountain on his way out, and having received trustworthy information that any ordinary force would be attacked at one or the other of these points. On Thursday, the 17th, after crossing Clinch River, the Marshal dismissed all but a small guard, and on Friday night arrived safely in Bristol with the prisoners and stills. The stills were safely stored at Bristol, and the prisoners were all sent on by Commissioner Gildersleeve, and four committed to jail in default of bail. We destroyed 46 fermenting tubs, 7,300 gallons mash and beer, about 250 gallons _____ and a quantity of backing and brought away all the stills and fixtures we found. The substantial citizens of Lee County stood by us nobly in this affair, and full credit is due them for so doing, and all seem anxious that this gang of lawless men be broken up, and are ready to render the officers any assistance in their power to bring all the guilty parties to justice; and had it not been for the good citizens of Lee, I am quite sure the United States Officials would have _____ very badly in the affair."

A detailed report of a raid on illicit distillers by George W. Atkinson and others in Western Virginia, shows that the party completed a destruction of nine copper stills, with a capacity of 733 gallons, 107 mash hogshead?, with a capacity of 12, 845 gallons, 7,500 gallons of corn meal mash, and a large quantity of corn whisky. The report of their operations, giving an account of the difficulties, and the various obstacles they were required to overcome, is at a very interesting character, and indicates the great determination of the illicit distillers to persevere in their operations.

Train Accident

Bristol, Tenn., Jan. 24--Mrs. Maria Bryant, 50 years old, widow of Jonathan Bryant, of Lee County, Va., was run down by a train on the Louisville and Nashville Railway at Pennington Gap, yesterday.

Mrs. Bryant heard the sound of the whistle, but, becoming confused, returned to the track and was crushed under the wheels, The dead woman was a daughter of Sampson Branson, a wealthy farmer.