USA > Tennessee > Sevier County > The White-caps : a history of the organization in Sevier County > Part 10
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It is generally admitted that Wynn sought the meeting between him and Maples and brought on the difficulty, and being a bold, dangerous man, will all militate in Maples' favor.
When Tom Davis became a candidate for sheriff against Mr. Shields, sheriff Maples, remembering the great services rendered him by Davis while a deputy under him, espoused his cause very enthusiastically and contributed much by his vast influence to the elec- tion of Davis.
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SHERIFF M. F. MAPLES.
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Maples has always been a strong republican, but in this instance he took the bit in his mouth over the protests of many of his friends and appointed Tom Davis a deputy because of his peculiar fitness for the position.
He had no cause to regret this appointment, and when Davis became a candidate for sheriff he could not withhold his support from him, even though a demo- crat. He felt that it was not inconsistent after having appointed Davis a deputy to give him his support, and right or wrong this is the record he has made.
Maples was married when quite young to Miss Julia Lillard, of Cocke county, a quiet, unassuming Chris- tian woman, who made him a cheerful and zealous helpmeet through all his struggles in life.
Mr. and Mrs. Maples have only one child, a daughter, who is now Mrs. W. H. Gass, of Sevierville.
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE ROBBERY OF JOHN BURNETT.
John Burnett is an old pensioner and owns a little hill-side farm six miles west of Sevierville among the foot hills of the Chilhowee mountains. He was a hard working old man and evidently had struggled hard through life to support his wife and large family of children.
Besides the income from his little farm, he received a pension of twenty-four dollars per month. These two sources of revenue were his only means of sup- port. From the first he received supplies for the table, while the other was usually spent in buying the necessary clothing for the family. Therefore, Burnett and his family hailed with delight the coming of " pension day."
One cold November morning in 1896 Mr. Burnett mounted his horse and rode away in the direction of Sevierville. He had not told all the members of the family where he was going. Mrs. Burnett, however, well knew his mission. The children asked :
"Where is papa going this cold morning ?"
A bright smile lit up their faces when they learned he had started for Sevierville to cash his pension check, for winter was coming on, the mornings were cold and frosty, and they had not yet received their winter shoes.
Mr. Burnett drew his money from the Sevierville bank, and as he stuffed a big roll of greenbacks in his pocket, remarked :
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" Mattie and the children will be happy tonight. They've been teasing the life out of me for their winter clothing."
The children anxiously awaited the return of their father that evening. But the sun had set and the blue mists of twilight were fast gathering over the old homestead when Mr. Burnett rode up to the gate. They met him at the gate and their hearts were over- joyed when they were assured that he had his money -seventy-two dollars.
It was a happy family that sat around the fire-place that night and talked of what each one would receive. Some new shoes, some new hats and cloaks, while the grown boys were to have new suits of "store clothes."
But " a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," and speeding hours sometimes bring with them events which play havoc with our brightest hopes.
At that very moment Pleas Wynn, George Thurmer, and Jap. and Joe Jenkins were playing cards for drinks in an upstairs room at Yett & Trotter's store and plan- ning a raid for ill gotten gains.
Pleas Wynn's sharp eye had caught a glimpse of that large roll of greenback as it passed from the hands of the cashier into those of the owner. Pleas sat whittling on a goods box in front of the bank, and while apparently taking no notice of his surroundings, was watching the transaction on the inside.
When the boys were fairly well " tanked up" that night on mean liquor Pleas told of what he had seen at the bank and suggested that they " take it in."
This was a new field of business to Thurmer, and at first he protested against it, saying :
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"I have just returned from serving a term in the penitentiary, and we will all get caught up with, and then I will have another job an my hands."
"You are the very man we need, George," argued Wynn. "You must go; we can't do without you."
"Pshaw, George. They ain't one bit o' danger. They can't do nothin' with a White-cap," chimed in Joe Jenkins.
" Well, they might," said Jap. "Let's all take another drink and then we will talk more about it."
The drinks went around and then another big " horn" was taken, and a bright smile played upon the faces of the four robbers as Pleas Wynn gave out the plans in detail and told them how easy it would be to frighten old man Burnett out of his senses, take his money and disappear in the darkness.
Jap. and Joe Jenkins were conducting a livery stable in the lower end of town, also a " blind tiger," so the horses and liquor were at hand, and they started at once for the Burnett home. They rode at a lively gait and were not long in reaching their destination.
Crash went the door, and three men closely masked stepped inside. Mr. Burnett, aroused from his mid- night slumbers, stood gazing at the robed figures in utter astonishment.
" Hold up your hands," came the first command.
It was no sooner given than obeyed, and Burnett stood on his tiptoes reaching for the ceiling overhead.
They turned to his daughter's bed and ordered her to get up and light a lamp. As she did not obey at once she was dragged out of bed in her night clothing and forced to make a light.
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Two of the robbers took Burnett into an adjoining room while the third stood by Mrs. Burnett's bed with a drawn club.
" Where is your money ? " Burnett was asked.
"I-I-hav-haven't got any," stammered the old man, as he turned his pockets inside out.
"D-n you, I know you have," said the low, heavy-set man. "Get it for us, and be d-d quick about it."
The command was emphasized by two large revol- vers which were thrust in his face so close that one touched his cheek. This had the desired effect and Burnett said :
" Take me in the other room and my wife will get it for you."
Mrs. Burnett did not know where it was, but the eldest daughter did. Burnett rushed frantically around the room opening a drawer here and there making an " honest effort to find the money, but failed to do so.
The robbers thought he was playing a game on them, and one struck him on the head with the butt of his pistol, knocking him down.
"Now, d-n you, take that," he said. "We've come to get your money or your life, one or the other, and we don't give a d-n which."
Through all this excitement the heroic daughter, who knew where the money was concealed, had remained silent. But when she saw her father fall to the floor, she weakened, and pulling out a drawer gave the money to Pleas Wynn ..
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This ended the fearful scene. The robbers disap- peared as abruptly as they had made their appearance, leaving the erstwhile happy home in sore distress.
Burnett sank down in an old-fashioned rocker by his wife exclaiming :
" Oh, my God ! Mattie, we are ruined, now."
The robbers went dashing down the road at a break- neck speed, and when about a mile and a half from the scene of the robbery, they turned into a little scope of woods, dismounted and divided the money. Pleas Wynn drew from his pocket a roll of greenbacks, and not satisfied with having robbed an old pensioner, he now plays a game on his companions in crime.
"Thirty-nine dollars was all I got," said Pleas.
"The h-11 you say," said Jap. Jenkins. "Then we didn't get it all. They put up a job on us at last."
The thirty-nine dollars was divided into four equal parts, Wynn keeping his share and also the balance of the seventy-two dollars which the young girl had given him.
They remounted their horses and the return trip was made in double quick time. On reaching the out- skirts of town they checked their flying steeds and quietly rode into town, two and two.
At the March term of court, 1897, Pleas Wynn, George Thurmer, John Christopher, Jap., Joe and Sam Jenkins were indicted for this crime. John Christo- pher, Sam and Joe Jenkins were tried at the July term of court, 1897. Joe Jenkins was convicted and sen- . tenced to the penitentiary for five years and is now serving the term. John Christopher and Sam Jenkins were acquitted, and indeed. they should have been, as
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neither was guilty, according to the statements of some who participated in the commission of the crime.
Pleas Wynn, Jap Jenkins and George Thurmer have never been tried for this crime, and, perhaps never will be, as Wynn is sentenced to die upon the gallows for the murder of William and Laura Whaley, and Jap. Jenkins and George Thurmer have turned the light on and rendered the officers valuable assistance in ferret- ing out other crimes.
Joe Jenkins, the man who said "They can't do nothin' with a White-cap," is the only one to suffer the penalty of the law.
On the return trip from Kentucky with George Thurmer, he said to deputy sheriff Tom Davis :
" Take these handcuffs off."
" No indeed," replied the officer. " If you had taken my advice, George, and told what you knew about this matter you would have been a free man to-day."
"If I am ever offered that opportunity again, by G-d, I'll do it," said George.
"Open up yourself then," replied the officer, "the. opportunity is at hand.
Thereupon George made a clean breast of the whole matter. He has also given out valuable information besides coming to sheriff Maples' rescue at a critical moment.
There are few men who have become so destitute of all sense of honor that they have no good qualities left. George was not an exception to the rule.
John Burnett well knew the dangerous character of the robbers, who had threatened his life if he revealed the loss of his money, and immediately moved to Knoxville, where he now resides.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE ROBBERY OF ANDREW HENDERSON.
This robbery occurred in the latter part of Novem- ber, 1896, following closely the robbery of old man John Burnett.
"Old Uncle Andy," as he was familiarly known, lived in the Henderson Spring neighborhood and was one of the oldest and best citizens in Sevier county. Besides owning one of the best river farms in the county, it was a well known fact that he always kept on hand a large sum of ready cash.
He was an out-spoken old man, and did not hesitate to speak his sentiments. He never occupied neutral ground on any grave question, but took one side or the other, and was always able to defend his position. Like all the other Hendersons of Sevier county, he took a bold stand against the White-caps. Hence the motive for the commission of this grave crime may have been two-fold.
These midnight raiders, no doubt, reasoned with themselves in this way: that they would not only enhance the sum of their ill-gotten gains, but at the same time would get even with a relentless enemy for his bold denunciation of their cowardly crimes.
It has always been believed by Sevier county people that at least some of the men committing this crime were his near neighbors who were perfectly familiar with all the surroundings.
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Uncle Andy was suddenly aroused that night in November from his midnight slumbers by a heavy crash at his window. He opened his eyes and found the muzzle of a shot gun staring him in the face, and at the same time came the command :
"Hold up your hands."
The robbers, evidently, were acquainted with the situation and well knew that Uncle Andy's shot gun was always near his bedside, and although old and feeble, he knew how to handle it, and they did not care to take equal chances with him. So one of them thrust a shot gun through the window pane and kept him covered while the others battered down the door.
Once on the inside it was an easy matter to accom- plish their purpose. They dragged the old man from his bed and shoved him around the room in a rough manner, and with a man at each arm they led him to his safe and demanded him to open it at once. He obeyed the command but it was some little time before he could get it open. He had forgotten the combina- tion and had begun to grow uneasy for fear he could not open it at all. He turned the knob with great care, for he knew full well that his life depended on his success in opening the safe. At last the safe was opened and the shining gold, amounting to a little over two thousand dollars, was turned over to the robbers.
Yet they were not satisfied ; they knew Uncle Andy always kept on hand for his morning dram some of the finest liquor that could be had, and making their way to his closet they found a two-gallon demijohn upon which the seal had not yet been broken. Satis-
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fied at last, if indeed it is possible to satisfy the raven- ous greed of a midnight robber, they bade him good- night and departed.
Soon the loud clatter of horses' hoofs was heard going down the road in the direction of Sevierville, and three or four reckless riders reeling in their saddles and yelling at the top of their voices :
" White-caps! White-caps ! Hurrah for the White- caps !"
On they went as fast as their fiery steeds could carry them, passing the farm houses one by one in quick succession, still yelling :
"White-caps ! White-caps ! Clear the way-the White-caps are coming !"
On approaching the town of Sevierville they tight- ened their reins and came suddenly to a halt, and nothing more was heard of them.
Before leaving old man Henderson, they waived a pistol in his face, saying :
" Old man, if you ever cheep this, your life instead of your gold will pay the penalty."
The old man and his aged companion lay in bed talk- ing in subdued tones until ten o'clock next day. They imagined they could hear the robbers walking around the house and thought they had returned to carry out the threat they had made the night before. It was, therefore, late in the day before the neighbors knew that a robbery had been committed.
He finally sent for his nephew, William A. Hender- son. When he came, the old man burst in tears, saying :
" Bill, I am ruined, I am ruined ! "
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" What on earth is the matter, Uncle Andy?" queried his nephew.
" They have robbed me of all my gold, and left me without a cent," replied the heart-broken old man.
It would have been better had they murdered him in cold blood, for the shock that he received that night with the loss of the earnings of a life-time no doubt caused his death.
Up to this time his mind had been as clear and bright as it had ever been in his younger days, but now it became unbalanced from meditating and brood- ing over his sad misfortune. He lingered along for two or three months and died, his mind gradually giv- ing away.
There is still an outstanding reward of three hundred dollars for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this midnight robbery.
We close this chapter without giving the general public all the facts known in regard to the parties committing the crime, as officers are now working hard on this case with a fair chance of success.
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CHAPTER XXX.
WHIPPING OF MRS. MARY BREEDEN AND HER DAUGHTERS.
In the write-up of the White-caps and their depreda- tions in Sevier County, it has not been the purpose of the writer to give full and detailed accounts of all the minor offenses committed by them.
. It would take a volume of more than one thousand pages to give such accounts, and do the subject justice, there frequently occurring more than a dozen whippings in a single night. Such being the case, the writer is content to give an account of only such whip- pings as proved fatal to the unfortunate victims.
The whipping of Mrs. Mary Breeden and her daughters, Bell and Martha, is a case of unparalleled cruelty, and shows the depravity of the human heart.
One Saturday night about the middle of May, 1893, the inmates of the Breeden home were aroused from their peaceful slumber by the footsteps of unknown parties surrounding the house and the captain of the · band calling :
"Oh ! Jes, Oh ! Jes ! get up we want to see you."
Jes was Mrs. Breeden's oldest child and only son, a young man of good character and exemplary habits, who struggled hard for the support of his widowed mother and her large family of children. The White- caps had not given the Breeden family any previous notice, as was their custom, and the unsuspecting young man opened wide the door of their humble cabin home.
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He was greatly surprised to find the yard full of masked men, who, quick as a flash, covered him with their guns.
He was asked if the house belonged to him or his mother.
" It belongs to mother I guess, as I am not married," he replied.
Eight of their number came in the house and while four of them kept the young man covered with their revolvers, threatening to blow his heart out if he moved, the other four proceeded to drag Miss Bell, the oldest daughter, from her bed and took her out into the yard in her night apparel. Two men each taking her by the hand, held her arms outstretched at full length, while two others, one on each side, gave her a most cruel and unmerciful beating.
The young woman felt the sting of the cruel lash laid upon her bare back and made a desperate effort to free herself from the death-like grasp of hellish demons. But all to no purpose. She was powerless in the hands of this heartless band of base cowards whose deeds were as dark as hell its self. Her punish- ment was only more severe for the efforts she made to escape such cruel treatment.
In the meantime, however, Mrs. Breeden, with a motherly love for her daughter, was interceeding in her behalf, and begged them in the name of high heaven to spare her daughter's life. The reply came from the leader.
"G-d d-m you. Hush !" "It will be your time next."
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Miss Bell was led back into the house writhing in pain ; the blood stains clearly visible through her night gown.
Miss Martha was next taken into the yard and forced to go through the same trying ordeal except her punishment was not so severe.
Again Mrs. Breeden interceeded in behalf of her younger daughter, which did no good however, but rather had a tendency to infuriate the mob.
Next in turn came Mrs. Breeden, who, in like manner, received the same punishment as her two daughters, except that it exceeded theirs in severity.
. Of all the heinous crimes committed by this lawless band, there is none, perhaps, that equals in point of brutality the whipping of old Mrs. Breeden, except the murder of William and Laura Whaley.
Mrs. Breeden had just passed her sixtieth year, and was a hard-working inoffensive old lady. She had evidently had a hard struggle through life to support . her large family of children. And her two oldest daughters, Bell and Martha, who were rather hand- some, had been her tender care for many years. And now, to stand by and see those two beautiful rose buds which she had so long watched over and cared for, plucked from the bush, as it were, when just bursting into full bloom of hope, and dragged from under the parental roof in their night apparel, and subjected to,a cruel beating, was more than she could endure. Al- though she realized the situation, and knew full well that to utter one word in their defence, was treading upon dangerous ground, yet moved by the impulse of a motherly love, she entered a protest against such
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cruel treatment. She strongly denied that her two daugliters were living in adultery, as they were accused of doing, and branded them as base cowards for over- powering a woman. For this she was cursed and abused, and then, in turn, was dragged into the yard where she received a fatal whipping.
The scene of this whipping is one that will ever live in the minds of those who witnessed it, and which, no doubt, the perpetrators thereof would like to blot from their memories forever. Although they may attempt to escape from the recollections of this awful crime by roaming in distant lands, yet they can never escape those nightly visions that hover around the bedside and prey upon the mind of a heartless wretch who would commit a crime like this. They can never close their eyes upon such a ghastly scene, but like a fairy phantom, it will ever follow their wandering footsteps through the busy scenes of this life, and haunt them where ever they may be.
It was indeed a most heartrending scene. Enough to arouse the sympathies of the most hardened crimi- nal, and melt into tears a heart of stone. The withes used in this whipping were black gum of an unusual size, being at least three-fourths of an inch in diameter at the larger end, and with the knots left on them. When they lapped across the shoulders of the poor un- fortunate woman the knots cut great gashes in her flesh. She had upbraided them for their cruelty and cow- ardice in overpowering and punishing her two daughters, and they in turn determined to make an example of her to teach others what it was to reprove them for their lawless deeds. Blow after blow in quick succes- sion was laid upon her body, while she screamed at-
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the top of her voice for help. And while writhing in great agony, struggling alone to free herself from the clutches of this heartless band of desperadoes, one of their own men, whose heart was touched by the horri- · ble scene came to her rescue.
He had stood back in the dark, and up to this time · had taken no part in the proceedings. He boldly stepped to the front and in a commanding voice said : " Don't strike her another lick." "I know this old lady and she dosen't deserve such treatment as this."
A controversy arose between them, and they were about to proceed with the whipping, when he suddenly pulled from his pocket a revolver and said :
" I'll shoot the head off of the first man that strikes her another lick, if I die the next minute."
Although these words were spoken in a stern com- manding voice, yet they fell upon the ears of the terror- stricken family like a gleam of sunshine in the midst of a raging storm. It had the desired effect upon liis companions in crime. Although a White-cap, he is to be commended for this brave and courageous act.
The poor woman, now more dead than alive, was re- leased and assisted back into the house with the blood trickling down her back, and dripping upon the ground.
We now turn to the young man "Jesse," who was closely guarded by four well armed men. He had stood by and seen his two sisters ruthlessly dragged from their sleeping couches, and the unmerciful whip- ping which followed. Now he was forced to stand by and witness a scene which was most touching and
DETECTIVE C. W. MCCALL. (Now Deputy United States Marshal.)
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heart-rending ; one that but few men have ever experi- enced-the whipping of his aged mother.
No doubt the young man's mind went back o'er many years, and the halcyon days of childhood rose up in a vision before him as one by one he recalled the passing events mingled with joys and sorrows, when by day he played 'round the door of their lowly cabin and at night was rocked to sleep in the arms of an affectionate mother. These same arms, that so often had been clasped around her first born and only boy, now held outstretched by two strong men, while two hellish demons applied the cruel lash that forever sealed the fate of Mrs. Breeden and sent her to an un- timely grave.
Such was the scene that the young man gazed upon while the tears trickled down his manly face.
Quick as a flash he tore loose from one of the men" who had him in charge, in a determined effort to rescue his mother. Instantly four revolvers were thrust in his face, one of them so close that it almost touched his cheek. At this juncture, while looking down the barrel of the gleaming revolver he recognized his own weapon which he had taken to Jesse Robin- son's shop for repairs only few days previous.
Thus the young man was powerless to render assist- ance to the bewailing mother. Had it not been for the timely interference of one of their own men, as stated heretofore, no doubt Mrs. Breeden would have been left lying prostrate upon the ground a lifeless corpse.
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During the whipping Mrs. Breeden's hair came down and fell in a loose mass over her shoulders.
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When the neighbors appeared on the scene next morning they found short pieces of the withes, some four or five inches long, which had broken off and were lying upon the ground, wrapped with hair and stained with blood.
They found Mrs. Breeden suffering terribly from her ghastly wounds. During the night the blood had dried and left her clothing sticking fast to her back. Several applications of warm water were made before it could be removed, and even then not without under- going great pain.
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