The Breckenridge News, 30 May 1883
Cloverport, Kentucky
AN INDIANA ASSASSINATION
Poor Old Jack Bryant Ambushed and Shot to Death by an Unknown Assassin
From Our Special Correspondent
Rome, Ind., May 24 – Another horrible murder was perpetrated on Poison Creek, about four miles northeast of Rome, Perry county, Indiana on Wednesday (yesterday) afternoon, the 23rd instant. John Bryant, better known a ‘Trigger’ John Bryant was way laid on his road from dinner to his work, and brutally murdered by some person at present unknown. The particulars in the case, so far as your correspondent can ascertain them, are as follows:
Bryant left his home about 1 o’clock p.m. to go to work and take dinner to his son, a lad about fourteen years, who was in a field plowing and had not come to his noonday meal. Bryant was working in the stave-woods about half mile from his home. Passing by the residence of Wm. Dodd, who was also working at getting out staves in the woods with Bryant, the latter seeing Dodd at home, called out to him, “Come, Bill, lets go to work.” Dodd replied, ‘No, I can not go this evening, I must go get some corn.” Bryant then passed on, carrying his boy’s dinner in a bucket in his hand. The latter was at work in the field between the stave-woods. This was the last any one saw Bryant alive.
Leaving Dodd’s house, he had to pass through a strip of woodland full of thick undergrowth. His not coming home at the usual time in the evening, his family became alarmed for his safety, as he never remained away from home without telling them of such intention, though he sometimes stayed longer than he expected. Search was not made until this morning, when his son went over to Mr. Dodd’s and told him that his father had not been at home since yesterday at noon, and asked his assistance in hunting him, as he was afraid some accident had befallen him in the woods.
Mr. Dodd, accompanied by Tine Glenn, Joe Conner and George Gotely, started in search of the missing man. Mr. Dodd’s daughter, Emma, as they were starting, said she saw the bucket Bryant was carrying the day before by the roadside in the strip of woods before mentioned as through which he had to pass to reach his work. This furnished a clue of direction to the search party. They found the bucket at the place the girl described, and near it discovered that the undergrowth was broken down as though some one had rushed through and over it. Following this pointer, about thirty yards from the road they came upon the body of the missing man, lying on his back, with two bullet holes in the head and one in the left breast. This was about 9 o’clock this morning.
Joe Conner was immediately sent to this place for ‘Squire Whitmer to come out and hold an inquest. The intelligence of the foul crime spread through the community like a prairie fire, and by 3 or 4 o’clock p.m. the whole country round for four or five mile was well represented at the scene of the assassination. On examination of the wounds and the ground, it appeared that the murder was concealed in the wood-land before mentioned behind a tree close to the roadside. When Bryant came up his assassin stepped out in front of him and shot him in the left breast. This caused Bryant to run into the thick undergrowth, and when about thirty yards from the road he fell. His murderer followed him, and putting his revolver to his forehead fired the second shot. Not content with this, and to complete the hellish work, he then fired a third shot which took effect in his victim’s right temple. The weapon was held so close to Bryant’s head that the forehead and face was badly powder-burned, and a more horrible sight I have never looked upon.
The butchery of John Bryant seems very strange, as there was no particular harm about the poor fellow. The worst that can be said of him by his neighbors is that he would talk very plain sometimes. He leaves a poor, sickly wife and five children with very little to go on. Those who knew him best say that he was a very kind father and a man who, though poor, always provided bountifully for his family.
‘Squire Whitmer conducted the inquest, assisted by Dr. Wedding and others. Dr. Wedding extracted two bullets from the wounds, which were identified as having been fired from a 32-calibre pistol. The result of the inquest was the following verdict: “That deceased came to his death by being shot with a 32-calibre revolver in the hand of some person or persons unknown.”
There has been much talk about the matter in this community, but nothing so far has come to the surface to point out the identity of the perpetrator of this terrible crime. As the relatives of the deceased are all poor, and not able to employ detectives to hunt down the murderer or murderers, the county will have to offer a reward for his or their apprehension, which, no doubt, willl be done.
Cloverport, Kentucky
AN INDIANA ASSASSINATION
Poor Old Jack Bryant Ambushed and Shot to Death by an Unknown Assassin
From Our Special Correspondent
Rome, Ind., May 24 – Another horrible murder was perpetrated on Poison Creek, about four miles northeast of Rome, Perry county, Indiana on Wednesday (yesterday) afternoon, the 23rd instant. John Bryant, better known a ‘Trigger’ John Bryant was way laid on his road from dinner to his work, and brutally murdered by some person at present unknown. The particulars in the case, so far as your correspondent can ascertain them, are as follows:
Bryant left his home about 1 o’clock p.m. to go to work and take dinner to his son, a lad about fourteen years, who was in a field plowing and had not come to his noonday meal. Bryant was working in the stave-woods about half mile from his home. Passing by the residence of Wm. Dodd, who was also working at getting out staves in the woods with Bryant, the latter seeing Dodd at home, called out to him, “Come, Bill, lets go to work.” Dodd replied, ‘No, I can not go this evening, I must go get some corn.” Bryant then passed on, carrying his boy’s dinner in a bucket in his hand. The latter was at work in the field between the stave-woods. This was the last any one saw Bryant alive.
Leaving Dodd’s house, he had to pass through a strip of woodland full of thick undergrowth. His not coming home at the usual time in the evening, his family became alarmed for his safety, as he never remained away from home without telling them of such intention, though he sometimes stayed longer than he expected. Search was not made until this morning, when his son went over to Mr. Dodd’s and told him that his father had not been at home since yesterday at noon, and asked his assistance in hunting him, as he was afraid some accident had befallen him in the woods.
Mr. Dodd, accompanied by Tine Glenn, Joe Conner and George Gotely, started in search of the missing man. Mr. Dodd’s daughter, Emma, as they were starting, said she saw the bucket Bryant was carrying the day before by the roadside in the strip of woods before mentioned as through which he had to pass to reach his work. This furnished a clue of direction to the search party. They found the bucket at the place the girl described, and near it discovered that the undergrowth was broken down as though some one had rushed through and over it. Following this pointer, about thirty yards from the road they came upon the body of the missing man, lying on his back, with two bullet holes in the head and one in the left breast. This was about 9 o’clock this morning.
Joe Conner was immediately sent to this place for ‘Squire Whitmer to come out and hold an inquest. The intelligence of the foul crime spread through the community like a prairie fire, and by 3 or 4 o’clock p.m. the whole country round for four or five mile was well represented at the scene of the assassination. On examination of the wounds and the ground, it appeared that the murder was concealed in the wood-land before mentioned behind a tree close to the roadside. When Bryant came up his assassin stepped out in front of him and shot him in the left breast. This caused Bryant to run into the thick undergrowth, and when about thirty yards from the road he fell. His murderer followed him, and putting his revolver to his forehead fired the second shot. Not content with this, and to complete the hellish work, he then fired a third shot which took effect in his victim’s right temple. The weapon was held so close to Bryant’s head that the forehead and face was badly powder-burned, and a more horrible sight I have never looked upon.
The butchery of John Bryant seems very strange, as there was no particular harm about the poor fellow. The worst that can be said of him by his neighbors is that he would talk very plain sometimes. He leaves a poor, sickly wife and five children with very little to go on. Those who knew him best say that he was a very kind father and a man who, though poor, always provided bountifully for his family.
‘Squire Whitmer conducted the inquest, assisted by Dr. Wedding and others. Dr. Wedding extracted two bullets from the wounds, which were identified as having been fired from a 32-calibre pistol. The result of the inquest was the following verdict: “That deceased came to his death by being shot with a 32-calibre revolver in the hand of some person or persons unknown.”
There has been much talk about the matter in this community, but nothing so far has come to the surface to point out the identity of the perpetrator of this terrible crime. As the relatives of the deceased are all poor, and not able to employ detectives to hunt down the murderer or murderers, the county will have to offer a reward for his or their apprehension, which, no doubt, willl be done.