The Rifle of an Avenging Father Ends Young Libertine’s Career
Residing in Perry county, near the Spencer line, is an old farmer named Abram Carmichael. He has a young daughter who is not as bright as she might be, but is said to be liberally endowed with good looks. For some time past a young man named Charles Ewing, who worked in a stave factory at the little railroad village of Birdseye, in Dubois county, has been a constant visitor at old man Carmichael’s, the buxom daughter proving the attraction, and it was understood by the old folks that the young people had engaged themselves to be married. Some three weeks ago young Ewing persuaded the woman to go to the Louisville Exposition, promising that when they arrived at the Falls City he would marry her. The old people objected to her going off with the young man in that fashion, but she being of legal age they could not prevent her. Off they went, but she did not return to her parents. The next thing the old people heard of her she was in Birdseye living with Ewing as his wife, claiming that they had been married in Leavenworth. Mr. Carmichael to satisfy himself and wife that all was right, caused inquiries to be made at the latter place and discovered that they had not been married there. On Saturday, the 3rd instant, a neighbor who had been over to Birdseye told the old man that Ewing had not only not married his daughter but, with two or three other young rakes, kept her there for their own lustful purposes.
Bright and early Sunday morning, the 4th instant, Mr. Carmichael carefully cleaned and loaded his trusty rifle, mounted his horse, and rode away to avenge his daughter’s dishonor. Arrived at Birdseye, the house in which the foolish girl was staying with Ewing was pointed out to him, and he approached it, with his gun resting on the hollow of his left arm and his finger on the trigger ready for instant use. The girl, who was sitting on Ewing’s lap saw him approaching through the window and exclaimed:
“My God, Charley! Here comes papa and he’s got his gun!”
That was enough for the young libertine. Thrusting his victim off his lap, he sprang to his feet, rushed out the back door, and made for the woods as fast as his frightened legs could carry him. But the old man espied him, and, without uttering a word lifted the gun to his shoulder, took deliberate aim at the fleeing rascal, and fired. The ball penetrated Ewing’s back, producing a wound that resulted in his death the next day. The community in which the tragedy was enacted became intensely excited over the affair, public opinion generally deciding that the old father had gone too far in taking Ewing’s life, but should have contented himself with compelling the latter to right the wrong to his daughter by marrying her.
Carmichael made no attempt to escape, but sent the sheriff of Dubois word where he could be found, and that he would be ready to answer for his act whenever called upon. Tuesday the sheriff went to his home, and Carmichael cheerfully accompanied him to Jasper, the county seat, where he was committed to jail.
The Breckinridge News, 14 Nov 1883, Cloverport, Kentucky
Slashing of Frank Englert
CUTTING SCRAPE
RESULTS IN ANDREW ENGLERT BEING SLASHED IN LEFT SIDE.
St. Anthony, Ind., Dec. 2 – A cutting scraps occurred at the home of Andrew Englert, who resides about two miles east of here. Last Saturday evening in Which Mr Englert was severely cut in the left side with a large dirk knife in the home of Frank Vogle who resides near Siberia, Perry County.
A few words passed between the two before the cutting and no one thought that the one who did the cutting was angry. Dr Bigham of this place was called and several stitches were necessary to close the wound, which was about 6 inches long. After the cutting Vogle left for parts unknown.
The Jasper Weekly Courier, 9 Nov 1883, Jasper, Indiana
ANOTHER MURDER
Charles Ewing, a young man but 23 years of age, was shot and killed in Birdseye on Sunday night last by Abraham Carmichael, in the kitchen of Frank Atkins, of that town. Carmichael lives in Crawford County, and has a young 16 year old daughter, to whom Ewing had been paying attentions for some time. He persuaded her to leave her father’s house last week, and go with him to Birdseye, where he was working, and live with him as his wife, reporting that they were married. The old man went to Leavenworth and Cannelton, and found that no license had been issued at either place, and then followed them at Birdseye, and calling on Adkins found they were at his house, as man and wife. Atkins went to the house with him, and the girl came in to see her father, followed by Ewing. At the sight of Ewing the old man reached around Atkins and his daughter, who stood between him and Ewing, and shot the young man through the bowels with a pistol, inflicting a wound from which death ensued in few hours. Carmichael then made his escape. Ewing’s parents live in Perry county, and he had been working in Birdseye but a few weeks.
Article in the New Albany Ledger of 17 Nov 1883:
“The Birdseye killing, details of which were given in the Ledger at the time, seems not to have excited any great amount of felling against the slayer. It will be remembered that a young man named Charles Ewing seduced a daughter of Abraham Carmichael of Perry county, from her home and was living with her as his wife in Birdseye, saying that they had been married at Leavenworth. Carmichael went to Leavenworth and learned that the parties had not been married there. He then went to Birdseye, found Ewing and his daughter at a boarding house there, and shot and killed Ewing. After the shooting Carmichael mounted his horse and rode to his home in Perry county, where he has remained ever since unmolested by the officers of the law, though at first reported arrested and lodged in jail at Jasper, Dubois county. It is said that the Coroner, after holding an inquest on the dead body of Ewing, did not charge the murder on Carmichael in his verdict.”
So it appears that Abram was not sent to jail. No charges filed — at least as of 17 Nov 1883.
MURDERED
“Long” Ike Mitchell Kills His Son-in-Law Sherman Fields
The Tragedy Takes Place at Mitchells Home and Is the Result of Family Trouble.
“Long” Isaaac Mitchell on Wednesday last 13th (after the Democrat had gone to press) shot and killed his son-in-law Sherman Fields in Johnson township and escaped. As near as we can learn Mitchell had been keeping a small child of Sherman Fields the later had found a home for the little daughter called at the home of Mitchell for her. Trouble arose someway and Fields was shot in the stomach dying in a few minutes. There has been no arrest.
Crawford Democrat 8-21-1902