SC1896_FF1_101

[pg. 99]
Thos. T. having made his arrangement, to spend
the winter in labor, his sister was written to, to
return to Tenn. with our neighbor & friend
Lyr. Geo. Gray, who was then on a visit to Kenty.
They were expected to return by way of Mon
ticello, & I went that far to meet them, but
was disappointed, they having returned, via
Nashville, near to which place, they visit Thos -
who dispatched a servant to Monticello, to
apprise me of the fact. I returned to Win
chester. Thos was then staying the Camp
bell's, and before I saw him, a difficulty
occurred between him & a furious, drunken
din Irishman, named John Dwyer, which
resulted in Thos. shooting him with a Pistol
somewhere near the hip, which fortunately
did not prove mortal. Without detailing
all the circumstances, connected with that un-
happy affair, I will barely remark, that Thos.
was justifiable in shooting the old man
who had not only very wantonly insulted him
but offered him personal violence, which he
was not able to resist with his arms of flesh.
He did not than weigh 100lbs. He told me
he did not shoot the old man, to save him
self, that the ball struck higher than he
intended it should. Hearing the report
of the Pistol, & [?] in distress, I ran with
them in the direction of the noise, without
[?] for a moment, what had happened
on learning that Mr. Dwyer, had been shot by
my son, without wanting to inquire or [anyway?]
legate this fact connected with home, I had him
mounted on a good horse, & he rode off