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on one of his hands. He was not only the most
loathsome looking, but the most offensive smelling
object I ever saw. Such was the state of feeling
& the vigilance of the people, it was not possible
for him to escape. His house was not only
guarded, but scouting parties were out in all
parts of the country in search of him. If he
fled from the neighborhood, troops of armed
men would have followed him. The population
of this country consisted of rough, backwoodsmen,
mostly imigrants from Western Virginia
& E. Tennessee; they had not yet been corrupted
by avarice or luxury. A murderer
could not be tolerated - could not escape.
What a change in less than half a century.
A murder now a days, excites no interest perhaps
it may be mentioned like any other common
occurrence. For 20 years in the S. & S. W. it has
been next to impossible to convict a murderer
indeed, they have become the magnates of
the Land. I may in the sequel give the names
of more than one.
In the fall of this year, Anthony Gholson removed
from Botetourt County, Virga to Wayne County, Ky.
He had previously purchased a valuable tract
of land & plantation, 5 miles N.E. of Monticello
on the road to Pulaski &c. His son John & his
youngest daughter Dorothy were one day ahead
of the family, when they passed Isaac West's
where I boarded. It was a cool, damp evening
the young lady was wrapped up in a large blue
cloth cloak, her face veiled & an umbrella
over her. I guessed that they were members
of that family & as they passed, I remarked
to my brother Jonathan, who was then with
me, that "that young lady was to be my wife".
I saw her, a few weeks afterwards at a wedding
(Abel Shrewsberry to Miss Telitha VanHanger) &
soon became enamored of her. On the 26th of
May, six days after I was 17 years old, we