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Dorothy Copus Brush (Low Tax) not the only After the jury found Byron (Low Tax) Looper
guilty, one reporter described the case as the most shocking
in local history. That may be true of recent local history, but
there was another crime covered in old issues of the Chronicle
that rated four stars in shock value. On Aug. 18, 1897, the news spread that the
15-year-old wife of H.H. had accidentally drowned in the family's
well. Neighbors were suspicious, and by Aug. 25 people in the
3rd and 4th districts were "greatly wrought up" and
there was talk of lynching. After the coroner's investigation stated "there
was a strong conviction of foul play," the girl's father
swore out a warrant for H.H. and his mother. H.H. was arraigned
before the court on suspicion of murder and his mother as an
accessory. A preliminary hearing was held by Esq. H.O.
Newberry and C.L. Deatherage. Twenty-four witnesses were called
and several testified that the 20-year-old H.H. wanted his wife
out of the way so he could marry another woman. Others theorized
that the bride of 11 months was cruelly murdered to keep her
from being a witness in a pending pistol case against H.H. The defendant H.H. was found guilty of murder
and was bound over to the Circuit Court without bail. The mother's
case was discharged because the court felt nothing had been proven
against her. Because of the strong emotions of the citizenry,
H.H. was moved to the Sparta jail for safekeeping. The night before he was moved H.H. broke down,
and the headline read, "Tells How the Deed Was Done."
He stated his wife took a bucket and started to the well. He
reached the well just as she was stooping to dip the water. He
kicked her down but she caught with her foot against one side
of the well and did not fall into the water. She was still clinging
to the rocks to support herself when he struck her on the back
of the head with a large rock and fractured her skull. He then
took a board that was lying nearby and pushed the senseless form
under the water and ran away. At his trial H.H. was found guilty and sentenced
to hang. All through 1898 there were appeals hearings, to try
to get a less harsh sentence. In January 1899, the State Supreme
Court sustained the lower court's verdict and March 13 was set
for the hanging. H.H. was being held in the Nashville jail at
that time. There was one slim hope left. Gov. Benton
McMillin was asked to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment.
After visiting H.H. in jail the governor gave him a 30-day respite.
He explained he found H.H. in a "pretty bad fix physically,
suffering from an attack of la grippe and a tendency to pneumonia."
The hanging was moved to April 13. Although the news of the new date was well
known in Cumberland County, many supposed it was a ruse by officials
to lessen the crowd. On the morning of March 13 fully 700 visitors
had arrived in town. |