From the Leighton News (Colbert County) 21 Jul 1905:

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MORE EVIDENCE.

New York City
July 18, 1905.
Editor Leighton News,
Dear Sir: Mrs. Lena Stephenson Bobbit, now living at Dyer, Gibson county, Tennessee, daughter of Dr. A.W. Stephenson, who was surgeon in charge of LaGrange Military Academy, who although only eight years of age on the day that the buildings were destroyed, writes me a description of that event.
She says that on the day of the fire there was a battle going on in the valley below, that in order to get a better view of it all the women and children and what few old men were left went to the roof of the large central building. While they were watching (through a field glass which Dr. Stephenson furnished) the exciting scenes which were transpiring in the valley which spread out before them, a detachment of the Federals had come up and fired the buildings while they were in them. When the smoke began to rise from the building they were seized with panic and all endeavored to descend. They found the front entrance was cut off by the flames but they escaped through the back doors of the building. "I remember how frightened we were because some of the children were not accounted for immediately after we got to our homes, but fortunately they were not burned. They had in their fright escaped into the bushes and had concealed themselves not coming home until the Federals had left after buildings had fallen in."

Sincerely yours,

John A. Wyeth.

Within four months of that date the officer in command of this detachment of vandals was shot and almost instantly killed in a personal altercation at Corinth, Miss.

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Thought this might be of interest to someone, especially as it mentions Wyeth.

Hoyt Cagle