September 12, 1872

Westward---Dr. Mayes will start the 1st October, with about 150 persons, for the West. A
special train will be provided---sleeping car, etc., attached, and will leave the Sweetwater Depot,
at the time above stated.

A Mysterious Affair---On Saturday night and Sunday morning last, Sweetwater was thrown
into a wild state of excitement over a rumor that Thomas G. Boyd had been murdered on Friday
before. Various have been the rumors with regard to the mysterious affair.

It is well known that Mr. Boyd left Sweetwater on Thursday---horseback---for the mountains,
for the purpose of summoning witnesses to attend Court which is now in session at Knoxville.

Among the rumors that were circulated on Sunday the following was the most correct.

Mr. Boyd, took with him two men, B.F. Reagan, and a Mr. Hensley, and on Friday about 2
o'clock the three men were at Laurel Branch Spring, which is on the road from Madisonville to
North Carolina.

The two men who were with Mr. Boyd say that while Mr. Boyd was drinking at the spring, five
men armed with pistols and guns and having their faces blackened, rose out of the surrounding
laurel thicket and with threatening actions ordered Mr. Boyd and his party to surrender, which
they, having no means of resistance, did. The two men were bond-folded and while three of the
five accompanied them down the road, the other two remained with Mr. Boyd.. They had
proceeded a short distance when the report of a pistol was heard and Hensley, who was not
entirely blinded, looked back, saw the flash of two other pistol shots and saw Mr. Boyd fall.
Reagan and Hensley were taken off into the woods some distance and tied to trees, and kept there
until sometime in the night. They had no definite idea of where they were, and after being
released, wandered about in the woods till the next day, when they met R.S. Mahan, told him of
the death of Mr. Boyd, who soon conveyed the information to Mr. Boyd's father, at Mt. Vernon.
Mr. Boyd sent the news to Mr. A.A. Boyd at Madisonville, on Saturday evening. Mr. A.A. Boyd
forwarded the news to Mr. A.W. Boyd, a nephew of the murdered man, at Sweetwater, who got
it at 11 o'clock at night. Mr. A.W. Boyd started immediately, went to Mr. A.A. Boyd's at
Madisonville, where a small party was gathered and proceeded, by way of Mt. Vernon, to the
spot where the shooting was done. A note from Mr. A.W. Boyd was received in Sweetwater on
Sunday night, in which he stated that they had "found Uncle Tom's body Sunday and that it
would have to be interred at Mt. Vernon."

We only give the above as one among the various rumors that were afloat on Sunday.

On Monday morning the Masons of this place, all who could get conveyance, went to Mt.
Vernon for the purpose of attending the funeral.

Since Monday we have obtained the following additional information regarding the affair.

The party who went in search of the murdered man, found on Sunday morning, about ten
o'clock, charred human remains in a "tree top," the upper branches of a felled tree, on Laurel
Ridge, about one half mile from the spring where Reagan and Hensley stated the tragedy
occurred. The tree had been fired and burned out, and the remains discovered, while plainly those
of a human being were, were so thoroughly burned as to destroy all means of identification.

Among the ashes were found some teeth, a few buttons and two pistol balls. A few of the teeth
were found in the burned socket of what was once a jaw.

John Carson, the Coroner of Monroe County, was in the party who discovered the remains,
and he immediately held an inquest.

B.P. Reagan and Mr. Hensley were the witnesses before the Coroner. Reagan swore that Boyd,
Hensley and himself were captured by men with blackened faces, on Friday afternoon, September
6th. That Hensley and himself were bound and blind-folded and taken off a short distance. That
the witness heard a pistol shot and, turning, the bandage having slipped from one eye, he saw two
pistols fired at Boyd and that Boyd then fell. Reagan then detailed the release of himself and
Hensley and the subsequent proceedings until they were able to give information to the friends of
Boyd, as detailed above.

Hensley substantiated the statement of Reagan as regards the capture, hearing the pistol firing,
and subsequent proceedings of himself and Reagan.

Some of the searching party stated at the inquest having found a number of papers of a private
character, which had belonged to Boyd, scattered on the ground where the murder was said to
have been committed, and that the papers were all saturated with blood.

The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the remains before them were those of a human
being, but having been burned beyond any recognition, they were unable to identify them.

Another account states that Hensley did not testify before the Coroner, and that the jury
adjourned to the 28th inst., without having rendered a verdict.

The unrecognizable remains were believed to be all that was left of Thomas G. Boyd, and
under that impression, they were tenderly lifted and conveyed to Mt. Vernon for burial.

Many of our citizens saw the remains of the burned man, but could not recognize him as the
remains of Thomas G. Boyd.

We learn that Reagan and Hensley further state that at the time Boyd was killed, the horses of
all three were taken by their captors, that Reagan's horse returned to his brother's, and was found
in the field.

The horse that Mr. Boyd was riding at the time the murder should have taken place, belonged
to J.M. Heiskell. On Monday last information was sent to Madisonville, that the horse was at Mr.
Lowry's, about three miles from Mouse Creek. That it had been left there Saturday morning
before daybreak. Mr. P.H. Montgomery went after the horse and brought him to Sweetwater, on
Tuesday. It is stated that the horse, when discovered at Mr. Lowry's on Saturday morning, was
stiff, and seemed to have been rode very hard.

Yesterday morning we received the following, relative to the action of the Government
detectives who were sent to the scene to investigate the affair.

About one week before the reported murder took place, a Negro whom Mr. Boyd's father had
raised, took sick and died in Sweetwater. Mr. Boyd's father visited the Negro before he died, and
directed T.G. Boyd, in case he should die, to have him placed in a coffin and sent to Mt. Vernon,
for burial. This was accordingly done, and the detectives thinking that the burned body might be
that of the Negro, a party of men were summoned by Judge Hall, who was then holding the
Circuit Court at Madisonville, to accompany the detectives to Mt. Vernon, and disinter the body
of the Negro, in order that they might be satisfied that it was not the same body which was found
burned in the woods. This was done, and the body of the Negro was missing.

The matter has not yet beed decided. A thorough investigation of the case will have to be gone
through with before it can be settled. The affair is still wrapped in mystery.

Some believe that the body which was burned was that of the Negro and that Boyd has fled the
country, while others believe to the reverse. But rumors are still flying thick and fast and it is hard
to distinguish fact from gossip. By our next issue we hope to be able to give the full and true
particulars of this sad affair.

We learned yesterday that the remains (or a portion of them) of the burned human, were at
Madisonville, and a jury of the best men in the county, and also all the physicians, were examining
the skull bone to find out whether it was the skull of T.G. Boyd, or that of the Negro. At the time
we went to press, we had received no further information.

At a late hour last night we learned the jury of inquest at Madisonville in the matter of Thomas
G. Boyd's murder adjourned to meet two weeks hence. That we think was proper. The affair
should be thoroughly investigated. Justice demands it.