A Lexington Ghost Story

This is an excerpt from "Ghost Stories that Stirred Lexington in Early Days." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. January 18, 1914. Page 4. Genealogybank.com.


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[Jan 18, 1914] -

Perhaps the foremost and most sensational ghost, as far as local interest is concerned, was that of Richard Collins, which, until the old building that formerly stood on the site now occupied by the new Christian Science Church, was torn away, appeared at regular intervals.  Collins, during his lifetime, didn't claim to be a saint.  He was an engineer on the old Q. & C., and one night after returning from work he murdered his wife and children.  The discovery of his crime, which happened many years ago, which happened many years ago, caused the only real good-sized riot that Lexington has ever witnessed, but he escaped the vengeance of the mob and paid the penalty of his crime by hanging by the neck "until dead, dead, dead" in 1879.

The Collins hanging had already become a shadowy memory of the past when the news spread through Lexington that the engineer had come back to his old haunts.  The event was first chronicled by a writer in the columns of The Lexington Herald.  A well known physician, who had acted as foreman of the jury that convicted Collins, was the man  to whom the visitor appeared.  One night as he sat in the dreary old house aforementioned,  reading and puffing his pipe, just as the courthouse clock tolled twelve he looked up from his book and saw before him the figure of a man.  It was Collins.  And the horror of him--as he stood there motionless, his chin buried in the folds of his little drab shawl, his scornful, fiery eyes--was imprinted on the brain of the doctor until the day he was laid away in the Lexington cemetery.

Other than the fact that the little drab man with an accusing finger pointed out the doctor and prophesied that in a few years every man who sat on the jury that sentenced him to death would be dead, nothing passed his lips.  The next instant the specter vanished.

From that day henceforward the doctor and his family who rented the house were awakened every night at the same hour--12 o'clock--by a succession of very peculiar sounds.  Click, click, click, click, click click! was the rhythmic reverberation.  At first the family paid little heed to the disturbance, but as time wore on they became visibly worried and finally moved to another part of town.  Another family moved in, but within a few days they likewise vacated the premises.  The legend of the little drab man became public property and nothing could induce any one to stay for a moment in that particular house at that time.

Finally, a few years ago, a well known baseball "fan" of Lexington, who was exceedingly skeptical about ghosts, came forward and offered to stay in the house overnight.  The owner of the house gladly turned the keys over to him, with permission to stay as many nights as he desired.  So, provided with a lunch, a revolver and a dark lantern, he began his lonely vigil.  Exactly what happened is presented in the following lines as told to the writer by him a few days ago.

Fan's Story of a Specter.

As the hour for the little drab man's arrival approached he listened and waited expectantly.  Nothing happened.  Maybe it was fatigue, anyhow his mind took a queer turn and he wondered at the closeness of the atmosphere--close, clammy sort of atmosphere.  He resumed his watch.  Suddenly he drew back with a start.  There it was.  There could be no mistaking it.  Then gaining control of his slightly scattered faculties, he laughed aloud at his own folly.  It sounded weird, hollow, mocking, in the silent vacant house.

He drew himself suddenly back with a start.  There it was.  There could be no mistaking it.  Then gaining control of his slightly scattered faculties, he laughed aloud at his own folly.  It sounded weird, hollow, mocking, in the silent, vacant house. 

He drew himself suddenly upright.  There could be possibly be no mistaking it this time.  It was as though the sound of his previous merriment having died away, had come back fainter, more ghostly, to haunt the awful stillness of the place.  His fingers closed convulsively about the gun.  He drew the slide from before the lantern and glided to the hall door.  He was nervous, though he thought he had probably mistaken the source of the sounds.

He looked.  He saw nothing.  He listened.  He heard nothing.  But--but--yes, he saw nothing, heard nothing, but he felt them--footsteps, click click, click--measured and silent, coming up--up--up the basement stairs--up--up.  They ceased.  He peered, fearful, into the darkness.  There, dimly outlined at the top of the stairs, stood the little drab man!

He stood motionless, his chin buried in the folds of his shawl, his scornful little eyes boring into the watcher's marrow.  He recognized in this strange specter, Collins.  And his fingers slowly relaxed from the revolver that covered the little drab man, letting it fall with a clatter to the floor. He knew.  He doubted no longer, and before the accusing finger that the little drab man raised reached its position, he fled down the steps, into the deserted street, and away.

It was with a visible shudder that he told this part of the story the other day to the writer.  He said people can doubt the existence of ghosts, but he knew what was what!

Saloon Owner Kills Black-Listed Patron, 1906

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[May 11, 1906] -

SHOT BY BARTENDER

SOMERSET, KY., May 11.--(Spl.)-- "Stub" Brown shot Odie Paul four times in a saloon here last night.  Paul died three hours later.  Paul, a marble cutter, had served a penitentiary term for killing Ike Helm, at McKinney, several years ago.  He leaves a widow and child.  Brown is a bartender. [1]

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[May 12, 1906] -

SHOT TO DEATH DURING QUARREL IN A SALOON

Victim Had Served a Term in Penitentiary for Killing a Negro.

(Special to The Herald.)

SOMERSET, Ky., May 11.--In a difficulty between Otis Paule and Charles Brown in Wayne's saloon, on the east side of the Public Square, Brown opened fire on Paule with a revolver, fired a number of shots in rapid secession, three or four of which took effect in Paule's face and body.  He staggered from the saloon and fell in the street.  He was carried to the Somerset Sanitarium, where he died a few hours later.  Brown is a bartender in Wayne's saloon.  Paule has been mixed up in difficulties before, and some few years ago was sentenced to the penitentiary for killing a negro at McKinney, several miles north of Somerset, and he was also a participant in a shooting affray at the Liberty fair a few years ago, in which a woman was accidently shot and killed. [2]

Underground Saloon Raided in Pulaski County, 1904

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[September 8, 1904] -

SALOON UNDERGROUND

SHERIFF OF PULASKI FERRETED OUT JOINTS OF ILLICIT WHISKY SELLERS.

SOMERSET, Ky., Sept. 7.--The lower end of this county was thrown into a state of excitement today when Sheriff Ben P. Hines and a posse of deputies swooped down on some illicit whisky joints at Williams' Siding and at Cogar, and after capturing some of the persons connected with the business, discovered a hidden underground passage which led into a regular subterranean apartment which several chambers and various passageways leading off in various directions through which the inmates when taken by surprise could make their escape.  After the Sheriff had made the arrests, explored the two joints and taken his departure, the good citizens of that locality turned out en masse, formed themselves into a vigilante committee and made a raid on the buildings where the whisky business had been conducted.  They demolished the buildings and then planted large sticks of dynamite in the underground passages, literally blowing the whole business up by the roots.

When the Sheriff and posse arrived at the scene they found two of the men on the outside and arrested them at once.  They then compelled two of the bystanders to go in front and lead the way to the secret chambers they believed to exist, and found that a beer keg had been employed as an entrance to the underground apartment.  A thorough exploration of the underground chambers was made, but the other occupants had made their escape by means of the longest passageway, which opened out into a creek some distance from the place.  The various passageways that led off from the underground rooms were concealed by means of dirty coffe sacks. [1]

Escaped Mental Asylum Patient Kills Neighbor, 1922

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[February 22, 1922] -

ESCAPED LUNATIC IS JAILED FOR MURDER

 

Relatives of Slain Man Seek to Fix Responsibility for Tragedy

[Special to The Herald]

LONDON, Ky., Feb. 21.-- John Smith, 50 years old, formerly an inmate of the hospital for the insane at Lakeland, was lodged in jail here yesterday on a charge of murdering Chester Jones, an unmarried man of about 25, near Fletcher, this county, Sunday night.  The murder occurred in the yard of Smith's home.

No witnesses were present, but Smith admits shooting Jones in the breast with a shotgun, claiming that Jones had come to his home and attacked him.  So far as is known both men were sober and had never before had any trouble.

Several years ago Smith was adjudged insane in court here and was committed to the asylum.  He escaped after he had been there a short time, it is said.  Since his return he has lived alone in a small barn converted into living quarters, a few hundred yards from the home occupied by his family.  Though regarded as demented he was considered harmless and no effort was made to recommit him to the asylum.

It is said that relatives of Jones are starting an investigation to determine whether the state or county authorities are responsible for Smith's being allowed to go at large.  Smith is being held in jail without bond and probably will be tried at the term of court now in session here. [1]

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[1] "Escaped Lunatic is Jailed For Murder." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. February 22, 1922. Page 7. Genealogybank.com.

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Grudge Escalates into Saloon Fight and Killing, Pulaski, 1897

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[February 1, 1897] -

IN A SALOON FIGHT.

John Cooley Shot and Killed by Cully Dalton at Somerset.

Somerset, Jan. 31.-- Cully Dalton, aged 22, yesterday afternoon shot and instantly killed John Cooley, a section hand, in a saloon fight at this place.  Both were drunk.  Dalton was arrested and is now in jail charged with murder.  Cooley and Dalton were neighbors and lived a short distance west of Somerset.  An old grudge is said to have been the cause of the trouble. [1]

Manhunt for Escaped Moonshiner, 1922

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[Mar 21, 1922] -

POSSE TO HUNT "BAD MAN"

Reward of $200 Posted for Arrest of Alleged 'Shiner

LONDON, Ky., March 20. -- Following a citizens' mass meeting held here last night at which $200 was subscribed as a reward for the arrest of Frank Helton, who escaped from a road gang near here last week, Sheriff J. E. Stringer announced today that a posse armed with high power rifles will leave some time this week for Rockcastle springs where Helton, according to defiant messages which he has sent to authorities here, is barricaded in his home and "will not be taken alive."

Helton, alleged leader of a moonshining gang, was brought before the gang, was brought before the grand jury some time ago but refused to testify.  Judge H. J. Johnson gave him a sentence of 30 hours in jail and $30 fine for each of the 13 times that he refused to testify.

Helton's home is about 20 miles from London on Rockcastle river. [1]

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Swiss Merchant Killed at His Store, 1909

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[November 5, 1909] -

BLOODHOUNDS ON TRAIL.

LONDON, Ky., Nov 4. -- Albert Koch, a Swiss merchant, was shot and instantly killed last night in his store at Bernstadt, Ky.  Koch is understood to have drawn $5,000 from a bank yesterday.  Bloodhounds were put on the trail of the murderer today. [1]

Brothers Kill Two Farmers near Bernstadt, Laurel, 1902

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[April 10, 1902] -

WARRANTS ISSUED FOR MURDER.

London, Ky., April 10. -- Warrants have been issued against Emos and Jenks Boone, brothers, for the murder of Rudolph Kaelzig and Julius Warren last Saturday. [1]

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[April 10, 1902] -

BECAUSE OF A DOG.

Two Farmers Are Killed by a Traveler in Laurel County.

London, Ky., April 9. -- (Special.) -- Two farmers were killed near Bernstadt, this county, to-day. The details of the killing cannot be obtained, but it is said to have been on account of a dog. A man traveling along the road killed a dog belonging to two farmers, who were plowing a field. The owners of the dog went to the farm house for their guns, and on their return were shot and killed by the man who had killed the dog. 

The Coroner has gone to the scene of the trouble to hold an inquest. [2]

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[April 11, 1902] -

BOTH SHOT IN THE JUGULAR.

LONDON, Ky., April 10.--The Coroner returned from Bernstadt this morning, after holding an inquest over the remains of Rudolph Kaenzig and Julius Warren, whose bodies were found yesterday.  The Coroner's verdict was suspended and warrants have been issued for Enos and Jenks Boone, brothers, who are thought to know something of the murder.  Kaenzig and Warren were murdered Tuesday, but the bodies were not found until yesterday evening.  Both had been shot in the jugular vein.  Kaenzig was a widower, and lived alone.  Both bodies were found at his house.  Both of the murdered men bore excellent reputations. [3]

Man Hires Boy to Kill Two Women Who Had Threatened His Wife, 1901

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[September 15, 1901] -

Miss Maggie Neatman was shot and instantly killed by a boy named Tom Brown, near London.  Miss Neatman and the boy's sister had quarrelled. [1]

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[September 17, 1901] -

At Lilly, Laurel county, Maggie Neatman was killed by Tom Brown, a 14 year old boy. Brown's sister and the Neatman woman quarreled and when he heard of it he procured a shotgun and blew her head off.  Brown and sister are in jail at London. [2]

Jilted Lover Kills His Rival, 1921

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[September 21, 1921] -

FOUR ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF LAUREL FARMER

 

Former Boarder at Home of Slain Man and Daughter of Tenant Among Those Held in London Jail

HAMMER USED AS WEAPON IS FOUND BY AUTHORITIES

Examining Trial Set for Thursday--Three Theories Advanced

[Special to The Herald]

LONDON, Ky., Sept. 20.--Was James McClure, wealthy farmer of Laurel county, murdered by a gang of moonshiners; was he the victim of jealousy or was he slain for his money?

These are the questions which have been puzzling authorities of Laurel county since McClure's body was found last Saturday at this home near Boreing with the skull crushed like an eggshell from a blow with a carpenter's hammer.

Three men and one woman are in jail here at the present time facing charges of murder.  Their examining trials will be held Thursday in county court.  The four were arrested soon after the discovery of the crime.

Janie Sasser, about 20 years old, the daughter of a tenant on McClure's farm and said to have been a sweetheart of McClure, is the woman in the case.  Harvey Reynolds, a former lodger at the home of McClure and a friend of Miss Sasser; Perry Lawson, a brother-in-law of Miss Sasser, and a boy named Gilbert, related to the Sasser family, are also held for the crime.

Body Found Saturday

The body of McClure was discovered by Reynolds and Miss Sasser, according to their story, Saturday.  On that day they declare they went to the murdered man's home for some vegetables.  Upon their arrival they found all the doors locked. A note was fastened to the front door reading "Look for the keys about the -----," the last word having been erased.

They then looked through the windows and saw McClure's body lying on the bed.  Later the keys to the house were found in a water gourd near the spring.

McClure, according to the authorities, was last seen Friday when he ate supper at the Sasser home.

Death is thought to have come without warning to McClure.  His skull was crushed and his brain penetrated by a heavy carpenter's hammer.  The hammer was found near the bed upon which the body was lying.  The hammer used to commit the crime belonged to McClure.

No signs of a struggle could be found in the room.  It is believed that the assailant struck McClure before the dead man was aware of the impending danger.

Three Theories Held

Authorities thus far have offered no explanation for the murder.  Three theories are held, however.  One is that a clan of moonshiners operating in the vicinity killed McClure to prevent him from opposing their activities.  Another is that he was the victim of a plot to seize his estate, valued at between six and ten thousand dollars.  The third theory is that McClure was slain through jealousy by a discarded lover of Miss Sasser.

McClure, who was a cripple, was a widower. [1]

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[September 22, 1921] -

Two More Arrests Made in Mountain Murder Case; Examining Trial of Six Prisoners to Be Held This Morning

[Special to The Herald]

LONDON, Ky., Sept 21.--Two women were arrested this morning on charges of complicity in the murder of James McClure, wealthy bachelor, who was found dead in his home at Borrin, this county, last Saturday, his brains beaten out and a bloody carpenter's hammer beside his bead.  Four persons were already held in jail here in connection with the case.  The two women lodged in jail here today are Mrs. Martha Hunter, 35, and Nannie Sasser, 18, sisters of Janie Sasser and aunts of Jodie Gilbert, who were arrested Monday.  All lived on the farm of the murdered man, a short distance from his home.  The other two arrested Monday are Perry Lawson, brother-in-law of the three women and step-father of the Gilbert boy, and Harvey Reynolds, a cripple, who lived with McClure and is said to have been engaged to Janie Sasser.  This engagement is said to have been broken last Thursday by the Sasser woman, who told authorities that she wanted to marry McClure instead of Reynolds and only promised to marry the latter in the belief that it would cause McClure to marry her.  The six persons in jail here have told conflicting stories, and authorities believe all are connected with the crime.

Officers yesterday discovered a bloody hand print on a post of the bed on which McClure's body was found.  It was made by a small hand, apparently the left, and is believed to be either a woman's hand or that of Harvey Reynolds, whose left hand is shriveled from paralysis to little more than half the size of his right.  Spots that appear to be blood were found today on the shirt and hat worn by Reynolds on the day McClure's body was found.  An effort to wash out the spots seems to have been made.  It also developed today that the dead man's pocketbook was missing.

The examining trial will be held tomorrow. [2]

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[September 23, 1921] -

Circumstantial Evidence Points to Lodger as Slayer of Laurel Farmer As Examining Trial Opens in London

[Special to The Herald]

LONDON, Ky., Sept. 22.--Who killed James McClure, wealthy farmer in his home, ten miles south of here last Friday night, and what was the motive of the murder are still unsolved mysteries that are puzzling Laurel county authorities.  Evidence brought out at opening here today of the examining trial of the three men and three women held in connection with the crime, though wholly circumstantial, points more strongly toward Harvey Reynolds, cripple, who has been a boarder at the McClure home for several months.

Reynolds, it was brought out, told several persons that he blamed McClure for the breaking of his engagement with Janie Sasser, also held for the crime, last Thursday.  The evidence shows that both McClure, a bachelor of 50, and Reynolds, a widower of 52, have been courting the Sasser woman for several months.  She testified today that she became aggravated at McClure's failure to marry her and promised to marry Reynolds in order to spite McClure, but notified Reynolds last Thursday morning that she would not marry him.

On the following day, only a few hours before the murder, Reynolds told Jodie Gilbert, another defendant, and nephew of the Sasser woman, that McClure was the case of Janie's refusal to keep her promise of marriage and that she would be sorry in less than a month.  The prosecution is seeking to show that jealousy and revenue furnished a sufficient motive for Reynolds to commit the murder and that he had ample opportunity to do so, as his movements between 9:20 o'clock and midnight on the night of the murder are unaccounted for.

None of the six defendants testified today, but the evidence brought out in the trial shows that Martha Hunter and Nannie Sasser, sister of Janie Sasser, Perry Lawson, their brother-in-law; Jodie Gilbert, their nephew, all of whom are in jail here, and others of the Sasser family were engaged in a family quarrel that accounted for their peculiar conduct and mysterious trips to the home of different members of the family on the night of the murder.

There is still the possible theory that a moonshiner gang killed McClure, but no evidence has yet been produced to substantiate it.

Three brothers, giving their names as Hale, of Whitley county, are here at the trial and assert that they are cousins of McClure and his only living relatives. [3]

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[September 24, 1921] -

REYNOLDS HELD IN LAUREL MURDER

While Members of Sasser Family Are Dismissed--No Witnesses To Crime

London, Ky., Sept. 25--The examining trial of Harvey Reynolds, Janie Sasser, Jodie Gilbert, Martha Hunter, Perry Lawson, and Nannie Sasser, charged with the murder of James McClure, in his home in this county last Friday night, was held without bail to the October grand jury.  The other five members whose suspect conduct on the night of the murder was explained by a family quarrel, were dismissed.

All the released defendants except Perry Lawson, lived on McClure's farm and were on good terms with him.  Reynolds, who had been living with McClure for several months, declared that he knows nothing of the affair.

There is no direct evidence to prove that he committed the crime.  A motive was established, however, in the fact that both McClure and Reynolds had been courting Janie Sasser.  She had promised to marry Reynolds but on the day before the murder refused to do so.  Reynolds told several persons that McClure was the cause of his disappointment in love and that she would be sorry she jilted him.

On the night of the murder Reynolds was at the home of Cal McDaniel until 9 o'clock, when he started to McClure's home, a distance of a mile and a half.  At midnight he reached the home of Martha Hunter and her sister.  Janie Sasser, who lived only a few hundred yards from McClure's house, and on his farm.  He said that he had come to the McClure house from Cal McDaniel's and found the doors locked.  About noon the next day, Reynolds and the Sasser woman went to McClure's house, looked thru a window and saw his body on the bed and reported that he was dead.

Nothing was missing from McClure's effects except a pocketbook containing some papers and an unknown sum of money, believed to have been only a small amount.  The clothes worn by Reynolds, when he was arrested Saturday at the scene of the murder, showed numerous spots resembling blood.  A cane belonging to Reynolds was found in McClure's barn.  It appeared to have been scraped recently with a knife, but signs of blood were found upon it.  At the spring near McClure's house, where the lost door keys were found in a drinking gourd, footprints made by gum shoes like those worn by Reynolds were found.

Reynolds  did not testify in the examining trial, but says he will tell some things in the final trial if the grand jury next month indicts him. [4]

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[October 6, 1921] -

POLICE AT SEA IN PUZZLING MURDER CASE IN KENTUCKY

London, Ky., Oct. -- Whether Harvey Reynolds, 52 years old, self styled "doctor," now held without bail in the London jail on the charge of murdering James McClure, an eccentric, prosperous bachelor, Sept. 16, is the innocent victim of circumstantial evidence, whether he is the tool or accomplice, or whether he is a morbid degenerate possessed of the same genius of planning and executing a revolting murder that Edgar Allan gave to his crime character, is a tangle officials of Laurel county are having a hard time unravelling.

Murders in the mountains of Kentucky have not been unusual, but seldom are they surrounded with mystery including the love triangle so often behind crimes in a higher strata of society.

James McClure, bachelor, 50 years old, and Harvey Reynolds, widower, 52, lived together in McClure's house for more than a year.

During that time both of them were enamoured of Janie Sasser, 20 years old, unmarried, and living with her married sister, Martha Hunter, on McClure's farm.

Reynolds wanted to marry the woman and McClure did not, according to her own statement. She grew tired of waiting for McClure and promised to marry Reynolds, who straightway went for the marriage license, but failed to obtain it for lack of proper credentials.  On his return, the Sasser woman sent him word that she had changed her mind and would not marry him.

Reynolds Blamed McClure.

Reynolds told her nephew the day before the murder that McClure was the cause of her refusal to carry out her promise and that she would regret it in less than a month.  Then he spent a day and night with McClure.  Both left home Friday, Sept 16, McClure staying at the home of Mrs. Martha Hunter, where Janie Sasser lived, until 8 p.m. and Reynolds staying at Cal McDaniel's a mile and a half away until 9:30 p.m., according to McDaniel's testimony.

At these hours both left for the McClure home.  At midnight Reynolds arrived at the Hunter home, saying he had gone to McClure's and found the doors locked and supposed McClure had gone away for the night, as he frequently did.

Went in Morning.

Spending the night at the Hunter house, Reynolds went to McClure's early the next morning, but returned and reported the place still locked.  Later he and Martha Hunter went together, climbed upon a box, looked through a window and saw McClure lying on his bed dead.  Neighbors were notified and broke down the door.  They found McClure had been struck six times on the head with a heavy carpenter's hammer, which was standing, bloodstained, against the wall nearby.  He evidently had been struck while he was asleep, as there were no signs of a struggle.

Officers arrested:

Harvey Reynolds, who they believed plotted the crime through jealousy.

Janie Sassar, who was suspected of having committed the crime of having influenced Reynolds to, because of McClure's failure to marry her.

Trips Are Cause.

Martha Hunter and Nannie Sasser, because of their trips after midnight to and from the home of Jerry Lawson, brother-in-law, five miles away.

Perry Lawson.

Jodie Gilbert, stepson of Lawson, who made a trip to and from the McClure farm with Lawson the night of the murder.

The authorities considered the theory that the family might have plotted his death in the hope of obtaining his property through a claim of Janie Sasser as his common-law wife.

But the lost keys to the McClure house were found in a water gourd of the spring in the yard, and tracks, as if made by Reynolds new gum shoes, were found around the spring.  No body saw any spots on Reynolds clothing then but two days later at the jail spots were found on his shirt, hat and overalls that looked like blood and appeared to have been scoured with water.  Then his cane was found at McClure's barn and it showed some small spots and had the appearance of having been scraped recently with a knife.

Reynolds said after he left the McDaniels home it took him until midnight to walk the mile and a half to the Sasser home, because he is crippled.

Woman Admitted Love.

At the examining trial Janie Sasser frankly admitted her love for McClure and that it was too deep to wish him harm.

Nannie Sasser and the Hunter women were dismissed after they had accounted for their peculiar actions the night of the murder.  They [illegible] that Lawson, his wife and his sister Nannie, who was living with the Lawsons, had quarrelled because Lawson's wife thought he was paying too much attention to her younger sister and his stepson, Gilbert, chased him away from home.  He went to the Hunter home, taking Nannie Sasser with him, and members of the family were making trips between the Hunter and the Lawson home all night to patch up the family quarrel.  These trips caused all of them except Janie Sasser to be near the home of McClure between 9 o'clock and midnight.

Police Theory.

The theory of the authorities is that Reynolds, deciding to kill McClure through jealousy, deliberately planned the crime.  The visit to the McDaniels' home was to prepare an alibi, it is believed, but the fact that the commission of the crime and futile attempts to remove traces of blood took more time than he reasoned for, thwarted the plan for an alibi authorities contend.

At the same time, however, other possibilities are still being considered by officials.  One theory is that McClure was the victim of revenge of moonshiners, against whom he had testified. 

Reynolds, asserting his innocence, says he will tell some things at the final trial not yet brought out.  Many persons believe that new angles revealing a surprising story of backwoods life, will be revealed ultimately.

Reynolds, who was born and reared in an adjoining county, has been living in Laurel county for ten years.  He is a life-long cripple, his entire right side being almost useless from paralysis.

He had been married twice and had three children by his first wife, but both wives and all the children are dead.  For 23 years he had "doctored" whenever he could find patients.

Persons who have known him long consider him a fraud as a doctor, but no one knows of any criminal charge against him. [5]

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[December 24, 1921] -

CRIPPLE DRAWS LIFE TERM

 

Jilted Lover Sentenced for Murder of Rival

LONDON, Ky., Dec 23.--Harvey Reynolds, 51-year-old cripple, today was found guilty of the murder of James McClure, September 16, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

It was the contention of the prosecution that Reynolds killed McClure, 50-year-old bachelor with whom he had lived, because he thought McClure stood in the way of the cripple's marriage to Janie Sasser, 22 years old, daughter of a tenant on McClure's farm, ten miles from here.

Reynolds, according to the evidence, and McClure were making love to the Sasser girl.  Reynolds twice a widower, sought to marry her, but she preferred the bachelor, she said.  McClure it was alleged, had sworn not to marry, but wanted to retain his sweetheart.  In order to arouse McClure's jealousy, it was alleged, Miss Sasser accepted Reynolds' proposal.  Reynolds came to London and got a license.  On his return, the girl refused to marry him, claiming McClure was the cause.  Some time later McClure was found dead in bed, his skull crushed with his own hammer. [6]

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[1] "Four Arrested For Murder of Laurel Farmer." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. September 21, 1921. Page 1. Genealogybank.com.

[2] "Two More Arrests Made in Mountain Murder Case." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. September 22, 1921. Page 1. Genealogybank.com.

[3] "Circumstantial Evidence Points to Lodger as Slayer of Laurel Farmer As Examining Trial Opens in London." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. September 23, 1921. Pages 1 and 7. Genealogybank.com.

[4] "Reynolds Held in Laurel Murder." Richmond Daily Register, Richmond, KY. September 24, 1921. Page 1. LOC.

[5] "Police at Sea in Puzzling Murder Case in Kentucky." Aberdeen Weekly News, Aberdeen, SD. October 6, 1921. Page 3. Genealogybank.com.

[6] "Cripple Draws Life Term." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. December 24, 1921. Page 8. Genealogybank.com.

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