 The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, March 23, 1890 pg. 4 W.N. [sic] Heyward Meets Death Under Very Mysterious Circumstances. A fisherman, named John Hall, was rowing up Red river Tuesday about 2 p.m., w hen, at the point near Blue Bluff, he saw the body of a man suspended from the limb of a tree which overhung the water on the Texas side, presenting all possible evidences of having been the subject of a lynching. The hands were tied behind the back, the feet tied together, and a handkerchief bound over the eyes, as it might have been at a rude but formal execution. Hall did not land to minutely inspect the body but going back down the river notified Messrs. J.H. Hoover, Robert Derberry and Mark Lightfoot of his find, and all 4 proceeded to the scene of the supposed lynching. They were surprised to find, on landing, that there were but few tracks in the vicinity, and no signs of a struggle, and upon cutting down the body and comparing, the tracks were found to have all been made by the victim himself. One of the men, Mark Lightfoot, came on to this city and informed Coroner J.M. Cook of the tragedy, but that gentleman being unable to attend to it turned the case over to Judge LaBeaume. The Judge, accompanied by officers, proceeded to the scene, and having viewed the remains and received the testimony of the parties who had arrived first upon the spot, ordered the body brought to town. Arriving here late Tuesday night it was taken to the undertaking establishment of Harriman & Morris, where it was soon identified as that of N.W. Heyward, a young man who had moved in the best society of this place and who had been on intimate terms with many of our best known and most respectable, citizens. Mr. Heyward was about 24 years of age and unmarried. He came here from North Carolina, along with Arthur Henderson, of the First National Bank, about 3 years ago, both he and Henderson taking positions in the freight offices of the M. K. & T., under Freight Agent Gus Zintgraff. After about a year he left here and went to California, and it is only about 3 weeks since his return, he having come direct to this city from Sacramento. Mr. Henderson states that he had some money on his arrival here, that he had his room at the Albany paid for up to the 25th of this month, and that, inasmuch as he knew his (Henderson's) pocket book to be always at his service, (they having been chums for many years) no motive for self-destruction on account of financial straits could be thought of. He had a position promised in the office of Census Supervisor Nevins as soon as that institution should be opened up, but was on the lookout for whatever might happen to turn up before that time. At 9 o'clock Monday morning he stood at the side door of the First National Bank for several minutes talking to Mr. Henderson. He seemed in the most cheerful of moods, and as he started off he remarked, "well, I must get out and hustle for a while and see what I can scare up," (meaning of course in the line of a situation). That was about the last that was seen of him in life. Beneath, w here he was found hanging, his watch was found in the shallow water. It had been stopped by being thrown there and the hands indicated the hour of 12 o'clock. If the young man suicided this hour was undoubtedly 12 o'clock noon, and as the undertaker was positive that life must have been extinct at least 24 hours at the time the body was discovered the tragic hour may be definitely named as high noon, Monday. As the spot was about 5 miles from Denison and about a mile-and-a-half from any road, the body might easily have hung there that time with out being discovered. If it was suicide (which was the coroner's verdict) the young man must have adjusted the noose of the cotton rope, tied his feet together, then blindfolded himself and then having the short piece of rope prepared with slip-knots in the ends, placed them upon his hands behind his back and, having drawn them tight by spreading the arms, jumped from the bank into the realms of mystery. Mr. Henderson states that the deceased came of one of the first families of North Carolina, and that in Savannah, Georgia, were his brothers and sisters now reside, none enjoy a higher degree of personal and social distinction. After the identification of the remains Mr. Henderson telegraphed the brother of the deceased at Savannah, for instructions concerning the disposition that should be made of them, and received a wire at 3 p.m. Wednesday to send on at once to Savannah. The body was shipped Wednesday night, Mr. Henderson accompanying it. A noted Parisian chief of police, when unable to discover a motive for a murder or suicide, was wont to say "cherc hez la femme." and it is perhaps in the same direction that we should look for the motive in this instance. The woman, however, if such there be in the case, is certainly not a resident of this community. SUICIDE Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |