Death Notices from the Nashville Union and American and the Nashville Republican Banner for 1869

January 17, 1869
Attempted Suicide. A Man Shoots Himself in the Heart. About 6 o’clock yesterday evening, Phillip Gusman, a well-known German citizen, living on North College street, opposite Whiteside street, attempted to commit suicide by placing a pistol in his mouth and discharging the same, the ball ranging upwards and lodging above the eye. He was still alive up to 11 o’clock but it was supposed that he could not survive and probably died during the night. Financial difficulties, in part and domestic troubles are said to have been the cause.

January 30, 1869
Death of Philip Gussman [sic]. Mr. P. G., a well known German citizen who attempted suicide nine days ago by shooting himself in the head with a pistol, died Thursday night of the injury inflicted.

May 1, 1869
Death of a Well-Known Citizen. The many friends of James W. Latimer will be pained to hear of his death which occurred at the residence of his mother on Cherry street yesterday at half past three o’clock. He died in the springtime of life and in his demise there will be a void in the family circle which can never be filled again. We have known him since a child, watched him as he entered into boyhood, saw him when he first started out to seek his fortune as a carrier of the Nashville Gazette and in later years, a young man in successful business and admired for his energy and good traits of character; but above all we esteemed him for his constant devotion to an aged mother and a loving sister. By them particularly will this stroke of providence be severely felt. We condole with them in the loss they have sustained.

May 1, 1869
Died. Latimer - At the residence of his mother, James W. Latimer. He was born February 1, 1844 and expired at thirty minutes after 3 o’clock a. m., April 30, 1869. His funeral will take place at the residence, No. 139 North Cherry street at 2 o’clock p. m. Sunday, may 2. The friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend. Divine service by Rev. Dr. Baird.

September 26, 1869
Rev. Jonathan Huntingdon. The remains of the Rev. Jonathan Huntington reached the city last evening and were conveyed to the Masonic Hall at which place the funeral occurs at two o’clock this Sunday afternoon.

September 26, 1869
Funeral Notice: The Knights of Nashville Commandery are hereby notified to appear in fatigue dress at the Armory on this Sunday afternoon, September 26 at 1 p. m. to attend the funeral of Sir Jonathan Huntingdon. Henry Sheffied, E. C., R. C. Bransford, Recorder.

October 21, 1869
Unsuccessful Attempt to Avenge Her Death by Her Youngest Son and Brothers.
The people of Nashville were startled and amazed at the intelligence of a foul and most unnatural murder perpetrated by Squire Charles M. Stewart upon his wife at his residence, No. 60 North Spruce Street at eight o’clock yesterday morning. Half an hour had not elapsed after the perpetration of the bloody deed before all of it horrible detains had been rehearsed to an excited populace. The mention of it caused the strong to shudder and the weak to shrink with terror. It was the town topic of yesterday. It reached many households. Groups of men stood about Deaderick Street where Stewart had held forth and excitedly talked it over, listening to every little detail.

By a careful investigation we are enable to give the following authentic particulars: Charles M. Stewart was a clerk in Judge Cassetty’s Court. Having received a portion of his salary Tuesday afternoon, he went off, got on a spree, attended the Theater and subsequently went over to Ozanne’s ice cream saloon, corner of Union and Summer Streets, abused his son Robert, a lad of about thirteen years of age who is employed at that establishment as a clerk, drew out his pistol and threatened to kill him. Robert was thus put in bodily fear of his life. Stewart, in a beastly state of intoxication, afterward wandered toward home where he arrived about midnight. Yesterday morning, Robert, having got up from his couch previous to his father, rehearsed what had occurred at Ozanne’s the night previous.

Stewart got up, dressed himself and went into the kitchen where his wife was engaged at work. After some few remarks had passed between them, she chided him for his conduct toward Robert and said: “Charley,” addressing her husband, “you should not have acted in the manner you did. Suppose you had shot Robert, wouldn’t it have been dreadful. Then what would have become of you.”

To this Stewart emphatically remarked: “I would have killed him and I will kill you,” drew his pistol and fired the ball, entering her head just above the right eye, tearing it to pieces and crushing the bone in its passage. Robert ran to his mother as she was about to fall, caught her in his arms and eased her down upon the floor where she lay with the blood gushing out from the mortal wound.

Stewart, when he beheld and realized what he had done, rushed out of the house, followed by his youngest son, Charles at whom he threw the pistol, as he, Stewart, passed outside the gate. Charles picked up the weapon and started after his father with the intention, it is believed, of avenging his mother’s death. Mr. W. K. Dobson and another gentleman observing the boy with the pistol and not knowing what had occurred, stopped him and took the weapon from his hands, telling him at the same time that he might accidentally shoot himself. At this the boy began to cry and for a time was unable to explain what had occurred. He, at last cried out, “Oh, won’t you go in and see my ma, pa’s shot her. Oh, what will I do without my ma, she was such a good ma.”

A large crowd collected in the house within five minutes after the firing of the pistol. Dr. Briggs was called in and pronounced the wound mortal. She expired at 12 o’clock. In the meantime Stewart had run at a rapid rate to the Fair grounds where he was subsequently arrested. He was brought into town and taken before Justice Wilkinson who ordered him to jail.

At this juncture, John and James Humphreys, brothers of Mrs. Stewart, made their appearance on Deaderick Street and endeavored to get near enough to Stewart to kill him, when Constables interfered and prevented a second tragedy. More than one hundred people hearing of the disturbance, now collected about the justice’ office to observe the tide of events. One of the Humphrey brothers became so boisterous and threatening as to compel the officers to lock him up in a saloon across the street from Esquire Wilkinson’s, after every thing had apparently subsided, he was released. The officers had taken Stewart up Printer’s Alley to Union Street and proceeded down that thoroughfare toward the jail. The Humphrey brothers, having discovered his absence from Justice Wilkinson’s office, now ran down toward the jail, via Deaderick Street and the public square, one of them overtaking Stewart and the officers in charge on Market Street, at the entrance of the alley near Union, running through to Front Street. While some of the officers overhauled the Humphrey brothers, the others hurried on to the jail with Stewart who showed great trepidation on the way thither and seemed glad to get within its protecting walls. The Humphrey brothers were arrested..

Stewart denied having killed his wife and said that she had accidentally discharged the pistol by drawing it off the table with a cloth. At times he seemed hardly to realize the dreadful fact of having murdered his wife and at others was dejected. He said on one occasion that he was never so miserable in all his life. His case will be heard before Justice Wilkinson today.

Corner George W. Norvell held an inquest over the body of Mrs. Stewart and the jury rendered the following verdict: We, the jury impanelled to inquire into the cause of the death of the aforesaid Agnes Stewart, do state, from the testimony adduced before us, that she came to her death from a pistol shot wound fired from the hand of her husband, Charles M. Stewart and that it was unjustifiable homicide.

Stewart and his wife had been married thirteen years. Mrs. Stewart had the reputation of being a kind mother, an amiable and forbearing wife and very industrious in her habits, she having contributed much toward the support of the family. Her eldest son, Robert, went to school during the morning and clerked at Ozanne’s at night, always returning the money he earned to his mother.

Stewart, himself, was considered previous to the murder, a kind hearted man. Whisky was probably the cause which prompted him to commit the rash and terrible deed.

October 22, 1869
Funeral Notice: Stewart. The friends and acquaintances of Mrs. Elizabeth Humphreys are respectfully invited to attend the funeral of her daughter Mrs. Agnes W. Stewart from her late residence, No. 60, North Spruce Street this morning at 9 o’clock. Divine services by Rev. Drs. Fall and Young.

November 6, 1869
Horribly Mangled. A Young Man Crushed to Pieces by a Railroad Train.
A most frightful accident occurred on the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad at Johnsonville at 11 o’clock Thursday night of which we give the following authentic particulars:

A young man named D. Ford, brakeman on the eastward bound freight train had gone into a box car, used for the trip in place of the regular caboose, and on returning, unmindful of there being no platform, stepped in between the cars, fell to the track and was run over. His legs and an arm were crushed to fragments. He was soon after attended by a physician who bound up his wounds and did everything else possible to relieve him from the intense suffering which he experienced. His case was a hopeless one. It was not believed that he would live until yesterday morning. He expired at 12 a. m. yesterday.

His father, Dr. D. J. L. Ford, of this city, and mother went after his remains yesterday afternoon. They will arrive here this evening. Mr. Ford was only nineteen years old, sober and industrious and bade fair to rise rapidly in the business he had chosen. He possessed an excellent character and was highly esteemed by all his friends.

November 14, 1869
Tragic Fate of a Lad while Hunting. One of the saddest accidents that we have been pained to chronicle for some time occurred about two miles beyond Edgefield on the Porter Pike yesterday morning, through which Jimmy Herrick, a little son of Mr. T. C. Herrick, while out hunting met with his death. He was accompanied by Herbert Grasty, a little boy about his own age, fourteen years. They left home in the morning and hunted about the woods until near dinner time. Coming to a large tree that had been blown down by the storm, young Herrick remarked to his companion that he believed he would climb up the log and see if he could discover any game. He placed his gun against the log and got on top. He then reached down and caught hold of the gun but in drawing it up, struck the hammer against the tree, firing it off and sending the entire contents through his head. The muzzle could not possibly have been more than ten inches from his face at the time of its discharge. He fell from the log and by the time young Grasty, who was not more than four feet behind him at the time he was shot, had jumped to the ground, his life was extinct. The load was of bird shot and entered his face immediately below the left eye and tore away and badly mutilated the whole of that side of his head.

Young Grasty, when he found that his companion was dead, in almost breathless excitement ran to the residence of Mr. Herrick about a mile off from the scene of the accident and detailed the sad story. The body was then taken home and an inquest held over it by Coroner Norvell who returned a verdict in accordance with the foregoing facts. Jimmy was a sprightly and intelligent lad and we sincerely regret the untimely death that has thus overtaken so promising a child.

November 20, 1869
Shocking Accident. A Man Killed and Horribly Mangled.
On Thursday morning one of the most harrowing accidents we have had to chronicle in some time occurred at the depot of the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad. But a short time since, we published the painful intelligence of the accidental killing and mangling at Johnsonville of young Mr. Ford, a brakeman on the Northwestern railroad and now a similar accident is noted, more horrible in its character than the former by which the life of a valuable young man and one of sober, industrious habits, enjoying the confidence of his employees and the officers of the road with which he was connected, was taken without a moment’s precaution.

The train from Chattanooga was in and the young man who was killed was a brakeman on the road. His name was Green Hagerman who had for some time been living at Cowan Station and engaged in that capacity. Thursday morning in the yard of the Chattanooga depot near the hour of 8 o’clock, Mr. Hagerman was standing on the tender of the engine which he was maneuvering for the purpose of linking the coaches of a freight train. The engine was slowly backing through the yard as Mr. Hagerman aimed to step off over the side track. There was a little ice at the time and his foot slipping, he fell immediately across the track. The engine passed directly over his body, killing him instantly and mangling his body in a most horrid manner. His body was mashed, torn and lacerated, it being nearly severed in two across the chest. The intestines stuck to the wheels of the engine and his life blood bespattered the rails. His heart, which a few minutes before had beat high with the pulsations of animated life, was torn from the breast and lay on one side of the mangled form and the liver on the other. The unfortunate man never spoke and died almost instantly. Mr. Hagerman was formerly from Kentucky but had been some time connected with the road. He was about 24 years of age and had made many friends during his stay on the road. The occurrence is a very unfortunate one and we trust no similar one will again occur on any of our roads.

November 21, 1869
Died, Douglas. On Saturday morning, 20th instant, at 2 o’clock at home, Mrs. Nancy Hamilton Douglas, wife of Hugh Douglas. The friends and acquaintances of the family are invited to attend the funeral at the Presbyterian Church, Edgefield, on Tuesday, 23rd instant, at 12 o’clock, p. m. Services by Rev. J. H. McNeilly.

December 4, 1869
Funeral Notice: Elliott. The friends and acquaintances of late W. F. Elliott and his wife are requested to attend his funeral at his late residence, 146 Cedar Street, Sabbath afternoon at 2 o’clock. Divine service by Rev. Dr. Ellis.

December 7, 1869
Martin Kooney who fell into a boiling vat of sour mash at Manning’s distillery, West Nashville, Saturday, by the breaking of a plank, died from his injuries at 11 ½ o’clock that night. He was scalded from his knees to his neck. He suffered intense agonies. The vat into which he fell held 1,000 gallons. Mr. Kooney was an industrious young man, eighteen year of age. His remains were interred Sunday.