Miscellaneous Newspaper Articles

WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT, July 19, 1898

An Unfortunate Family

A special from Owingsville says:  "Few persons have been so unfortunate as the Deatly family of this county.  In April, 1894, L. P. Deatly, with his three sons, Lee, William and George, came from his home, in the northern part of this county, to Owingsville, to attend County Court.  During the day, William Deatly stabbed Mark Cline, a neighbor boy, to death in a livery stable at this place.  He was arrested and his examining trial held, and in default of bail was sent to jail.

" In a few days L. P. Deatly, the father, together with Lee and George, were arrested, charged with conspiracy to murder Mark Cline.  At the October term of Circuit Court, the men were placed on trial, and they were finally convicted.

" William was sent to the penitentiary for life, and died a raving maniac in the penitentiary at Eddyville. 

"L. P., the father, after being confined at Frankfort for some time, was removed to the asylum at Lexington, and died only a few months since.  A telegram has just been received here from the authorities at the Frankfort penitentiary, stating that George Deatly is hopelessly insane and cannot long survive."

Contributed by Mary Doyle Johnson, Mdjjsd@aol.com

WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT, August 2, 1898

The infant son of J. B. Lawrence died last Tuesday of membranous croup and was buried at the old Lawrence graveyard on Four Mile.  Scarcely was this child buried when the dread disease attacked another child in the same family, the infant child of French Dunn who married a daughter of Mr. Lawrence and who lived with them.  The attack was fatal and in a few hours the little one was laid to rest in the same burial ground.  The family are greatly grieved and fears are entertained for the sanity of Mr. Lawrence, whose mind has given way once before and who attempted suicide."

Contributed by Mary Doyle Johnson, Mdjjsd@aol.com