West and Dever, Louisville Courier Journal, January 6, 1896

Prompted by Revenge

Theory of the Double Assassination in Marion County.

-------------

Even this Belief Affords No Clew To the Murderers. 

-------------

WEST A DANGEROUS MAN

Lebanon, Ky., Jan. 6.--(Special.)--At the end of a week the identity of the murderers of Mrs. Patty West and W. A. Dever is as profound a mystery as ever, nothing having occurred that so much as indicates the direction the guilty persons came or went. This at least could have been accomplished on last Sunday, but it seems that in the excitement no one attempted anything of the kind and as a result a very important clew [sic] was lost on the start. 

The West home was situated on Burdett’s Creek, a small tributary of Cartwright Creek, and about one mile from the latter. The house was a double log affair, one portion of which was weatherboarded. A rock chimney in the middle furnished a fireplace for either room. A meat and buggy house stood a few feet away, both of which were burned together with the dwelling. The rock chimney stands as a monument to the awful night’s work. The farm is a reasonably good one and will probably be sold at no distant day. 

The immediate neighborhood of the double crime the past twenty years has been in a lawless state. About the first or beginning of this bad state of affairs was the robbery of two brothers named Burdett. They were honest, upright citizens and lived on the little creek. By hard work a sum of several thousand dollars had been laid by. One night a band of robbers got the last dollar of it. Nothing was ever heard of the robbers after getting the money. There was a lull for awhile and then a system of thieving began which has extended down to a few months ago. Sheep, hogs, corn, orchard grass seed, in fact, everything that came in the way was stolen. Occasionally farmers’ meat-houses were broken into and their provisions hauled away. 

All efforts on the part of the good people along Cartwright’s creek to apprehend the thieves proved futile. In fact many were afraid to take decisive action lest their barns and stock would be sacrificed by the midnight gang. There is no better section of country nor more substantial citizens than live along Cartwright’s creek, but the indignities they have suffered at the hands of a band of thieves can hardly be imagined but who compose the band will doubtless never be known.

T. J. West had the reputation of being a dangerous man, and it is a well known fact that the neighbors were generally afraid of him. When drinking it was a word and then a blow, and the blow usually came first. When sober he was clever and accommodating, and his actions in paying his debts proved him to be honest. At home he often displayed his violent temper. At the examining trial of Dever for killing West it was proved that West on one occasion kicked his wife in the side, causing her to give premature birth. Two or three years ago while in this city the mule he was driving irritated him until he drew his pistol and shot the animal. During the last summer a horse with which he was plowing refused to cross a ditch. West took the animal to the woods and split its head with an ax. 

William Dever moved from Knoxville, Tenn., a year ago. West treated him kindly, and the men soon became fast friends. Dever’s wife died shortly after their coming, and soon after her death the second death, that of a boy, occurred. After the killing of West by Dever, Susie, the eldest daughter of Dever, who had been ill for several months with consumption, rapidly grew worse, and on Thursday night before the awful crime died. 

At the funeral a friend took Dever to one side and told him never to go back to the West woman’s house. Dever remarked that he was not afraid of West’s friends, and would never leave on that account. This was on Friday afternoon, and on Saturday morning, in company with his surviving daughter, he moved his effects to Mrs. West’s house. 

Robert Parrott had qualified as administrator of the estate of T. J. West, and employed Charles Hill, living in this city, to care for the stock and make preparations for the sale. Mr. Hill left the place a day or two before the murderers came. There is no doubt among the people here that Dever was murdered as an act of revenge for the killing of West, and the horrible fate of Mrs. West was due to the belief that she also was implicated. Yet this seems to furnish no clew. All are anxious for swift punishment to be meted out to the assassins.