My 4th great uncle Walter B Weaver was murdered
Hopkinsville Kentuckian/2 Dec 1892
Killed in Sight of his Home. A brutal assassination occurred near Sinking Fork Wednesday afternoon. A young man was shot from his horse and instantly killed by an unknown assassin. Walter Weaver was a young farmer about 25 years of age. A year ago he married a daughter of M.M. Cavanaugh, who lived one and a half miles from his own home. His young wife was at her father's last Wednesday and at 2 o'clock Weaver mounted his horse and started down the country road leading to his father-in-law to bring his wife home. This was the last seen of him alive. About 3 o'clock Wilson Woosley, a neighbor who passed, found Weaver's prostrate body, bloody and lifeless on the ground. His horse was missing and turned up at home later. Weaver had been shot twice with buckshot, 31 of which entered his body. One charge took effect in the back and the other in his right side. His horse had evidently wheeled and the assassin to make sure of his body work fired a second time before the victim fell from his horse. Either shot was sufficient to cause instant death. Weaver was shot and slightly wounded about three years ago, near the same place, by a man who escaped recognition. Nothing is know to fix the crim upon anyone. The body of the victim was buried at Cavanaugh's grave-yard yesterday. He leaves no family excepting his young and grief-stricken wife. The assassination was without any sort of provocation. Weaver was entirely unarmed and there could have been no fight, with any show of violence on his part. the young man bore a good reputation and was a peaceable and well disposed citizen. His untimely fate has filled the neighborhood with indignation. At noon yesterday Geo. W Weaver, father of Walter Weaver, came to town and swore out a warrant charging D. B. Wiles and his son, Will Wiles, with the murder, and Deputy Sheriff Cravens and Officer Davis went to Sinking Fork to execute it. It is rumored that D.B. Wiles has left the country. G.W. Weaver says Wiles was gathering cord over the fence from where his son was killed and that his team and two children were still there when the body was found and that the children were crying. Wiles himself was gone. There has been bad blood between the Wiles and Weaver families for several years. Of course the evidence will be entirely circumstantial. Wiles is a giant in stature, being nearly seven feet tall. He is about 50 years old and has a family. His sone is not yet of age.
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Hopkinsville Kentuckian/2 Dec 1892
WILES SURRENDERS
He Waives Examination and is Hurried Off to Henderson
Officers CRAVENS and DAVIS who went to Sinking Fork Thursday evening to arrest D.B. WILES and his son, William, for the murder of Walter B. WEAVER, failed to get the elder WILES. The son, a simple-minded young fellow who probably had nothing to do with the killing, was brought in and put in jail, where he now is, in default of a $500 bond. D.B. WILES spent the night at Hon. H.B. CLARK's near Belleview, and Mr. Clark came to town the next day and arranged for his surrender, as he claimed to be afraid of a mob. Mr. CLARK employed Mr. C.H. BUSH as his attorney and late that night the officers met WILES at Mr. BUSH's house and he surrendered and remained in jail that night, waiving examination. The next day he was taken to Henderson and will remain in jail there until the grand jury meets.
WILES confesses that he killed WEAVER, but his attorney is not ready yet to lay down the line of defense. It will be that the shots were fired in his own defense, while WEAVER was trying to ride over him.
Public sentiment is greatly against WILES. It is claimed that he stood in ambush and deliberately shot WEAVER from his horse, that his victim died clutching his riding switch in his hand, probably ignorant of what hit him. He was unarmed and entirely unprepared for trouble with his armed enemy. Great indignation prevails over the bloody deed and the people would not hesitate to my WILES if he could be gotten hold of. He was right in wanting to get out of the county as soon as possible. In the light of the evidence now at hand, WILES is a brutal assassin who deserves the severest penalty of the law.
