William Daniel Tolle of Barren Co wrote for many years under the pen name of Ellot for the local paper and added some interesting details - with a little variation - upon the life and times of Pascal D. Craddock. (published by myself as Backroads of Barren Co KY). Mr. Tolle wrote in the 1920's the following: "Many years after the hanging of Hamilton had passed into history, there died in Western Kentucky, on the farm of a man named Doak, an old half-witted fellow of the name of King. Upon his death bed he disclosed the following facts in regard to the murder of Dr. Sanderson: "One day, while wandering in the woods, near a lonely part of the road, he saw riding past (alone) and almost the same instant the Sheriff of Barren County appeared from the opposite direction. [this would be Craddock]. The Sheriff road up to the stranger [Sanderson] and without a word wrenched the pistol from his hand and with it dealt a blow that felled him from his saddle to the earth. The Sheriff searched and robbed the body and then summoned the lad [King] to his assistance, together they bore the dead body to the sink hole near by, and concealed it with leaves. [note: this is where the body was found after a search party had looked at length for the missing Dr. Sanderson]. Then, threatening the lad with death unless he immediately left that part of the country and said not a word of what he had seen, the Sheriff remounted and rode away." Tolle continues: "From the life of Paschal [sic] D. Craddock, then Sheriff of Barren County, it seems not improbable that he was the murderer of Dr. Sanderson. At about that time he deposited in the bank $10,000 in United States currency [the amount stolen from Dr Sanderson], and he lived in the years following in a distant part of the state [Louisville], where he gave himself up to a life of crime and violence. So desperate did he become that he was at length warned by the citizens of the community to leave at once if he valued his life." Here Tolle repeats pretty well what Simmons had said, other than he stated that Craddock's body was found in a hog pen a few yards from the house, so gnawed and mutilated by the "beasts as was to be unrecognizable." Craddock was known to have a scar on his forehead and a wart on his wrist, but there wasn't enough left of the body to tell. But that's still not the end .... Tolle stated that the neighbors breathed a sigh of relief and thought this was the end of one Pascal Craddock. However, he was seen later in CUBA by too many people to be wrong. It was supposed that he had killed someone and tossed the body into the hog pen, and then taken off. Which story is true? Did the criminal in Mississippi murder Dr. Sanderson? Did Pascal Craddock murder him and then give such testimony that Hamilton was found guilty - then hanging Hamilton as Sheriff? Was Craddock murdered in Louisville and tossed along the road? Or was his body found in a hog pen? Or did he murder yet again and escape to Cuba? Bill Utterback, of our list (and many of his own) sent me something yesterday that confirmed at least what a character Craddock was. It was taken from "Decisions of the Court of Appeals of Kentucky, Commencing in the Fall Term, 1820 and ending in the Fall Term of 1821 by Alex K. Marshall, Esq., Reporter to the Commowealth. This would be 3 years after the murder of Sanderson. The case was Paschal D Craddock vs James Shirley, both of Barren Co, on an appeal from a decree of the Barren Circuit Court. It seems that Craddock had purchased of a Rennick (Renick) of Barren County, two slaves for $1,000. Craddock paid part of the money owed Renick and issued him a note for the rest; Renick then gave him a bill of sale warranting the title of the slaves. Renick then sold the obligation to James Shirley. According to Craddock, he refused to pay when the note became due and then brought suit against Shirley and Renick charging that the title of the slave wasn't in Renick's hand and this was hidden from Craddock ... a convoluted series of charges against Shirley and Renick with Renick being called insolvent. Shirley and Renick denied any fraud and the bill was dismissed with Craddock having to pay the court costs. Craddock was not satisfied and filed this appeal. The verdict of Judge Owsley was priceless: "This court has scarcely ever witnessed a case where there was less pretext for applying to the chancellor for relief, than the present. It not only appears, that, at the time of purchasing the slaves, Craddock well knew the difficulties in relation to the title of which he now complains, and the embarrassed circumstances of Rennick; but it also appears, that, although he received from Rennick a bill of sale warranting the title against the claims of others, he relied more upon his own skill and dexterity in preventing those having claim from recovering the possession of the slaves, than upon the ability of Rennick to make good the title; and in furtherance of that reliance, it is proven, that he has by selling the most valuable slave, caused him to be taken from the country. Under these circumstance, it would be a gross perversion of the principles upon which the chancellor acts to grant relief to Craddock. The decree must be affirmed with cost and damages in the court below." It was the norm for the Judge in the Appeals Court to reverse or confirm the decision of a lower court, but it was very rare for the Judge to add comments; this was a harsh rendering to a very strange citizen of Barren County. I hope you have enjoyed this tale .... you must make up your own mind as to who the murderer was! Sandi SCKY Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=south-central-kentucky Barren Co Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=kybarren Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html