Part 2 of a Tennessee Vendetta: Fact of Farce

                     

      James Johnstone made no attempt to hid or conceal his deadly intention as he walked up to the Roger’s household.  His eyes narrowed and his steely gaze locked onto to Rogers who was sitting on the front porch smoking a pipe.
      Rogers, who had taken to his early morning routine of sitting on the porch, silently contemplating, and soaking in his surroundings, was caught off guard this morning.  No, this morning he was drifting in and out of an early morning daydream.  James had walked up to almost 100 yards from him when his appearance startled him out of his stupor.
      It didn’t take a single thought to realize what the young man was here for.  Rogers began to yell “I see you Johnstone!  I see you boy!!” and quickly leapt to his feet from his rocking chair, and spun around, his hand grasping his rifle that had been leaning near the door.  James was a bit surprised how quick and nimble the murderer was.  It made no matter though.  Instinct had kicked in for James, countless hours of practicing how to shoot, took over.  James quickly raised the rifle to his shoulder and eyed Rogers down the barrel and bellowed out the last words Rogers would ever hear.  “You killed my father!!” and squeezed the trigger.
        Rogers only had his rifle lifted up halfway before the bullet pierced his heart.  He collapsed in a crumpled heap, his pipe still smoking at his feet.  James took but a moment to drink it in.  Then turned to go back home, as he walked away he heard Rogers newly widowed wife scream in grief and the cries of his children filled the air.  He thought for a moment how strange their cries sounded, and might have even felt bad for a brief moment, until he wondered if that is how he and his brother sounded as they shook and held their father’s lifeless body.  As he approached his home he felt strangely empty in emotion.  Empty in emotion, but he was very much satisfied at the same time.
       He walked in and ate the breakfast his mother had prepared.  He ate heartedly enough for his mother to take notice.  She pressed her inquiry on what had him eating so well this morning, he told his tale to her, and at long last judgment had been passed.  She sat quietly a few moments before speaking, she looked at him, stone faced, and as his eyes locked with hers she finally spoke.  She told him she knew this day would come and how she tried her best to ease their pain.  She tried to teach them forgiveness, and to turn the other cheek like the good book says.  James quickly fired off that “an eye for an eye” is also in there and he was to honor his father.
      Her expression changed and she spoke with a great sadness “I know you feel like you honored your Pa today, but for everything we do, we answer for. What you have done today, there is a reckoning down the road.  Either in Heaven or on this Earth, There is a reckoning.”  James didn’t give it a second thought, “ Rogers got his reckoning today didn’t he?”  She tried to explain to him that he took judgment upon himself that was reserved for the Almighty only.  She shook her head and tears filled her eyes.  “My son, you made yourself no better than Rogers. You made a widow out of his wife, and three children without their father.  One of them is a boy named William.  How long before he comes here looking for vengeance?”.  James patted his rifle and uttered “Let em come.”
          The local Constable came to the home and spoke to James.  He had been called on for an inquiry as for the reasoning for the death of Rogers. He had interviewed the family, neighbors and James.  In the end, for all the wealth and supposed influence Rogers had, he had also made a great deal of enemies and none spoke for him, but for James instead, many quoting old Indian law as for justification.  In the end, it was enough for the Constable and having deemed it unfortunate but necessary killing, went on his way.
      Meanwhile back at the grieving Rogers home, the son William, upon hearing that there would be no charges, swallowed back his tears.  He swore to cry no more until he avenged his father.
      This is the end of part two.  Part three is next week and things really escalate out of control.  The mountains are callin’ See you then! (As published in the Elizabethton Star 02/18/17)

Part One of: A Tennessee Vendetta: Fact or Farce?

                         

         Before I dive into this Carter County legend, it needs to be prefaced that this account has been hotly contested as fiction.  The Louisville Journal originally printed this story supposedly from a letter they received from a correspondent in Elizabethton.  What research I have put into it has bore no fruit as of yet.  Census records don’t show either participants of this tragic tale living in the area. Alas, some chose not to take the census so that leaves it open to speculation.  Court records haven’t shown anything that would have any of them being charged either. For me it pushes out to the realm of legend.  Regardless, it’s an interesting tale none the less.
         In the fall of 1846 a fellow by the name of Johnstone left his home in Watauga County, NC to take up new residence in Carter County.  Johnstone settled in an area that had them neighbors with another family named Rogers. Johnstone quickly set to work his land,  he felled trees, cleared brush, burned stumps, and split rails for fencing for his property.  He wasn’t alone in his endeavors as he had two growing sons to teach lifes lessons of hard labor and the satisfaction of a job well done.
         When the father and sons began to erect a fence, Rogers came riding up mounted high on his horse and spied a pile of rails that he quickly laid claim too.  Johnstone fiercely disputed his absurb claim of ownership, stating he had made these himself from his timber that he felled on his own land.   Rogers at this point uttered the words “liar” and thief” in reference to Johnstones character.  Rogers quick, sharp edged tongue had now taken this dispute into a chain of events that would forever change the course of their well being.  Past the point of no return.
          On any normal day Johnstone would not have taken kindly to having his character slandered on the spot like that.  But here, this day, in front of his boys, a new lesson had to be taught.  A man had to be held accountable for what spewed from his mouth, and a man had to defend his good name.  In an instant the North Carolina man reached out and snatched Rogers from his horse and flung him to the ground.  Like a man possessed, Johnstone administrated a tremendous beating on Rogers.  When it was all over, Rogers rose from the ground, spit blood from his mouth, while hastily smacking dirt from his clothes.  He mounted his steed and vowed he would return for vengeance.  He returned within an hour and to his son‘s horror, unloaded his rifle’s bullets into the body of their father.
          Rogers was allegedly charged for murder and was acquitted by the local Justice.  Rogers was a man of wealth and influence and not a neighbor would testify against him.  The boys however, swore vengeance, he would not escape their wraith.  One of the son’s, James, took to work any job, any hour, for any pay.  He toiled day and night with one goal in his mind, a rifle, he would have a rifle and bring a bitter end to Rogers.
           Eventually the goal was reached, and he was an owner of a rifle, his instrument of revenge.  The rifle would be an extension, a delivering mechanism for his all consuming hatred.  He was up early that fateful Sunday morning.  He thought to himself “This is as good as a day as any to put down that murderous cur”.  He smiled coldly as the images of the act played out in his imagination, just as it had a thousand times before, late at night, in bed, eyes stinging with tears, mourning the loss of his beloved father.  “Yes, today is the day”.  He snatched up his rifle , and stole away ever so silently so not to alert his mother and family.  James looked back at his home, then down to the rifle in his hand,  turned and began his march down the dusty road, down the road to revenge step by step, further he urged on, around one more bend, he saw the Rogers home off in the distance.
                             I have to leave off here for now, the mountains are calling. See you all next week for part two!