The following is the September 14, 1902 news article which tells the tragic death of Miss Bertie E. Battoe, one of our family members living in the Donaldson Creek community at that time. She was born in January 1887 in Trigg County, Kentucky and is buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove Community. Warning: some of the descriptions in the article are somewhat graphic.
Horrible Was the Death of Miss Battoe Last Sunday
Dragged By Run-away Horse
Caused By Firing Pistol On the Public Highway
And Two Young Men Charged With Murder Trial Today
The death of Miss Bertie Battoe, a young lady sixteen years of age, which occurred near Canton last Sunday, and the circumstances leading up to it, compose one of the most horrible deeds ever recorded in these columns.
On Saturday night Miss Battoe, in company with George D. Cunningham, son of Mr. Dab Cunningham, attended preaching at South Union, about three miles above Canton in the Donaldson Creek country.
About ten o'clock service broke up and this young couple like everybody else, started home. When a hundred or two yards from the church someone fired a pistol several times near them, causing the horse they were driving to run away. After going a short distance the buggy struck a bank and young Cunningham was thrown out and dashed against the ground several feet away. Miss Battoe remained in the buggy for several yards further, when she was also thrown out. No one absolutely knows, but from the circumstances, some of her clothing evidently caught in the buggy and she was dragged a hundred and twelve steps. It was a very rough road, and her body was horribly mangled. Her life had simply been beaten out against the ground as the horse ran. Her teeth were nearly all knocked out, locks of her hair were torn out by roots, her face cut and scarred, and her body bruised and mangled. She never regained consciousness and was removed to the home of William Upton nearby, where she died Sunday at twelve o'clock.
Warrants were issued Sunday night for the arrest of Berry (Pos as he is familiarly called) Hendon, son of Jim Hendon, who lives just across Cumberland River from the mouth of Donaldson Creek, and Joe Calhoon, son of Griff Calhoon, who lives on the east side of the river. They were charged with willful murder and with malice aforethought causing the death of the young lady. The warrants were placed in the hands of Constable Blair Guier, who made the arrest Monday and brought them to Cadiz. They were arraigned before County Judge Bingham and their examining trial set for today and the defendants sent to jail without bond. The boys deny that they did the shooting. Mr. Calhoon, the father of Joe Calhoon, accompanied the boys when the officer brought them to Cadiz, and says he will have no trouble in proving his son clear. Both of the boys are under twenty-one, and Hendon is very small to his age. Miss Battoe, was the eldest daughter of Edwin Battoe, of Maple Grove, and was a beautiful girl and a social favorite. The remains were buried Monday at the C. T. Bridges grave yard.
LINEAGE:
(Bertie E. Battoe was the daughter of James Edwin and Malinda Hawkins Battoe and the granddaughter of James J. and Charity S. Bridges Battoe. Charity was the tenth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges. Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)
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