Taken from Troy Messenger 8/28/1873 Typed by Tonia Porter ©2005

A Neighborly Murder

Intelligence of a very sociable murder comes from Walton County, Florida. Following, as it does, close upon the heels of another tragedy, and as a woman, whether lovely or not, is at the bottom thereof, the facts in the case are perhaps worth relating. Some months ago, Mr. George Parish, having some misunderstanding with is brother-in-law, a Mr. Leyden, armed himself with a shot-gun and promptly put his recalcitrant relative out of the way. Shortly after this sanguinary affray, which made Mrs. Leyden a widow, she doffed her weeds for the legendary orange-blossom, and became the bride of Mr. Robert Bell. The honeymoon sped by without a ripple on the surface of the placid stream of domestic felicity. In a short time, however, Mrs. Bell made complaint to her husband of the amorous advances of one Mr. William Nathie, a neighbor, and afterwards made the same complaint in the presence of Mr. Nathie. Mr. Bell simply requested her to stop her noise, intimating if this reasonable demand was not complied with, he would be under the painful necessity of severing the marital tie. Whereupon Mr. Nathie remarked that Mrs. Bell could always find a shelter under his hospitable thatch. This remark upon the part of Mr. Nathie roused the sleeping demon of jealousy in the breast of Bell, and an old-fashioned scuffle ensued; in which Nathie was somewhat worsted. His two sons appeared at this juncture, and they made a united effort to suffocate Bell by shutting off his wind, while their respected parent sauntered into the house after a gun for the purpose of putting an end to the pleasantry. Bell managed to break away from his friends and went to his own domain for a shot-gun.

He procured his armament and appeared on the scene just in time to receive three buckshot in his head from Nathie’s artillery which brought him to the ground. Recovering, Bell saluted his opponent with one barrel and mortally wounded him. Nathie died in thirty minutes, while Bell recovered sufficiently to attend the funeral the next day where, according to all accounts, he was the most prominent mourner. The little community has relapse into its former pastoral peacefulness, and all hands are probably satisfied with the situation. – Savannah News