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R/RFHA Newsletter March 1989 P. 2

From Ed Wiessing, 2403 Lowell Avenue, Springfield, IL 62704

From THE HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY, IL 1881 - P.537

JAMES RAWLINS and Betsy Mock married 19 Dec. 1801, Loudoun Co., VA

One of their daughters, ELIZABETH, married JOSEPH HECKMAN 25 Dec. 1838. JAMES and Betsy moved to Bedford Co., PA after their marriage. Daughter Elizabeth was born there 5 July 1814. She and her husband moved to Lee County, Illinois, in 1863.

*****

From genealogical magazine THE PIONEER TIMES, January 1984 Vol. 8 #1

Extract from the Pemiscot Argus newspaper, Caruthersville, 3 November 1910, P.6

REJECTED SUITOR SLAYS GIRL

"Monday, October 31st, during the noon hour at the Cole Powell mill in the Dogskin neighborhood, some twelve miles from this city, MARTIN ROLLINS shot and almost instantly killed Miss Annie Austin, daughter of John Austin, and made his escape.

It appears that ROLLINS had been paying his addresses to Miss Austin, a very charming and beautiful girl of same sixteen years, but she had not looked upon him favorably when he tried to induce her to elope with him. Finally, she had refused to even speak to him.

On Monday, while the girl was in the kitchen engaged in washing the dinner dishes, ROLLINS approached her and attempted to talk to her. Enraged at not receiving any encouragement, he drew a pistol and fired the two shots that ended her life. Though several persons knew of the cowardly crime, he was permitted to escape from the mill and go to the residence of Newt Maxwell on Pemiscot Bayou, where he changed his clothing, secured a rifle and a revolver and disappeared. John Austin, father of the slain girl, came to this city that afternoon and made arrangements to secure the Simpson bloodhounds from Dyersberg, Tennessee.

ROLLINS was followed by the dogs all night. Posses were formed to attempt his capture. ROLLINS is a comparative stranger in this county, having been here but a few months. He is said to have •a wife and children in another state. He was of a rather overbearing disposition, it is said, and had the men at the mill town all afraid of him.

Last Thursday afternoon MARTIN ROLLINS, who had outwitted the hounds which had been on his trail for many hours, reached the barn of Newt Maxwell, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. His body was shipped to his parents home in Wickliffe, Kentucky."

BITS AND PIECES

From "Harrison Co., KY History" By Robertson

Petitions of the Early Inhabitants of Kentucky - P. 458

"The town of Boonesborough was created by the act entitled 'An Act for Establishing the Town of Boonesborough in the county of Kentucky' - Henning Statutes, Vol. 10 P.134

The Trusteeship was vested in Richard Callaway, Charles Thurston, Levin Powell, Edmund Taylor, James Estill, Edward Bradley, John Kennedy, David Gist (Glass?) PEMBERTON ROLLINS and Daniel Boone."

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