Murder and Kinfolk

In the latest issue of GEORGIA BACK ROADS (Summer  2014) there is an article named FROM IMMAGRANT TO MAYOR by Scott Thompson.  It is about a German native, Henry Beusse,  who became Mayor of Athens, Georgia.  He was a natural leader and seemed to have his hand in every enterprise that proved good for the people, for example, he started Athens' Volunteer Fire Department.   Everybody seemed happy with him

However, three of his eleven children killed a man on the streets in Athens.  They had a fierce argument with the man one day, the next day, on the streets of Athens again, they demanded an apology and when he refused they got into a violent confrontation, which one of the Beusse Brothers used a heavy stick and hit the man over the head and killed him.    They were charged with murder and stood trial.

There is much more to the story than that - read it and see.  But I gave you a run down because it immediately reminded of my ancestor William Trammell's brother, Daniel Trammell (1745-1814).  He was shot by his step son on the streets near Athens.  Actually Wakinsville was the seat of of Clarke County, Georgia at the time.  Now, the county seat is only about 4 or 5 miles away in Athens, Georgia.

What I have on Daniel Trammell's incident in my genealogy information:

Daniel Trammell first married Mrs. Sarah BROWNFIELD, widow of John BROWNFIELD, who was killed by Indians.  In 1808, Sarah died and Daniel was the administrator of the BROWNFIELD Estate.  Children of John and Sarah BROWNFIELD did not like this situation:  Daniel TRAMMELL, their stepfather, had control of the money their real father had accumulated. Daniel married Fanny BOYD, 24 November 1809.  About the same time the BROWNFIELD children were suing Daniel for the estate.  As the years passed the feeling between their stepfather and them grew hotter.  On 21 November 1814, Sarah's son Benjamin THURMOND "murdered" Daniel.  The trial lasted ten days.  Ben was sentenced to be hanged 25 March 1815.  He escaped.  The authorities issued a three hundred-dollar reward for his capture.  He was recaptured and resentenced "to be hung or hanged by the neck at or near a gallows to be erected at or near Watkinsville, the county seat of Clarke County, Georgia, 14 April 1815."