THE PARIS NEWS, 4 Dec 1945, p. 4: "A. W. NEVILLE: Backward Glances - Search for Murdered Man Failed to Locate Body - Fifty years ago a man who was a tenant on Dr. M. D. Maness' farm near Roxton came to Paris and disappeared. His family feared he had been murdered and search was made for him but he was not found. The man was about fifty years old and father of a family of five, including one grown son.

The son came to Paris after his father failed, to come home, and officers were asked to assist in finding him. It was learned that on a Sunday night the man met Policeman Rex Bryant, with whom he was acquainted, and told Bryant he had $270 which he asked Bryant to take charge of for safe-keeping. He was drinking but not drunk enough to be arrested. Bryant declined to take the money and as it was Sunday told the man there were not many places open where there was a safe, but suggested Greiner & Kelly's drug store and Theo. Williams' cafe had safes and either would probably take care of the money.

With the farmer when he talked to Bryant was a young man Bryant did not know; and the two started toward the drug store but did not go there, or at least did not ask safekeeping for money. The two spent the night at Henry Vance's boarding house on Clarksville street, where the farmer left $90 with Vance overnight, which was returned to him next morning when he departed, and that was the last seen of him by anyone who knew him.

When the son called on the officers several days later to help search for his father there were some wild rumors that he had been murdered for his money. Someone had seen near Baker branch in the southwest part of Paris some freshly turned earth, and it was thought possibly it might have been a burial, so officers and others went to the place and removed the loose earth, but found nothing. They concluded that a treasure hunter, such persons being rather numerous in Paris in those days, had been searching for buried treasure.

Other supposed clues were followed but nothing was heard of the missing man. The farmer was said to have been a kind-hearted and industrious person, who made good crops and always had plenty of money. Some people persisted in the belief that he had been murdered for his money, and for several days there were rumors here and there that led to nothing.

Finally the search was ended when Sheriff Dave Hammond stated that he had investigated every possible clue that had been offered and that he had finally learned on positive and reliable information that the farmer had on Monday, after leaving Vance's boarding house, gone to the railroad station and boarded a train, telling the sheriff's informant that he was going back to Virginia to visit his old home, the holiday excursions still being in effect."