John Pile: Fatal Affray

John Pile, a native of Virginia, settled in Carroll County, Missouri by 1843. Last week, we noted that by the fall of 1847, John Pile was dead.

When did he die?

How did he die?

Newspaper Research

In other blog posts, I’ve extolled the benefits of newspaper research. You never know what you’ll find!
An anniversary.
Possible propaganda.
A northwoods tale.

Or, in the case of John Pile, his death.

Five years ago, I found this newspaper clipping at the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America website:

Boon’s Lick Times, Saturday, September 4, 1847¹Fatal Affray. Boon’s Lick Times (Fayette, MO). September 4, 1847, page 2, col 5.

Fatal Affray

Merriam-Webster defines affray as a fight in a public place that disturbs the peace. This particular fight was fatal.

That first newspaper clip did not list a specific date. “Last Friday” could be September 3 or August 27, depending on the local custom of referring to previous dates.

When, exactly, did John Pile die? How did he die?

To try to answer my questions, I needed other newspaper accounts because there are no County death records .

Democratic Banner, Monday, September 13, 1847²Democratic Banner (Bowling Green MO, September 13, 1847, page 2, column 2.
Friday week, could mean 10 days prior: September 3, 1847.

Columbia (MO) Herald-Statesman, Friday, September 10, 1847³Columbia (MO) Herald-Statesman, Friday, September 10, 1847, page 2, column 5.
Last Friday could mean September 3, 1847.

Neuer Anzeiger des Westens, Monday, September 6, 1847⁴Neuer Anzeiger des Westens (St. Louis, MO), September 6, 1847, page 2.
am Frietag vor acht Tagen [on Friday 8 days ago] was August 27, 1847.

Jefferson Inquirer, Saturday, September 11, 1847⁵Jefferson (MO) Inquirer. September 11, 1847, page 2, column 4.
the 2nd inst.⁶“inst.” is an abbreviation for instante mense, meaning a date of the current month, such as “the 2nd inst.” was September 2nd
last Friday would be August 27, 1847

Details

John Pile died of a fatal wound on Friday, August 27, 1847 in Carrollton, Carroll County, Missouri. The type of wound is unknown.

Because there are no surviving Carroll County, Missouri newspapers for 1847, we relied on other newspapers to “pick up the story.” When newspapers copied  what was written in the Brunswick Reporter and re-published it, they did not embellish. From the September 11, 1847 issue of the Jefferson Inquirer, we know that the original news item was published on September 2, 1847.

Lessons

Don’t stop with one information source. If I had been satisfied with the first clipping, I would not have had an exact death date.

Never assume that all newspapers are online. The Jefferson Inquirer is only available on microfilm at the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Don’t be afraid of a foreign-language newspaper. The German paper was the only one to state that there were no details given; Ursache nicht angeführt. Oh, how I wish there were details!

More Questions

Why was there an affray?
Who was Dr. Haden?
Where was John Pile buried?

SOURCES

• 1
  Fatal Affray. Boon’s Lick Times (Fayette, MO). September 4, 1847, page 2, col 5.
• 2
  Democratic Banner (Bowling Green MO, September 13, 1847, page 2, column 2.
• 3
  Columbia (MO) Herald-Statesman, Friday, September 10, 1847, page 2, column 5.
• 4
  Neuer Anzeiger des Westens (St. Louis, MO), September 6, 1847, page 2.
• 5
  Jefferson (MO) Inquirer. September 11, 1847, page 2, column 4.
• 6
  “inst.” is an abbreviation for instante mense, meaning a date of the current month, such as “the 2nd inst.”