Gray - Andy - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

An Untoward Circumstance. Again has Mr. William Bennett stepped to the front and commanded public attention for a brief space. Mr. Bennett and his charming wife have been in the background now for some time and accordingly it is nothing more than proper that we should lay outside the cares of life for awhile and consider the affairs of thin truly romantic pair. Mr. Bennett, who is better known among the north end's -100 as "Bill," was to have assisted at the Democratic pole raising "out beyond the Monon station" Monday evening but the prospects now are that he will not. Mr. Bill has changed his hotel and is now receiving his meals through the iron slats of Bible's Probationary Penitentiary Chop House, the famous health resort of north Washington street, "where the worm dieth not." The reason of Mr. Bill's incarceration and retention is somewhat after this manner.

Some months ago he made the acquaintance of honest Andrew Gray, a sturdy yeoman of Russellville, who occasionally sheds the light of his countenance and the color of his money on the Hoosier Athens. Mr Bill at once conceived a rat affection and regard for Mr. Gray and invited him down to meet Mrs. Bennett and the family dog. Mr. Gray declined on several visits but finally about, two months ago when he inhaled the soft atmosphere of the summer and felt the soothing influence of Crawfordsville dust to say nothing of the seductive words of Mr. Bill, he yielded and went down. A very pleasant evening was passed in the manner in which most of the Bennett family's evenings are passed, and when the hour for retiring came Mr. Gray turned in on the floor, if his memory serves him right, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill occupied the bed the curled maple bed posts of which are the wonder and delight of the neighborhood. When Mr. Gray opened his eyes, just as rosy fingered morn stood tiptoe on the misty tops of the fair ground sheds, he put his hands down in his pocket. He occupied a position analogous to that of the young gentleman in the ballad who upon starting out had "Sixteen dollars on his inside pocket but not cent did he have left on Sunday morning." Mr. Gray, however, was even worse off. He had lost not only the S16 but two of his wife's best bed quilts. The Bennetts would not disgorge so after laboring religiously with them for a long time Mr. Gray filed an affidavit charging Mr. Bill with larceny. Mr. Bill waived examination this morning and was bound over to the circuit court in the sum of S200. It would be a great pity if a jury should send this good man away up north among the sand hills of Michigan City.

Source: CWJ 4 Oct 1901 p 6 – Hood Nelson: “You wouldn’t know Andy Gray if you were to meet him on the street today. Since he has been in the soldier’s home he has not drunk a drop and he has straightened up and is trying to be a man. When he got the Army Blue on again and began to mix with the old boys he appreciated the situation and it will be the making of him.

Source: Cville Review 27 May 1899 p 7

Squire Stilwell was roused from his peaceful slumbers at 10 o’clock last night and donned his black dress suit and white tie with the lavender ends to officiate at the wedding of Andy Gray and Sade Riley of old time notoriety. Yesterday was one of the Squire’s busy days matrimonially.  He joined three couples after 4 o’clock and with three silver dollars under his pillow dreamed of strawberry shortcake and ice water. HUH?

Source: CWJ 3 May 1901

Sadie Gray, the fond |but faithless wife of Andy Gray, who rivals Rufus Wells in the capture of garbage, is once more in the body of the county jail, and in adjoining cells are those truly excellent colored gentlemen, Jim Gill and Simp Bell. It seems that these simian bounders have for some time past been noisy rivals for the somewhat faded favors of shifty Sadie. She smiled, if an exhibition of her saffron fangs could be called smiling, on both apes and consequently a fierce rivalry grew up between them. When Simp was favored Jim chewed broken glass in blind rage, and when Jim and Sadie strolled by moonlight Simp refused to be comforted. Naturally things could not go on thus forever, and Monday Jim took the initiative and incidently a good licking. Simp and Sadie, considerably under the influence of cheap beer and cocaine, wobbled unsteadily along Main street a little while after the clock in the steeple boomed twelve. Simp carried a billiard cue and a razor and felt tolerably secure. At the corner of Walnut and Main they met Mr. Gill who likewise carried a billiard cue. Both men snarled and clubbed their cues while Sadie skated up a tree box like a lizzard up a stump. Simp and Jim exchanged the compliments of the evening in the soft and liquid language for which both are justly famous, and after the close of the classics went after each other tooth, toe nail, and billiard cue. The resounding whacks of the cues on their adamantine pates, their roars of rage, and the affrighted squawks of the delicious little bunch of femininity up the tree box awoke the sleepers for blocks about. Up and down the street the battle raged, both men fighting like rival torn cats on a clothes line. Senator Johnston attempted to drive them off but they paid no more attention to him than if he had never seen th3 state house. Snapping, snarling, swearing, and club swinging Simp and Jim wallowed about in the dust. Up Main street, down Walnut, and back again to Main, biting, scratching, spitting, urged on by Sadie the siren, the black brutes battled for supremacy. But all things have an end. Finally Simp managed to give Jim a tremendous whack on the shins with what was left of his cue and Jim fell in the dust writhing in pain. Simp then leaped upon him with his hob nailed shoes and tramped his face until it simply lost all resemblance to that of a human, although it might be parenthetically stated that it never did bear very much such resemblance. Woman, lovely woman, then slid down from her perch in the shade tree and decamped with the victor. Jim was picked up and carried to the office of Dr. Sigmond where nearly a hundred stitches were taken to sew up the gashes in his head and great chunks of gravel and dirt were dug out of his mangled face. Later in the night Simp and Sadie were captured and were both jailed.

Source: CDJ 14 Dec 1892

This morning the preliminary trial of Annie Bennett charged with stealing the money and blankets of farmer Andy Gray, of Russellville, was held before Mayor Bandel. The testimony proved that all parties were uproariously and disgracefully drunk at the time of the alleged theft and at the time the Bennet woman was bound over in the sum of S100 and went to jail, of course. Her attorney, Col. Courtney, will bring habeas corpus proceedings.

CWJ 24 Sept 1897

Andy Gray, the well known teamster, was cut down Saturday night in the bloom of his youth and beauty. If he had been cut down fifteen minutes later he could not have been resuscitated. Along about 9 o'clock the police were called to his home by the information that he was drunk and very disorderly and needed quieting. Burning with the laudable ambition to paste him a few clips over the head with their clubs a couple of coppers went gleefully out. Arrived there all was quiet but after searching over the premises for a few minutes in the dark Andy was observed standing under an apple tree. One of the police rushed up and grabbed him by the arm starting on a dog trot with him for the gate. But Andy didn't come worth a cent. He made no resistance but just stuck. Investigation showed that he was hanging by the neck to a limb of the tree, his toes barely touching the ground He was quickly cut down and regained consciousness in a few minutes. He had attempted to quit us and would have succeeded except for the fact that when he swung off the limb bent, allowing his toes to touch mother earth. He was slowly strangling to death when found. The old fellow was duly repentant next morning and states that he was evidently out of his head when he made the rash attempt. There is too much good red liquor on earth to think of quitting it yet awhile.

Source: Indianapolis Journal 20 Sept 1897 p 2

Crawfordsville Sept 19 – Andy Gray aged about 66 was found by the police last night hanging in an alley near where he lived. He was cut down in time to save his life and taken to jail. He asserts that domestic troubles caused him to make the attempt at suicide.