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- [S117] The White-Caps - A History of the Organization in Sevier County, E. W. Crozier, Publisher, (Copyright 1899), Chapter XII.
Thomas Houston Davis was born in Sevier County on the 7th of August, 1864. He is the son of J. D. Davis, a prosperous farmer, living four miles below Sevierville, on the Knoxville and Sevierville road. His mother, Mary J. Davis, is the daughter of Judge Samuel Pickens, of Sevier County. His early life was spent on the farm. He attended the public schools of the county, two terms at Carson College and one at the Knoxville Business College. He taught school four sessions and then returned to the farm. In the year 1887 he was married to Linnie A. Adams, daughter of T. F. Adams, of Strawberry Plains. After his marriage, he lived a quiet farmer’s life up to the year 1894 when he was appointed deputy sheriff by sheriff M. F. Maples.
The fight which he made against the White-cap organization in Sevier county presents a case of unparallel bravery, perseverance and skill. He stood alone against 650 outlaws, turned the tide and won the victory.
White-caps no longer rule supreme in Sevier County. Overawed by his boldness, determination and shrewd detective work, they at last weakened and gave up the fight. Like a trembling culprit, standing upon the very verge of eternity with the gallows staring him in the face, they, too, saw that justice had at last overtaken them. Thus, the dense clouds that overshadowed shadowed Sevier county began to break and move slowly away while gleams of sunshine flashed between them as they passed, lighting up the hearts of the people with rays of hope.
They recognized in Tom Davis a leader that knew no such word as defeat, and, rallying to his support, vowed they would all stand by him to the bitter end. Thus began the great struggle to overthrow White-capism and restore law and order in Sevier County.
Few men have endured as many hardships or had as many hair-breadth escapes in the same length of time as the subject of this sketch. Fearless and undaunted, he pressed forward with a determination to win or die in the effort, and therefore overcame all opposition and surmounted every obstacle. Although many threats were made against his life, his road waylaid at different times and his close friends and relatives advised him to give up the struggle, resign his office and flee the country until excitement abated, he still went about wearing the same usual smile on his face and quietly working up the evidence that was slowly, but surely, weaving a web around the necks of some of the most noted outlaws that ever set foot on Tennessee soil. He was not deterred from his purpose, and when warned by his friends of his perilous undertaking only replied: The time has come when some man must undertake it, or our county is ruined.
The day that Pleas Wynn and Catlett Tipton were arrested on the public square in the town of Sevierville and led to the court house by deputy sheriff Tom Davis is a day that will ever live in the minds of the people. The crash had come at last, and the turning point in the lives of two noted White-caps and outlaws had been reached. They had evidently run their course, and the first link in the chain that for years bound together a band of desperadoes had been broken.
We will not attempt to give a detailed account of all his exploits, but will mention some of the most noted ones; those pertaining to White-caps alone.
He has arrested and assisted in the arrest of thirty-four White-caps, and is familiarly known in East Tennessee as the famous White-cap detective. When asked as to how he had achieved such great success, he replied: My success is due more to the fact that I kept my own secrets than anything else.
He would often disappear and be gone for weeks at a time, when even his closest friends would not know his whereabouts. The White-caps would grow uneasy when he did not appear every day on the streets of Sevierville. And oftentimes his friends would be very anxious to know about him. In the course of time, Tom would return from some other State, bringing with him some noted criminal.
When the famous Whaley murder occurred, Tom was on his way to East Burnstead, Ky., where he had located one J. J. Robison. He went to his home one night and knocked at the front at the front door, but no response came. He attempted to batter it down, but it had evidently been well barred on the inside. He at last effected an entrance at a back window, and once on the inside, made a thorough search. He struck a match, but there was no one in the room. He then went to the door of an adjoining room, carrying the lighted match with him. On reaching the door, he heard Robinson move, and, quick as a flash, extinguished the light, calling on Robinson to strike a match. Robinson replied:
Strike a match yourself, you d_____d intruder.
You strike a match, replied the officer, or I will put a hole in you.
Thus the words passed back and forth, each one calling on the other to make a light, the officer well knowing that Robinson was a dangerous character, he having had trouble with him before. Robinson finally struck a match; it was no sooner done than he was under arrest, hand-cuffed and on his way to the railroad station. Everything went smooth on the return trip.
Deputy sheriff Davis reached home late Friday night, after the murder of the Whaley family, the murder having occurred the previous Monday night. He rose early Saturday morning and rode into Catlettsburg, where he found a crowd of excited people still discussing the Whaley murder. He did not tarry long, but after gathering what information he could, and assuring his friends that the perpetrators of that awful crime should be brought to justice, rode rapidly away. Arriving at the scene of the murder, he found Lizzie Chandler, sister of Laura Whaley, still weeping over the loss of a brother and sister. Her story was a touching one indeed, and she wound up by saying:
If I ever lay eyes again on the little short man that did the shooting, I will know him.
The officer took her home with him for protection, as he feared she, too, would be killed by the White-caps.
Thus the work began which later on terminated in the arrest and conviction of two of the perpetrators of that dastardly crime. Deputy sheriff Davis lost no time, but believing in the old adage, to strike while the iron is hot, began at once to devise some plan whereby Lizzie Chandler might see Pleas Wynn, who, by this time, was suspected by everybody.
Accordingly, he brought her to town, before daylight on the following Monday morning, and placed her in an upstairs room at the Mitchell hotel, where she could see everyone assembled on the public square. She waited many long hours before he appeared on the scene, but late in the morning, near eleven o’clock, Pleas Wynn came walking along. Her eyes were fixed upon him for a moment, then she drew back from the window with a shudder, exclaiming:
There goes the very man that killed sister and Bill Whaley.
Deputy sheriff Davis walked down from the upstairs room of the hotel and arrested Pleas Wynn within a few steps of where he had been identified. This caused great commotion, as the town was filled with excited people, it being county court day, and only a week from the date of the murder.
Catlett Tipton’s arrest followed a few minutes later, and likewise Bob Catlett and Bob Wade, for deputy sheriff Davis had already wired the sheriff of Asheville, N. C., to arrest Bob Catlett at once.
In the meantime, Pleas Wynn and Catlett Tipton had their trial before a Justice and were released. Thus the White-caps scored another victory, and sneered at the efforts being made by deputy sheriff Davis, but this did not affect Davis in the least. He only replied, He laughs best who laughs last, and started immediately for Asheville, N. C., taking with him deputy sheriff J. E. Keener, a warm friend and fearless officer.
On arriving at Asheville, they found Catlett under arrest, who said to the officers:
I never got into any trouble yet but what I got out.
Deputy Sheriff Davis replied, Sometimes in a mans life the time comes when a mans money cant save him. That time may have come to you, Bob, at the same time producing from his pocket a pair of handcuffs.
Catlett drew back, saying, you don=t mean to put them on me, do you?
Yes, sir, came the reply. You will wear them back to Tennessee, or you or I, one or the other, will die in North Carolina.
His friends interceded for him, but to no avail, and Catlett wore the bracelets back to Tennessee. Bob Catlett and Bob Wade were then tried before a Justice of the Peace, and Catlett was released, while Wade was held for court in a bond of one thousand dollars. Now came the critical point in deputy sheriff Davis life. The three murderers had been released and were free men again. They well knew that Davis held in his possession damaging evidence, and was yet hot on their trail.
Time sped on, excitement ran high, and threats were freely made. The people lived in suspense, not knowing what a day might bring forth. Some said that deputy sheriff Davis would not live a month; others, that he would not live to see the convening of another court. In the meantime, he and Sheriff Maples offered fifty dollars each as a reward for the arrest and conviction of the Whaley murderers. The county court had already offered a reward of five hundred dollars.
Immediately after this, Davis received a notice to resign his position as deputy sheriff or he would be killed by the White-caps. He did not heed this warning, but took the next train to Nashville, where he succeeded in persuading Governor Taylor to offer a reward of five hundred dollars for the Whaley murderers. On the return trip, he stopped over a few days in Knoxville and employed two detectives, C. A. Reeder and C. W. McCall, to help work up the case. A consultation was held and a plan of work agreed upon. Many witnesses had fled the county for fear they might meet the same fate as the Whaleys. Most of them had located in Knoxville. Reeder and McCall were to work this end of the line, while Davis returned to Sevier County to renew his efforts at the other end. He made frequent trips, however, between Knoxville and Sevierville to consult with Reeder and McCall.
On one of these trips he came near losing his life, when, as it is believed, a deep-laid scheme was planned to assassinate him, at a point about half way between Sevierville and Knoxville. Returning to Sevierville by boat, the Lucile Borden and Telephone ran for some little distance side by side. While the two steamers were in this position a burly negro, after making inquiry for Tom Davis, stepped from one boat to the other and immediately raised a row with the cook, evidently watching his opportunity to get in his bloody work. He kept his eye on the front end of the boat, but the officer came around the back way and had hold of him before he knew it. He gave Davis a tremendous shove against the banister which came near throwing him overboard, at the same time attempting to draw his pistol. Davis was equal to the occasion, and held his man with his left hand while he drew his own revolver with his right. He thrust it in the negros face, demanding him to throw up his hands. His hands went up and were held up until Captain Newman had disarmed him. He had a fine pistol, a forty-four Smith & Wesson, but failed to get in his work because the hammer had caught in the lining of his pocket, thereby preventing him from drawing it. And thus the would-be assassin was brought into the town of Sevierville, a prisoner, by the man whom he had attempted to assassinate. The same night that the negro was being tried another plot was being arranged.
This time they were to waylay the road at the Houk bluff, a mile and a half below Sevierville, and wait until Davis came along on his way home. The plan was carried out and the death-trap set, but their game failed to walk into it. Deputy sheriff Davis had heard of the plot and remained in Sevierville that night.
By and by, court came on and deputy sheriff Davis was still on hand, at his post and ready for duty. He had left no stone unturned, and the evidence, when placed before the grand jury, was sufficient to warrant the finding of true bills against Pleas Wynn, Catlett Tipton, Bob Catlett and Bob Wade.
Davis at once arrested Pleas Wynn and Catlett Tipton and placed them behind closed bars. He then went out in town to find Bob Catlett, but he, upon learning of the fate of Wynn and Tipton, had left town in hot haste.
Not to be foiled in his undertaking, deputy sheriff Davis at once started for the Catlett home, six miles away, taking with him deputy sheriff B. A. Rolen. It was late in the evening and darkness came on before they reached the home of Catlett. On their arrival, they found the Catlett house enclosed by a high wire fence, and two bull-dogs keeping guard on the inside. This was the most formidable foe that either officer had ever met, so they decided to call from the fence. The dogs answered, but no response from Bob. They at once dismounted, and with a pistol in each hand, stepped on the inside. The dogs came dashing down to the gate like two roaring lions, making a circle in a vain effort to get behind the officers. Foiled in this, however, they finally gave up the chase and disappeared. Mrs. Catlett then appeared upon the scene, very much excited, and begged for peace. The officers assured her that there would be no trouble if Bob would come out and surrender. She closed the door in their faces, saying Bob will never come out.
The door was thrown wide open and the officers stepped inside. Bob well knew what this meant, and from an upstairs room answered that he would come down and surrender. He did so and was soon on his way to Sevierville.
In the meantime, Sevierville had gone wild with excitement. Perhaps there has never been a time in the history of Sevierville when excitement ran so high as it did that night and the following day.
William Wynn, brother of Pleas Wynn, had assaulted and cruelly beaten J. D. Davis, an old and respected citizen and father of deputy sheriff Tom Davis. The news spread like wild fire, and while the White-caps were fast assembling on the square, the friends of Tom Davis and his father were rushing to and fro, gathering arms from every quarter, determined to fight it out. It was soon learned that a determined effort was being made by the White-caps to rescue Bob Catlett, who was then on his way to Sevierville in custody of Davis and Rolen. Sheriff Maples summoned all the men he could find, and keeping some to guard the jail, dispatched the remaining ones to meet the officers with Catlett. This posse met them just below Catlettsburg and told them what was going on in Sevierville.
There was a determined look on Tom Davis face as he heard the news and dashed across the river to Catlettsburg for reinforcements. He soon returned with a few brave and fearless men, and gave orders that, if attacked, every man dies on the spot.
He took the front and led the way to Sevierville, and Catlett was soon placed in a cell with his two accomplices, Wynn and Tipton. Although a criminal all his life, this was the first time Bob Catlett had ever been placed behind closed bars.
Next day the town was filled with excited people. The White-caps were enraged almost beyond control. Three of their leaders - J. C. Tipton their captain, Bob Catlett the wealthiest man of their order, and Pleas Wynn, a man capable of committing any crime, were all now languishing behind closed bars.
As their iron-clad oath bound them to rescue a brother at all hazards, a regular pitched battle was expected at any moment. Each side waited for the other to bring on the attack. Fortunately for both, neither side was willing to assume such a great responsibility.
When court convened, deputy sheriff Davis was present, with his shot gun, apparently as much determined as ever. The prisoners were given a hearing before Judge Hicks and granted bail, and thus were once more released on the public. This trial was concluded late Saturday evening of the March term of court, 1897.
Monday morning following, deputy sheriff Davis boarded the train at Strawberry Plains for Nashville, where he succeeded in having a bill passed by the legislature detaching the Circuit Court of Sevier county from the Second Judicial Circuit and attaching it to the Criminal District of Knox county, presided over by Judge T. A. R. Nelson, thereby preventing Judge Hicks from holding another court in Sevierville. Davis friends rallied to his support in Nashville. The bill was drawn by Gen. G. W. Pickle, introduced by Hon. Horace A. Mann, and fought to a finish by Hon. John C. Houk. It was a hot contest, and during its progress, the opposition, headed by Hon. Cal. Keeney, made the fight that it was a personal matter between Davis and Judge Hicks, and, besides, it was forcing Judge Nelson upon an unwilling people.
This was not true, however, and Davis so convinced the honorable members of the legislature by returning to Sevierville on the next train, which place he reached on Monday morning, County court day, in April, 1897. He at once called a mass meeting in the court house, at one o’clock, and opened the proceedings with a statement of the object and purpose of the meeting and what was transpiring at Nashville. Resolutions were adopted endorsing the passage of the bill, and passed without a dissenting voice.
Time was short. The legislature was drawing to a close. Davis mounted his favorite saddle horse and rode to Knoxville, a distance of twenty-seven miles, arriving in time to catch a train for Nashville that same evening. Tuesday morning when the legislature met, Davis was back at his post with the resolutions.
The bill passed and became a law, and Judge Nelson now holds court in Sevierville. This was the third trip that deputy sheriff Tom Davis made to Nashville in the interest and welfare of his native county, at his own expense.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 26 Dec 2014.
Upland Chronicles: Cousins Hendricks and Green were captured in Texas
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Thomas H Davis
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1930
Event Place: District 02, Knox, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 65
Marital Status: Widowed
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Birth Year (Estimated): 1865
Birthplace: Tennessee
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
- [S87] Death Certificate.
Name: Thomas H. Davis
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 01 Aug 1930
Event Place: Knox County, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Widowed
Race: White
Age: 67
Birth Year (Estimated): 1863
Birthplace: Tenn.
Father's Name: J. D. Davis
Father's Birthplace: Tenn.
Mother's Name: Mary Pickering
Mother's Birthplace: Tenn.
Occupation: Real Estate
Residence Place: Leverville, Tenn.
Cemetery: Alder Branch Cem.
Burial Date: 03 Aug 1930
- [S147] Find a Grave, (Memorial: 6230980).
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: J. D. Davis
Spouse's Name: Mary J. Pickens
Event Date: 04 Oct 1857
Event Place: , Sevier, Tennessee
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: T. H. Davis
Spouse's Name: Linnie A. Adams
Event Date: 06 Jul 1887
Event Place: , Sevier, Tennessee
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