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John William McGhee

John William McGhee

Male 1863 - 1931  (68 years)Deceased


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  • Name John William McGhee 
    Birth Mar 1863  Russell County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Census 1870 1870  New Garden, Russell, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Census 1880 1880  New Garden, Russell, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Witness Jul 1897  Russell County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Census 1910 1910  New Garden, Russell, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Witness Aug 1915  Tazewell County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Census 1920 1920  Maiden Spring, Tazewell, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Death 1 April 1931  Red Ash, Russell, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Killed in a gun battle at Red Ash. The shooting refers to John's second wife, name unknown.

      Deputy Sheriff Kills Wild Man

      Unfortunate Shooting Affair at Raven Wednesday in Which Officer is Forced to Resort to Force-Exonerated of Blame. (By Edward Hand) Raven, Va. April 2 -

      John McGee, aged about 45 years, a raving maniac, inspired by pangs of jealousy, ran amuck on Coal Creek with a .45 army colts revolver late Wednesday, seriously wounding his estranged wife, shooting his sister-in-law and killing his wife's lover before a 30-30 bullet from a high power rifle, in the hands of Deputy Sheriff Vince McGraw, brought the mad man's life to an end.

      William Abshire, the dead lover of McGee's wife, leaving a wife and several children, was killed while sitting parked in an automobile with Mrs. McGee and her aged sister, who was the step-mother of Abshire, and Mrs. McGee and her sister, Mrs. James Abshire were wounded.

      The trouble is said to have started several months ago when Henry Abshire also married, another brother of the dead lover, ran away with Mrs. McGee, living with her for some time, returning to her husband for a short time only, in which time McGee bought and deeded a new Ford Sedan to her only to have her leave him again with William Abshire, taking the automobile with her, which McGee tried to regain by going and taking the car some ten days previous which resulted in more trouble.

      Last Friday Deputy Sheriff J.B. Altizer place a levy on the car but left it in the possession of Mrs. McGee. It was in this car that the trio had been riding, and after leaving the state highway at about a distance of thirty yards their path was blocked by one of Mullins Lumber Company's trucks loaded with logs which were being unloaded and while thus parked, McGee descended from the cab of the truck and approached the trio in the car, and without speaking, opened the door and began firing, wounding the two women and killing the man, then remarking to the truck men that after getting one more he was going to kill himself, at which remark Mr. Mullins, the mill owner, asked him not to do such an act but to go on and give himself up to an officer and he would come clear at trial, but the man gone mad with jealousy, started walking down the railroad, swinging the pistol from side to side and after walking through the coal camp of Premier Red Ash to a point about a half mile below, he encountered Deputy McGraw, who had been summoned from Raven to arrest the maniac, but concealing his pistol behind him, McGee got the drop on the officer at a distance of about twenty feet, telling him if he came another step closer he would kill him in his tracks.

      After McGraw saw that the man was mad and intended to resume his killing, he pleaded with the man not to resist arrest nor kill any one else and sparred with the man until his son Walter McGee, could be summoned from the mines to try and get his father to consent to their terms, but upon arriving the son was met with the same threat that the officer received.

      Then keeping the officer under cover the maniac headed for the woods. McGraw then dispatched a man to his home in Raven, a distance of three miles, to get his high powered rifle. He deputized two men, Fred Underwood and P.O. Palmer, to assist him in trailing the murderer.

      At a point near the top of the mountain and close to the home of Henry Abshire, the other intended victim, the deputies exchanged a volley of shots with McGee, who turned and fled down the mountain and came out on the railroad in the lower end of Red Ash No. 2 camp, and evidently started for the home of his son Walter, but got in the wrong yard and found the door barred, then emptying his gun at the trio of officers who were coming down a slate dump, the man ran around the house and under the back porch to reload again firing at the officers at which time McGraw shot him through the head from a distance of 1,500 feet.

      During the running fight about 150 spectators had gathered to witness the climax, one stray bullet from the officers gun plowed through the side of a house of John Davis and buried itself in the floor.

      Mrs. McGee is a patient in the Mattie Williams hospital suffering with a bullet wound in the abdomen, her sister received a glancing shot along her hip, while Abshire was shot through the heart and remained sitting upright with both hands on the steering wheel. The shooting started at the mill of the Mullins Lumber Co's mill and lasted up the mountains and back to Red Ash. The officer came clear in a court, composed the magistrates and N. Clarence Smith, Commonwealths Attorney, at Richlands last night.

      Note: WE APOLOGIZE In writing the head for the article from Raven last week regarding the John McGee shooting, we used the words, "Deputy Sheriff Kills Wild Man." The heading written just a few minutes before press time, was ill advised, and we regret that we used the terms there applied. A number of relatives of the unfortunate man are among the best people of Raven and vicinity.

      Story from Audrey McGee Helbert:

      John caught his second wife, Cynthia with another man in a car and shot them both. The man in the car with his wife died. Cynthia did not die. Vince McGraw was the law man at the time and lived below Powell Palmer. Vince deputized Powell and a posse to go after John. After the shooting, John went to his son Walters to hide. Vince and the posse caught up to John and Vince shot and killed him. Clarence, Powell's son-in-law, did not talk to Powell for about 9 years because of this.
    		Bluefield Daily Telegraph 2 April 1931 Shooting Article
    John McGee, 67, Shoots and kills William Abshire; Estranged wife and sister in law of slayer suffer flesh wounds
    		John McGhee Shooting
    		John McGhee Death Certificate
    Burial Newberry Cemetery, Horton Ridge, Swords Creek, Russell, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • No stone, apparently buried beside his son Dewey Lee McGhee
    Siblings 6 siblings 
    Person ID P164  Burress

    Father William McGhee
              b. 1812, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 1881-1892, Russell County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 80 years) 
    Mother Julia Ann Newberry
              b. Dec 1841, Franklin County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. Jan 1923, Laurel County, Kentucky Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 81 years) 
    Family ID F767  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Wife 1 Geneva Anderson
              b. 7 Aug 1870, Dickenson County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 5 Feb 1930, Raven, Tazewell, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 59 years) 
    Marriage 20 Jan 1886  Dickenson County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Dickenson County Marriage Register Book 1, Page 5 Line 4

      If anyone is able to share the actual certificate or Registration information with me, I would appreciated it.
    Children 6 sons and 3 daughters 
    Family ID F764  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Wife 2 Cynthia Salyers Noah
              b. 1880, Russell County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 1963, Tazewell County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 83 years) 
    Marriage 1930  Russell County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F1253  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - Mar 1863 - Russell County, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus 1870 - 1870 - New Garden, Russell, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus 1880 - 1880 - New Garden, Russell, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 20 Jan 1886 - Dickenson County, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsWitness - Witness in the Divorce of Charles and Amedia Richardson. - Jul 1897 - Russell County, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus 1910 - 1910 - New Garden, Russell, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsWitness - Witness in his daughter Mary's divorce. Mentions a restaurant he ran with Mary's than husband. - Aug 1915 - Tazewell County, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus 1920 - 1920 - Maiden Spring, Tazewell, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 1930 - Russell County, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 1 April 1931 - Red Ash, Russell, Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Newberry Cemetery, Horton Ridge, Swords Creek, Russell, Virginia Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set



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