The Path to the Gallows_ The story of Andy Taylor_s hanging in Loudon County

The story of Andy Taylor's hanging in Loudon County, Tennessee, on November 23, 1883, is a dramatic and somber tale, branded by local newspapers as one of the "boldest and most atrocious" crimes in the state's history. It's a narrative that culminates in a public execution and, intriguingly, echoes through the halls of the very courthouse where his fate was sealed.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yes, big footstopping through the paes Alien send the secret

(01:06):
size Evp's in the data.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Night ghost kissing in in the pill mo light.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
I don't know before what we bring it to you,
truth behind the fail, gout of Psulia talking love the
phrase the freaky.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
The weird Phelis.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
We dip her around, you see on all of us
in the paste. Preacher called from a timeless sleep nicotic,
freckling place single from the Hollislee day.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Alright, well, hello everybody out there, Hey, everybody, how you doing.
I hope everybody's had a good week. It's been hot here, yes,
very very hot, very very hot. Yeah, felt like I
was gonna melt a couple of times. It's nanny something today.
Well I thought I was supposed to get cooler. Yeah,

(02:04):
maybe not. They're lying. They're lying good.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Have brought my shorts out of jumped in and swimming pool?

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yes, hey, you know a couple of weeks ago, I
came home for lunch and Michelle had my shorts ready
and I jumped to the pool for lunch. We got
a good story tonight, don't we, Jason, Yes, we do.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Good story.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
This is a Loudon Tennessee story. Hey, baby girl, Hey Michelle,
Hey baby girl, Hey Schelle. Stephen Watson, Stephen in the house.
What's up everybody? You did make it? Thank you. This
story is about the Louden County Courthouse, and so it's

(02:48):
it's a really good story, true story, a true story,
absolutely true, and a really good friend of ours that
runs a ghost tour here in Louden, mister Bowkerry is
kind of where we heard the story first time.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
What yeah, bo he told the story. He tells the
story in his ghost or not not quite like all
that we information we've got, but but he does tell
the story.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
He does.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
It's the story of Andy Taylor's hanging. Who wants to
hear about that?

Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yes, I do.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Hey, we're gonna do something a little different too. We're
gonna put a little music in the background to make
it more intriguing. See tell me if you can hear it?

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Now, let us know if you can hear that. Hello,
a degreased cooler today, that's true, that humidity moves that
it will be a lot better. Oh yeah, but it

(04:02):
feels like an ovidut site. Can everybody hear the music? Yeah?
Oh yeah, that's good. Okay, all right, So We're going
to make a traumatic creedy. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
Traumatic story of Andy Taylor's hanging in Loudon County, Tennessee,
occurred on November twenty third, eighteen eighty three. It's a
dramatic and somber tale, branded by local newspapers as one
of the oldest and most atrocious crimes in the state's history.

(04:38):
It's a narrative that culminates in a public execution and
intriguingly echoes through the halls of the very courthouse where
his hate was stilled.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
It says, very spooky. You like that music? Oh? The
tragic saga begins with Andy's older brother, John Taylor on
February twenty first, eighteen eighty one. It happens in Chattanooga.
John kills James Fletcher during an argument. Is marked by

(05:16):
Fletcher's remark about John carrying a pistol? Is that not crazy?

Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Well, eighteen eighty one, you're caring a pistol. So after
the shooting, John fled down the Tennessee River, hiding in
the mountains until he is eventually captured in Rome County
after a posse besieged him. Now, John was convicted of manslaughter.

(05:47):
In last ten years a verdict, he appealed to the
State Supreme Court in Knoxville. However, his journey to appeal
took a violent turn. In September fourteenth, eighteen eighty two,
while being transported by train to Knoxville, guarded by Hamilton
County Sheriff W. T. Kate and Deputy Sheriff John J. Conway,

(06:12):
John's brothers Bob and Andy Taylor. Andy Taylor, who were
also on this train, initiated adic escape. Bob shot and
killed Deputy Sheriff Conway and fired at shot Sheriff Kate,
who was charging into the scene. I shot the sheriff,

(06:37):
but I did that the deputy despite being handcuffed. John's
the deputy's pistol and joined Andy in shooting the sheriff,
who also died after firing one shot, wounding John in
the wrist. Now, the three brothers escaped the train and

(06:58):
vanished to the hills between the Loudon and Kingston. They
forced a physician to treat John's wounds and acquired cartridges
from several stores before retreating into the dense forests. Now, eventually,
Bob Taylor separated from John and Andy, who then traveled
cautiously with Alabama, moving only under the cover of darkness.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
Sounds interesting, very interesting. So we're going to pick up.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
At the capture.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
After the deaths of his two brothers, a scarcely twenty
year old Andy became despondent and contemplated suicide. He ended
up working on a farm in Kansas, where he again
attempted to shoot himself, but was prevented. Law enforcement, including
sheriffs from Hamilton and Loudon Counties, eventually tracked him down

(07:58):
and apprehended him. Due to inns, public fervor in Chattanooga
and fears of a lynching, Andy was initially taken to
Nashville and then, by order of the Governor William B. Bate,
incarcerated in Williamsburn, nun So. In June eighteen eighty three,

(08:20):
Andy Taylor was transferred to Louden to face trial for
the murders of Sheriff Kate and Deputy Conway. Selecting a
jury proved to be an arduous task. Let's a right arduous,
arduous task, acquiring the summoning of one thousand talesman before

(08:43):
a complete jury could be formed. As court appointed attorney
argued that Andy was a miner at the time of
the crime and had been cohersed into the deeds by
his elder brother Bob, despite their defense. After a week
long trial, in two hours of deliberation, the jury returned

(09:03):
the verdict murder in the first degree, first degree. His
lawyer's appealed to the Supreme Court, but the lower court's
findings was upheld. And I think, as Oh tells it,
the judge when he sentenced him, slammed the hammer down
and said you shall be hung by the neck until

(09:26):
you are dead, dead, dead, yes, now.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
Andy Taylor was sentenced to die on November twenty third,
eighteen eighty three. He was transferred back to Louden to
face the gallows, which were erected on the Louden County
Courthouse lawn. And if you go on any of his
his court, it will take you to the very spot.
Oh yeah. This would be the first and last public

(09:57):
hanging in Loudon County. Now. Taylor maintained an indifferent and
composed demeanor until the very end, refusing to see any
minister and declaring he would die like a man. His
final words were profane, and his conduct in the gallows
was described as wonderful and unparalleled in the annals of

(10:21):
crime and fully in keeping with his desperate nature and
atrocious deeds. The trap was sprung at three point fifteen pm,
he said, within nine minutes, and cut down at the
twenty seven minute.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Now.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
Approximately one thousand, five hundred people witnessed his execution. After
being cut down, Andy Taylor's body was placed with off
and for shipping it to his mother. The New York
Times called the event a terrible tragedy, bringing a dramatic
and violent saga involving the Taylor brothers. A great conclusion. Now,

(11:02):
the story of Andy Taylor's hanging is a stark testament
to the justice system and the public's fascination was punishment
in the nineteenth century America. Yeah, this was Loudon's first
public and last public hanging ever. Yes, Now, they said

(11:25):
nine minutes was way too long.

Speaker 3 (11:26):
Yeah, nine minutes was brutal. Yeah, and I'd say it
would be. And we're going to get into some of
that later on in here. Yeah, we talk about maybe
these final words, his.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
Final words, what that meant for the future. Yeah, and
some of the ghostly stuff that's happened to the Loudon
County Courthouse since.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
So the courthouse is a structure that more witnessed to
this profound human human drama, from legal proceedings to the
stark brutality of an execution. It has inevident inevitably become
intertwined with stories of lingering presences. So, like we said earlier,

(12:17):
local historian and ghost tour guide O Carry often includes
the courthouse as a significant stop, hinting at spirits that
return time and time again to keep in touch with
their past. And I would encourage everybody this all it's October.

(12:39):
He should be start doing them.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
We've already done a few already. As he go on
bow Carry history tours, I think it's dot com and
sign up and go on one of his tours. He
does a cemetery tour, and a history tour, a haunted
louden tour. Now for those who have spent long hours

(13:07):
within the courthouse's old walls, particularly after the last light
of day fades, so these hints become something more. There
was a night cleaner who worked at the courthouse for
years before the fire that happened in twenty.

Speaker 3 (13:27):
Nineteen, and they frequently spoke of a distinct acurad scent
of gunpowder that would occasionally permeate the air, especially near
the front entrance. It was a heavy, metallic tang that
would linger for minutes, even hours, with no logical source.

(13:49):
And they also described a profound sense of unease that
would settle over the old courtrooms after midnight, a heavy,
watchful silence, as if unseen eye wortill scrutinizing every moment,
a whispered secret. More than once, they swore, they heard faint,

(14:10):
disembodied murmurs, like hushed arguments or desperate pleas emanating from
empty corridors. And then there was the rhythmic creep of
a heavy rope straining, a chilling reminder of the gallows
that once stood on the lawn. One former clerk, he

(14:35):
was initially a skeptic, reported seeing a fleeing, youthful shadow
right across the upper windows at dusk, always just at
the periphery.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
Of his vision.

Speaker 3 (14:48):
It was never distinct or a ripple in the light,
but it was consistently there, shells on rumble wick and
gone rumble. He began to wonder if it was the
restless spirit of young Andy, perhaps still trying to outrun

(15:09):
his past, forever trapped in a desperate flight with the
confines of the building that oversaw his end. He also
noted strange electrical quirks, lights flickering erratically even after new
wiring was installed, the computers was freezing at all the moment,

(15:30):
a faint, phantom scent of wood smoke when there wasn't
a fire.

Speaker 2 (15:44):
So the fact that Andy Taylor was publicly hung on
its lawn, that the building itself has experienced a destructive
fire certainly contributes to the kind of grim history. Apparentlymal
investigators often associate with him. Many believe that strong emotions,
violent deaths, or significant historical events can leave residual energies

(16:10):
or even full blown apparitions. Now, the years rolled on
and the Louden County Courthouse continued its daily grind of justice.
Of the night of April twenty third, twenty nineteen, and
in Pigner roared to life within this historic Clouden County Courthouse.

(16:32):
The blaze was fierce, consuming the old building with a
terrifying speed that baffled even veteran firefighters. Witnesses spoke of
an odd, acrid spell unlike typical smoke, and a heat
that seemed almost supernatural in its intensity. The cause was elusive,
baffling investigators was at Arson wiring fault, but there was

(16:57):
nothing conclusive that emerged from this could have been from
a silent curse. This is yours from a silent curse,
from Andy Taylor's last moments, a raw, visceral need for
vengeance that had lain dormant for years. Could the very

(17:19):
building that had condemned Andy Taylor have been marked by
his last breath? I think so, you know, as bo
Carry tells it, and he before he died, and we
said that he had cursed, Yeah, used profanity. A lot

(17:41):
of that profanity was at Loudun County itself. Yeah, and
he cursed loud In itself.

Speaker 3 (17:49):
I couldn't find his exact words because at the time
they didn't print him in the paper or they just
said it was profanity.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
Right, But he had cursed, literally cursed Louden. And some
believe that it was really close to the time that
he died that this fire happened.

Speaker 3 (18:14):
Yeah, it was one hundred and thirty six years and
seven months to the day.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
Yeah. And what's funny is the day is exact.

Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, the day day, the day is exactly what the
month is off.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
Yeah. And another thing I think, thank you, Steven, he says,
very interesting. He says, loving the music. Actually, oh right.
You know. One thing that Bow talks about in it
too that I find interesting is like we mentioned a
little bit where you know, some of the people that
worked there and stuff, But there was one that he

(18:55):
talks about. These were people that were there at nighttime
cleaning the place, and they often had doors that would
be unlocked that were supposed to be locked that they
know that they locked. Lights would turn off and on
by themselves. He said that on their very last day,
they put in their notice and that was like, we're

(19:17):
not coming and cleaning this place no more. You want
to find somebody else. They they did like a two
week notice with them, and on their last day when
they closed everything up and locked everything up, as they
were driving across the bridge, they looked back and one
of the lights came on. And people that are driving

(19:39):
up and down the road and even some of the
shops that are across the street from there say sometimes
at night time, when there's no one there, those lights
will turn on. Yeah, for no reason. I would love
to be able to get in there and do some investigations.

Speaker 3 (19:57):
Yeah, that would be good.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
We need to have boke and make that happen. Maybe. Yeah,
Hey Paul, Hey Paul, how you doing, buddy?

Speaker 3 (20:09):
Oh man, you just missed a good story.

Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, we just finished. Yeah, we got a little short show,
just a little short, short short tonight. I mean we're
not even we didn't make thirty minute mark Jason. No.
Chelle says, oh we need to do that. Oh no,

(20:33):
they're they've stopped working on it. They're they're open. It's
fully opened out. It's open. It's back to good being open. Oh,
we're doing pretty good, Paul. Yeah, it's paranormal Paul from
Paranormal among Us. Yeah, a Paranormal among Us Paul Anthony
if you like. It was on his show just great podcast,

(20:56):
just last Saturday.

Speaker 3 (20:58):
Yeah, he does a show at same time we do, yep,
eight pm at seven pm his time, but eight pm
our time. It's called Aaronormal among Us.

Speaker 2 (21:08):
Yeah, definitely check him out. But yeah, this, oh, thank
thank you. Paul. We actually did something a little bit
different with some music this time. Tell us what you
think about it.

Speaker 3 (21:22):
Yeah, we added a little spook music.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
So but we're talking about Oh you're welcome, Paul.

Speaker 1 (21:35):
This.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
What's cool about the story is is that it is
a Louden story, you know, and.

Speaker 3 (21:42):
It's it's about a mile away from here.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
Yeah. Yeah, literally we could walk there. I don't know
if i'd want to. I'd rather drive.

Speaker 3 (21:49):
I would I'd ride a horse, but I wouldn't walk.

Speaker 2 (21:53):
I ain't got a horse, so I guess I'd have
to drive. But you know, downtown Louden does have quite
a bit of history. And in the cemetery, you know,
when you do that cemetery tour that Bow does, he
talks about a couple of other lynchings that were there.

(22:13):
These were unsanctioned lynchings. Yeah, because that road right there
used to be the one that went all the way
that was the main thoroughfare. Well, they had a place
right behind the graveyard here that was called the lynching
Tree yep, remember that, yep, And they hung a few

(22:34):
people there over the over stoked oscars. Ask are there
any stories where the lights go out instead of lights
turning on? Yeah? They said that. What was funny is
that it would do all kinds of different things would happen,
so lights would turn off, turn on. They would have
doors that would lock, or doors that were supposed to

(22:57):
be locked that were unlocked. And the people who just
walked out of those had locked them before. There's tons
of stories inside the old courthouse around Loudon. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (23:09):
I think I remember a story where they were looking
for some piece of paper a document, couldn't find it anywhere,
and they opened like a door that you know usually
isn't open, and nothing in there, and it was laying

(23:31):
there on the floor.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
Huh, that's crazy, says that would be freaky. I'll tell
you that.

Speaker 1 (23:40):
Mm.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
I think it would be a very fun place to
get to go and do an investigation. Yeah, we've done them.
Coroneral paul I moved over to YouTube. Awesome, all right,
get those YouTube watch hours up. So he was hung in.

Speaker 3 (24:11):
November the twenty third, eighteen eighty three, and the courthouse
caught on fire April twenty third. April twenty third, twenty nineteen. Yeah,
one hundred and thirty six years and seven months ago.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
That's crazy, right it is. It took them until this
year to open it up. It was like spring of
this year before they actually opened it. Yes, that's this
method would be fantastic. I would actually like to go
wherever the fire started h and doing esdas method there.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
Yeah, they say they don't really know how it started
upstairs in the tower. Yeah, somewhere upstairs. They that's kind
of all they really know. They cann't really No, I
do not know. Nothing showed his birthday.

Speaker 2 (25:16):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 3 (25:20):
Let's see the God's helmet would be cool there, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
Oh, that would be cool. I'd like to try that
God's helmet thing.

Speaker 3 (25:29):
We shall love the music.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Ah, thank you, she said, the cob ambience. Whoa, let's see,
let's see if we could see if it'll tell us anything. No,
my phone's probably so.

Speaker 3 (25:47):
It took him quite a while. I think they've spent
eleven million dollars rebuilding that courthouse to its what was that.

Speaker 2 (25:57):
Was his birthday? Is that what it was?

Speaker 3 (25:59):
Yeah, they spend eleven million dollars. They didn't just fix it,
they restored it to its original, you know condition, except
for you know, the upgrades, but eleven million dollars worth
of damage. It was a total loss.

Speaker 2 (26:21):
The only reason I guess they they kept it because
of the historical value. Let's see. Oh wow, yeah, there's
not really much on there's the New York Times. Yeah,

(26:45):
well we know this is what we know. He died
in November twenty fourth, of eighteen eighty three at twenty
years old.

Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yeah, twenty years old.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
So he was born somewhere we'll say, in somewhere around
eighteen sixty three. Yeah. Yes, here's a you can look
it up to. It's pretty cool, says blasphemy on the gallows,
the hanging of Andy Taylor for a double crime in Tennessee.

Speaker 3 (27:15):
And that says from the New York Times.

Speaker 2 (27:16):
Yeah, New York Times. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (27:18):
Yeah, if you get a chance to look at up
and read it, it's pretty awesome.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Yeah. Yeah, overly over stoked oscars. His counsel tried to
because he wasn't twenty. He was twenty when he was
hung when he committed the crime.

Speaker 3 (27:33):
He was what, like, I think he committed the crime
sixteen or thank you, seventeen seventeen.

Speaker 2 (27:41):
Yeah, And so they tried to say that he was
a minor I.

Speaker 3 (27:46):
Think at eighteen eighty one. So if he was twenty
and eighty three, yeah, I've been two years, it's been
seventeen yep.

Speaker 2 (27:56):
Yeah. So but the the court said, nay, you must
hang to your dead dead dead dead dead dead and
nine minutes.

Speaker 3 (28:11):
Yeah, man, nine minutes.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
You know what causes that, don't you?

Speaker 3 (28:16):
That's a long time.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
What they far enough to drop with a sudden stop
right to break the neck.

Speaker 3 (28:23):
I've seen some hangings just people just pull the rope
up and let them sit there and choke to death.

Speaker 2 (28:29):
Yep, that's pretty much what happened to him, for him
to die that long, because they say, I think, you know,
I watch enough of these crime and punishment shows with
my wife, you know, the wives, their husbands and a
million different ways. But they they say, to choke somebody,
you're waiting on it, ain't you. Oh, it's gonna it'll happen,
she tells me all the time. I'll you know. But

(28:50):
they say, to choke somebody takes it over six minutes.
So yeah, so that long, that would be an agonizing
just hell yeah, that'd be that would be terrible. I

(29:10):
wouldn't want to wish that on anybody, even if they're
getting the death penalty.

Speaker 3 (29:18):
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the show. It's thirty minutes.
It's it's a pretty decent show.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
Pretty decent little short one.

Speaker 3 (29:29):
I was told five minutes to choke somebody.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Five I know. My wife tells me she's just going
to hold me under to the bubbles top a.

Speaker 3 (29:45):
Michelle says, tonight is the buck full moon. Everyone make
your moon water, charge your crystals, and release what no
longer serves you. Yes, absolutely, thank you STI this this Saturday.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
Really overstoked oscars. Thanks Paranormal Paul.

Speaker 3 (30:08):
Yeah, thank you. Remember paranormal Paul paranormal among us on YouTube.

Speaker 2 (30:14):
Baby Girl says that just depends on how much pressure
is applied to the throat. Overstoked us. That says, good advice.
Have a great night. Paranormal Paul, thank you for stopping
in and saying hi with us. Really appreciate you.

Speaker 3 (30:33):
I'm going to tell you this weekend on Saturday, we're
going to have a guest Artemis. He's an experiencer. He's
going to be joining us to tell us his experiences.
So stay tuned for that be a good show. And
also this.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
Month, oh man, everybody's got to remember. Oh after Artemis,
we got Greg Gogles, Yes, coming on the show. Greg
is with Relic Films, has done a couple of films
on Sasquatch and paranormal. We got his last film that
was amazing. It was I would say anybody that likes

(31:17):
a documentary and then likes Bigfoot and likes documentaries about Bigfoot.
See that one was really good. Some of the stuff
that happened to them was amazing, the growling and stuff. Man,
thank you Shelle, thank you Paranormal Paul. I mean the

(31:40):
movie is awesome. I would say, go get it. Where's
that at? That's you can get it at relicfilm dot com. Yeah,
you might even be able to download it. But I
bought the chase about the DVD or blu ray and uh,
it's great. Yeah. I would say ten out of ten

(32:02):
I recommend.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
So he's going to be on the show the nineteenth
at eight pm and the next event will be the
Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference on the twenty sixth. Yes, so
we're going to have some fun at the Smoky Mountain

(32:24):
Bigfoot Conference twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (32:27):
Oh when everybody, we're going to have all of our
ghost equipment charged and ready to go. Oh yeah, because
the night after the Bigfoot Conference Sunday night, we have
got the ability and permission from the park to go

(32:50):
back into CAD's Cove and we are going to do
an investigation, an all night investigation in Cade's cove. So
if our cell phones and stuff don't work there, then
what we're gonna do is we'll definitely record it and
Jason will do his fine job of putting it all

(33:10):
together like.

Speaker 3 (33:11):
That, Maybe we can take Steven if he wants to
go with us and show us around, because he knows
pretty much all about that place.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
Yep, Steven wants to oh, thank you Paranormal Paul, as
he loves the music around. Jason found it. It is good.

Speaker 3 (33:31):
So David, you want to take us out?

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Yes, I want to thank everybody again, and we'll see
you for our Saturday show. And remember you can find
us on Facebook, YouTube, x and Rumble. Tune in live
every Thursday from seven to eight pm Eastern also Saturdays
from eight to ten pm Eastern time. Remember Saturdays at

(33:55):
ten to eleven. If you're in the metro Atlanta area,
you catch us on w e jy FM that's Synday
nine point one FM. And for listeners outside of Atlanta,
we go to wdjy fm dot com, where you could
go to our website and click on the link. Remember
we're also on the Space Radio and all major podcast platforms.
Have a book out East Tennessee Hauntings and Laura Edition two,

(34:20):
East Tennessee Hauntings and Laura addition two that is available
on Amazon or on our website at paranormafore one one
dot Join us, Join us. We appreciate everybody for stopping
in and see you this Saturday. Our great guest.

Speaker 3 (34:40):
Oh yeah, we'll see you Saturday. I don't want to
miss it.

Speaker 2 (34:44):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (34:50):
Have you ever wondered what lurks in the shadows, what
secrets the night hides, what strange phenomena might be happening
just beyond your perception.

Speaker 2 (34:59):
Join us as we money into the world of the paranormal,
exploring everything from ghosts and UFOs to cryptids and unexplained occurrences,
from haunted houses to all things paranormal. Join us in
the search for the truth behind the veil. Welcome to

(35:20):
Paranormal four one one