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In a little log cabin about three miles west of this place, on the left hand side of the road leading to Taylor’s school house in Eldara a few weeks since lived two brothers, backelors, named David and William Clarkson of a miserly disposition, they have for many years past lived together alone, and dispensed entirely with female help, doing their own cooking and such mending as was necessary to keep themselves covered from the weather. From the same feeling they have generally refused to accept any favors from their brother Mr. Thomas Clarkson, an open handed, liberal man upon whose land their cabin stood. Prior to last Friday their absence from home and their not being seen about their cabin or in the neighborhood had been talked about by the brother and several of the neighbors, but as they had talked of visiting some relatives in Scott county, he rested under the impression that they had gone over there, and felt no uneasiness with regard to them. On that day however, as he and Mr. Vine Wills were passing the house, they concluded to at least look in the windows and see what was to be seen. Looking in, every thing seemed to be in its usual order, and they were about to turn away, when Mr. WilIs noticed upon the top of the lower sash of one of the windows a dollar bill, an instance of carelessness or something else so utterly at variance with the habits of the deceased that Clarkson instantly said, “There’s something wrong, we'll go into the house," A trial of the lock by a key revealed the fact that the door was locked on the inside and the key was in the lock. The window was found nailed down, but they succeeded at length in forcing it up, and Mr. Wills crawled through it, into the room. Passing across it, he came to the bed, which stood upon the south side of the room and in it with his clothes on and even his fox skin cap upon his head, under the few old rags and pieces of blankets that formed the covering lay William, the elder brother, dead. Going from thence to the small loft above he found David lying upon the floor frozen to death with all his clothing upon his person except one boot and sock. He had evidently risen from the bed for some purpose when his feeble powers could carry him no farther and he fell and died where he fell. His arms were extended, one at more than a right angle from his body and the other at another angle.
The one in the room below lay in a natural position in the bed, his hands and arms resting upon his person in front. Hastily viewing the scene, steps were taken immediately for the holding of an inquest held by J. S. Roberts, Esq., of this place and a verdict returned that they came to their death by being frozen. This inquest was held on the 27th day of December, A. D. 1872, and the last time that either of the deceased had been seen prior thereto was on the 18th, when Mr. Asa Crowder passing along the road saw William come out and go towards the wood pile. Their brother supposed that they were visiting among relatives in Scott county, no smoke had been seen coming from the chimney of their cabin for many days and it is therefore left to conjecture to determine when they died. The probability is that weakened want of food (for although there was flour and meat in the house yet but little evidence of any cooking was manifest) they sunk under the intense cold of Saturday the 21st, being almost entirely destitute of covering for their beds. Near the house was three or four cords of wood already chopped for the stove, and yet upon the stove sat a wooden bucket uncharred or marked by fire. We have heard that there not a match in the house to strike a light or kindle a fire and if that was the case they may have let the fire die and not daring to risk going out in the cold, gone to bed and their final rest. Upon the person of each was found about forty dollars in money and tied up in the corner of William’s shirt were certificates of deposit in Banks to the amount of about seventeen hundred dollars. David’s estate in monies, land, &c., is estimated at $7000.00, and William's at $5000.00, and letters of administration, been granted to Thomas Clarkson, their brother, and Robert Southwell, Esq., of Scott county, a brother-in-law.
They were buried on Sunday last in the Episcopal Cemetery at this place, the Rev. Mr. Eddy, rector of St. Stephens church officiating and quite a crowd being present at the funeral ceremony.
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