GRAY, Andy - Putnam

Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal 3 Dec 1902

Sadie Gray, the wife of Andy Gray who for some time has lived at the Marion (Indianapolis, Indiana) Soldier's home and a woman who was a constant  source of trouble to the local police when she lived here is  again before the public, this time in Marion. The Leader tells  the tale: Thomas Shehan and Sadie Gray were in police court  Friday morning, the former charged with being a 'resorter'.  Shehan pleaded guilty and was fined $10.40 and costs total $20.40  which he was unable to pay and was sent to jail for 21 days. When  the woman was arraigned she broke forth in a torrent of abuse,  calling the authorities liars and talking in a vulgar manner.

Mayor Kiley ordered her sent to jail until she was sober and she was taken to Sheriff Bradford's boarding house to wait until she is in proper shape to be present in court. The Gray woman is the wife of Andrew Gray, an old veteran at the home, to whom she was  married a few years ago. She is said to have led him a merry chase and to have taken up with Shehan more than a year ago. He acknowledged this in court, although he claimed not to have known until several months ago that she was a married woman. Thursday evening Gray and his wife and Shehan called at the Brunswick and  secured a room. They made so much noise that they were fired out of that place and they went to a lodging house in Johnstown, where they secured a room for the remainder of the night. They were all drunk it is said. About 5 o'clock Friday morning Gray  claimed he had been robbed of some money and created such a  disturbance that they were fired out of that house. Gray came up  town and reported his alleged loss while Shehan and Mrs. Gray  went to a barber shop in North Marion where they were arrested  later by Patrolman Landrum and taken to police headquarters. The  woman was still intoxicated and talked in a most ridiculous  manner. It was not learned how much money Gray claimed he lost as he did not appear in court against the pair, although he had promised to do so.

CWJ 26 May 1899 – Andrew Gray & Sarah Riley marriage license – what a hoot

CWJ 15 Aug 1867 – Register of votes in Union Twp

Gray, Andrew

Source: CWJ 11 Feb 1893

Andrew Gray of Russellville came in yesterday and received his pension money. Andrew expended a goodly portion of the same in paying old fines and then proceeded to get full of fluid joy as fast as an able bodied bar tender could shove the stuff over the counter at him. When he was full to the neck the old chap wobbled out on the street and in 15 minutes was behind the bars of the county jail fast asleep He did not have money enough left to pay al lthe fine assessed against him this morning so the city will have to wait until next pay day for the balance.

CWJ 9 May 1861 – Cville Guards #2 – Capt. James H. Watson Pvt – Andrew Gray

Cville Review 12 Aug 1893 – Mort Reese and Andrew Gray were each fined and costed $10.65 in the Mayor’s court Monday morning for being drunk.

Him or a diff one – Andrew Gray is a teamster about town. He is industrious when he can find employment but when idle loves to tarry at the wine cup. Sat seems to have been one of his off days. He “got ull” that evening on corn juice and along after dark concluded that it would be a good time to leave this vale of sorrow and tears by killing himself. He was missed and the police sent for. Going there about 9 o’clock to his home near the Lincoln school building he was found hanging to the limb of a tree, his feet touching the ground and his breath almost gone.  Upon being rescued from his position he soon revived but in a few moment more it would have been “call day” with him.  He was strangling to death. Gray has attempted self destruction heretofore, it is said and may eventually succeed in separating soul from body if he persists in his effort.

Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal 14 Oct 1892

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.

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.