Smoke Signals and other news
This week 32 years ago, our son, Douglas Arthur Wagg Jr., was placed on a railroad track in North Carolina in what we believe was an attempt to cover evidence of another crime. The handling of Doug’s case by the Martin County, NC, sheriff’s office was alledgedly marred by an insensitive comment made by an official who chose not to file an internal report causing no further investigation to take place, leaving our family with countless unanswered questions about the case. His official autopsy ruling was and still is undetermined. Due to his siblings’ relentless pursuit of justice and frequent visits to the current Martin County Sheriff’s Department, the case has now been reopened, offering hope for answers.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the witnesses who have bravely come forward with new information and to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the Williamston Police Department, and other involved agencies for their support and dedication. If by any chance you lived or were in the area of Martin County, North Carolina, in the year 1991 and have any information that could in any way be relevant, please contact me or the Martin County Sheriff’s office.
After several days of more intense pain than usual, I took my husband, Doug, to the emergency room to determine the cause. He had gotten entangled in the bed cover last week when trying to get out of bed and ended up on the floor. After struggling for a long while, we got him up and settled back in bed, but other than some bruises, he seemed okay. After several hours, x-rays, and other tests, the ER doctor determined he had broken a rib. While only a few meds can help, it just has to heal on its own.
Shop locally as much as you can. It means a lot to our hometown businesses that have invested their time and money to provide goods or services to you. While I am not physically able to go out and do a lot of shopping right now, I do as much as I can locally. One of the newer stores in Byhalia is the Army Surplus store at 8312 Hwy 178 West. Check them out.
If anyone has information about the dedication and naming of the Ruth B. French Library (1990) in Byhalia that you would like to share, the current librarian, Americus Young, would love to hear from you. I, along with two of her sons, Mark and Austin, have provided what information we have.
The second and most devastating obstacle to Byhalia’s growth, as Corrie Nesbitt wrote about in her diary, came about with the outbreak of the Civil War. This war would eventually see 600,000 men killed (more Americans killed in combat than World Wars I and II combined). South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860, with Mississippi being the next state to follow on January 9, 1861. In the early stages, young men from the North and South alike rushed to join. Byhalia’s young men were no exception. More than 250 in this immediate area served in the Confederate Army. On March 23, 1861, the BAHALIA Rifles (spelling as it appears in the Mississippi Official and Statistical Register) was mustered in to service. The Confederate Guards of Holly Springs were mustered into service on April 13, 1861.
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901 246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.