Old Fallen Tombstone in Longton Cemetery

[W. Gray]

I received an Email from Audrey (Floyd Vestal family) Tharp, a former Longton resident, wanting to know if i knew anything about a grave in the extreme southeast area of Longton cemetery.

She used to help maintain the cemetery and she has always wondered about the circumstances of the individual in this grave. She believes the person was murdered. She indicated that the name might have been Daugherty. I took a look at the Longton cemetery list and did not see a person by that name.

There is an indication of 1877 on the fallen and  broken stone but no indication whether the individual was born in 1877 or died in 1877.

Can anyone shed any light help shed any light?


cemetery

[W. Gray]

In a followup Email from Audrey (Vestal) Tharp:

My sister found this information about the first recorded murder in Longton, in some information that some people in Longton had research several years ago. This information was taken from the stone when it was still in good shape and could be read. It reads:

The first murder recorded in Longton was of Robert Daughery in July 1877. According to information on the stone, which is located in the far south eastern part of the cemetery, he was around 60 years of age. The only information we could find as to the cause was something about a mule, or perhaps a horse but that is indefinite.

[Buddyboy]

I remember when we were young that my dad in his attempt to make a trip to a cemetery fun or educational one (not for sure) always took us to see this stone. It is only a few rows away from my great and great great grandparents. It's been awhile, but I think I remember him saying it happened at a dance or a bar.