A FATAL, DOSE.

Sudden death of Jerry Carney (Kearney) in Carroll County - A Grave Suspicion implicating prominent men, church officials and others

The Dresden Democrat, of last week, has the following:

There is a startling rumor in circulation at McKenzie, in regard to the death of Jerry Carney Kearney.

It Is a well known fact that there has been a great deal of counterfeit money in circulation in the counties of Carroll, Henry and Weakley, and that Tom Drury, Bob Drury, Jerry Carney and old man Street were accused of scattering it, and that Bob Drury and Street were arrested and convicted.

It is also suspected that men of more or less prominence in the counties referred to were in the ring, and have so far escaped.

Street and Drury both give the names of men who were their pals in the business. Carney, who had an interesting family, was anxious to get clear. In order that he could remain at home, and it is known that he was preparing a full expose of the whole affair, which implicated leading men- members of the church, officials, etc.

It is now reported that one or two or the parties were with him a day or two before he died, and that they used every effort to prevent him from making a confession; failing in this it is charged that he was poisoned. That he died very suddenly there Is no question. Whether there were any symptoms of arsenic or other poison attending his late illness we are not advised. We heard it suggested that his family were going to exhume him, and hold a post mortem examination.

Memphis Daily Appeal - October 05, 1875
(Related to Thomas and Robert Drury, counterfeiters.
Carney, was husband to Thomas daughter (Robert's sister) Florence Drury-Carney)

At the United States Circuit Court, Judge Trlggs presiding, the case of T. J,. Drury was called up for hearing on yesterday afternoon. One history of the case is as follows, as related by the officers of the government:

T. J. Drury, P. W. Moore, hotel-keeper at Bell's Depot. R. D. L. Evans, hotel-keeper at Gadsden's. all of Carroll county, and D. O. Avery, who lives near Cairo, in the same county, were arrested by the government secret service agents as being concerned in the circulation and selling of counterfeit money. The secret service agent bought some of the "queer" from Drury and through him was introduced to others up the country from whom he, purchased another lot. These Jatter parties were sent to the Ohio penitentiary last spring, M Street of Paris, Tennessee, was sentenced to the penitentiary by Judge Emmons on a like charge. The government secret service men say that an organized gang of men, whose ramifications extend from Cincinnati down through Kentucky and Tennessee, has been and is yet in existence, and that a large amount of this bogus money is set afloat in this city.

Memphis Daily Appeal., June 17, 1876