Extracted from the Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, NC)
Thursday, November 2, 1893

Found Dead in an old Well

In our last issue, we announced the mysterious disappearance on Friday before of Mr. L. M. Jernigan, a farmer of Meadow township. His neighbors searched the woods for him and gave up the hunt in despair. Last Saturday morning as Mr. Moore Wood and his wife were on their way to church and passing by on old log house, which was used as a school house several years ago, noticed several buzzards sitting on a hickory tree which had blown down by an old well. On their return in the evening Mr. Wood went and saw the body of a man floating on top of the water. He notified the neighbors and the family of Jernigan who identified the body as that of the lost man. The body was taken out Sunday and burried [sic]. He had $6.73 in silver in his pockets. The body was in bad condition and the stench terrible. The well is five miles from the place where he was last seen and two miles beyond his home. It is supposed that he jumped in head foremost. No cause can be given for the suicide except that he was demented on the subject of religion. He was about 50 years of age.