Mrs. Edwards is 93 years old and living in a nursing home. She remembers the Butlers of Cypress Church well. She and her husband lived in the Butler home place. They tore down the original house and built a new one. Mrs. Edwards attended Lambuth College and was a school teacher for 40+ years.
She was witness to John Butler shooting Jim Ballentine. Jim was working with Mrs. Edwards father cutting timber. John Butler thought his wife Hazel Permenter was seeing Jim Ballentine since they used to be sweet hearts. Mrs. Edwards saw John Butler shoot Jim Ballentine while Jim was plowing. He also shot Hazel Permenter and himself.
The preacher William Butler was very sick at the time and died within 24 hours before or after the shooting. She does not know where John or William are buried but guess it is at Scotts Hill. {Note: William Butler died after the shooting and he and John are buried at Belleview Cemetery in Bells, TN.}
After Johns & Hazels death, John Paul was raised by his widow Aunt Mary and his uncle Bob who lived together. She thinks that Bob and Mary moved to Quincy, TN between Alamo and Trenton. John Paul was in the army and started collecting coins. He later donated his extensive coin collection to the College of the Ozarks. The college educated his daughters for free because of this. He was also the curator of the collection.
Mrs. Edwards had a Butler friend who was a sister to John Butler. She died when only 5-6 years old. She was born I 1906 like Mrs. Edwards. She was taken by horse drawn hearse to Scotts Hill for burial. {Note: This was Thelma Inez Butler who is buried at Scotts Hill Methodist Cemetery in Decatur Co. TN.}
Festus Butler operated a store in Bells and taught at Emison School. Mrs. Edwards started school at four years old under Festus as a teacher. He had a son named Charles who taught school at Friendship.
George Butler and Hesco Cook had 3 daughters who were school teachers.
- Interviewed by Jerry L. Butler on April 23, 2000