James McNaught ( -1826). gunsmith. 1816-25, Richmond, Virginia. McNaught emigrated from England. In 1819 he was a gunsmith on the north side of E St., between 19th and 20th Sts. [Richmond Dir.]. In 1816 John Hinton was apprenticed to McNaught. In 1820 he reported that over the past year he had employed 3 men and 3 boys and had made guns, pistols and dirks at "various prices" [U.S. Census of Industry]. McNaught had an associate, Daniel Denoon, who had considerable talent, but who, soon after he had completed his apprenticeship had decided to enter the business of a deceased brother-in-law as a brass founder. McNaught had begun to live a disspiated and reckles slife, leabing increasingly large aprts of his business to his apprentices and to Deneen. Not long before the fatal incident with Denoon, McNaught had overinsured his business and stock and reportedly set fire to his shop, Neighbors extinguished the blaze before any real harm was done. McNaught then shot and mortally wounded Denoon.
“James M’Nought, gunsmith, has been committed to prison in Richmond, Va., for killing his foreman, Daniel Denoon by firing a pistol ball into his abdomen. . . . The miserable James M’Nought has committed justice upon himself. The murderer of poor Danoon has saved himself from the vengeance of the offended laws by an act of suicide. On Monday evening he was committed to the jail of this city; and about 10 or 11 o’clock that night, he laid violent habds upon himself.” [Masonic Mirror & Mechanic’s Intelligencer, 3/11/1826].
A more dttailed account soon appeared. McNaught used a pstol loaded with buckshot and mortally wounded Denoon who lingered about 3 or 4 hours. McNaught then attempted to commit suicide but only grazed his cheek. Taken to jail, he had several convulsions. The jailer called.a physician who bled him. He used a gun screw to open the wound from which he had been bled and also tied a silk handkerchief around his neck and committed suicide [Christian Secretary, Hartford, CT, 3/20/1826].
On 15 March 1826 the inventory of the estate of James McNaught, deceased, was completed. The total valuation was $6433.13, and included:
