The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-15 00:00:00

ATROCI6US MURDERS IN AMERICA

..
A manuscript was left in our office yesterday from which
we condense the following statement :—The passengers on
board the steam-boat Sunflower, which stopped on her way
down at E. P. King's woodvard, were informed that
some horrible murders had been committed in that vicinity,
and that the citizens were in pursuit of the murderers. After
wooding, they had proceeded but a short distance when they
perceived a crowd upon the bank, which they rightfully con-
cluded were the pursuers. They stopped, and it appeared
that a negro named Joseph, belonging to Mr. Voorhees, on
Bayou de Glaize, had been persuaded to run off and join him
by a negro runaway from New Orleans, named Enoch.
They murdered a Mr. Harrington, and took with them into
the woods his wife and a young lady. They called Mr. Har-
rington out of his house; he unsuspectingly went, and a
pistol and gun were presented at him. He was guarded into
the house, when the negroes laid their weapons on the bed,
and declared their purposes to be to murder him and abduct
the females. Harrington seized a pistol, aimed it at the
breast of Enoch, and exploded the cap, without discharging
the load. Joseph aimed the rifle at Harrington, the young
lady clung to Harrington ; the rifle went off, killing him and
wounding her. His body was trown into a lake, and the
females carried off. The negroes had with them a mulatress
named Margaret, whose entreaties saved the lives of the poor
women, who were inhumanfy outraged. They then killed-a
Mr. Todd, and carried off his wife and child. They also
killed another person, name unknown.
The citizens caught Joseph on Sunday, and the girl Mar-
garet. Enoch escaped, though supposed to be wounded by
some one or more of the balls fired at him. Joseph confessed,
and they determined to burn him alive. He was chained to
a tree, the faggots piled around, and in that situation being
questioned by F. Routh, he declared as before that he
no other accomplice than Enoch, and that Enoch made
kill the men who were murdered. His ales were ter.,
when the fire reached him, and by superhuman exertions.
wrested the staple which confined the chain to the tree. He
was then shot, and his body cast back into the tire. The
girl is in gaol in Vidalia. They are still pursuing the other
villain.
Since writing the above, we learn from a gentleman of the
neighbourhood that only one female was attacked and carried
away from Harrington's—his young daughter. The state-
ment is substantially correct in other particulars.—Natchez
Courier.
The terrible scene of burning the negro is thus described
by the Free Trader:—
" The boy was taken and chained to a tree immediately on
the banks of the Mississippi, on what is called Union Point.
Faggots were then collected and piled around him, to which
he appeared quite indifferent. When the work was com-
pleted, he was asked what he had to say ? He then warned
all to take example by him, and asked the prayers of all
around ; he then called for a drink of water, which was
handed to him ;he drank it and said, ' Now set fire—l am
ready to go in peace!'
" The torches were lighted and placed in the pile, which
soon ignited. He watched unmoved the curling flame as it
grew, until it began to entwine itself around and feed upon
his body ; then he sent forth cries of agony painful to the
ear, begging some one to blow his brains out, at the same
time surging with almost superhuman strength, until the
staple with which the chain was fastened to the tree, not
being well secured, drew out, and he escaped from the burn-
ing pile. At that moment the sharp ring of several rifles
was heard—the body of the negro fell a corpse on the ground.
He was picked up by some two or three, and again thrown
into the fire and consumed—not a vestige remaining to show
that such a being ever existed."—American paper.