The native American., 1838-08-18
A VINDICATION OF THE WHITAKER
FAMILY;
BEING REPLY TO THE HEARTLEss ATTACKS UPON
IT'S REPUTATION WHICH APPEARED IN THE
NEW YORK PAPERS, SEPT, 1886:
BY WARREN C. WHITAKER.
70 ny FelIo 10 Citizens:


from which it was copied into the Courier and
Enquirer, American, and Daily Advertiser, all of
which are newspapers published in the city of
New York Many of the other presses of the
country have also transferred to their columns
this unfeeling production, and 1 now place it be.
fore the reader with an appeal to JUSTICE and to
TRUTH for refutaton of the calumnies and SLAM
ders with which it abounds.
.THE WH1rAKERs-The tragedy which happened
last spring in New Orleans is probably fresh the minds
of our readers but the particulars attendant on it, which
we give below have never been published probably for
the substantial reason that the lives Of the editors of that
city, had they published them might have been the for
The Whitaker family noted despera1oes, reside at
considerable distance from New Orleans the Mssissp
nj and are the terror of that part of the country Young
Whitaker the convict and suicide, is said to have been
obnoxious to the of his brothers, account of
his timdity, although he had committed at least one
murder previous to that of which he had been convicted
The latter perpetrated in bar roo on the person
of the keeper because lie did not wait him quick
enough. Whitaker drew his knife and stabbed him to
the heart.
"He was arrested tried, convicted and sentenced to
DEATH The family, consisting of the father. mother two
brothers and sister, repaired to New Orleans with the
determination of etfecng his rescue or putting him to
death with their own hands. Our informant states that
the eldest brother told him that he had paid the keeper of
the prison $4,000 to be instrumental in his liberation 1t
is true that he sawed off the bars of his prison window
and was in the act OF running off, when he was retaken
and carried back to JAIL where he more closely
fined than before The day of execution drawing near
and little chance being left that he would gain his free
dom. his family determined that the gbbet should lose
its victim They therefore turnsed him with laudanum
which was either not taken by him, failed III its in
tended effect. He afterwards visited by one Of the
family who put into his hands knife of peculiar
strucon "a pattern of which we have seen) such
carried by the assassins of that portion of the country with
an Injunction to use HIMSELF and the whole family
have been seen on their kness at prayers, invoking God
that he might not die coward!
"A short time previous to the day which he was
rdered to be hanged he made two attempts his left
breast with the instrument given him, but his courage
failed He was goaded to- the fatal deed by his brother
and he plunged it between his RIBS seven inches in depth
perforang his heart This knif covered with his blood
is now held by his father as trophy OF honor. lhe
body was delivered up to the family taken home and
buried with military honors -
they have sworn that the governor who refused pardon
him the ailor who confned and the judge who senten-
ced him shall die by their hands, and even the sister de-
cIares that these deeds delayed she viii tram
little bows for the purpose of putting them to DEATH This
endish woman had armed herself Tor the purpose OF as
sassinatng her brother the way to execution had he
failed himself to perform the deed :, ;,
ssBut the whole of the story is not told lhe family
Immediately on hearing the death OF the young man. EN-
poyed gentleman of this city to take cast OF his lace
in cement and procure bust to be made from IT, lhe
cast was taken while The body was yet warm ana young
man who accompanied him, executed the bust, which
was considered an admirable likeness for which they
agreed to pay him hundred and Ten dollars. er re
peated applications for the money, Whcn was not pad
the family having returned home, he left the city, repaired
to their residence and demanded the amount promised
him The elder brother bade him be Oft, or he would
kill him. and drew his knife but his purpose was prevent
ed by the inteposition of his mother The young man
mounted his horse, and returning TO New Orleans,
hut was Intercepted next evening the road b TWO OF
the Whtakers, painted and disguised They first in
suited him by asking him who ne was, whence ne came
&c: but he knowing their object drew pistol and shot
one of them dead the spot He fled, soon alter aban,
doned his horse and took the woods where he secreted
himself during the day and travelled by night An hour
after his arrival at New Orleans, he had been preceded
by the remaining Whitaker and another person. who in
ouired for him at his lodgings His landlord kindly in
formed him of the fact and placed him on board ship
bound to Mobile, at which place he arrived in Safety.
That intelligent men could for moment have
listened to a story like this, and from such
slight authority, is certainly surprising; but that
editors of respectable newspapers, IN the en-
lightened city of New York, should deliberately
sit down, and pen such an article, from such
source, is to me matter of grief and indignation
as well as wonder. Unless to pander to the NOR
bid and vitiated appetites of their readers, or to
draw such horrible pictures of the state OF society
at the South, in order to foster and keep alive
those sectional preludices and dislikes which now
almost rend the country asunder, | can see no
cause for this outrage upon the feelings of g
WrOnOeu anu SuHcllllS "iooo Soiio' -
already as much, nay, more than they can bear
Ic the conductors of the northern press desire
n;ouant and exciting dishes for their columns
thew NAV surely find food enough upon their oac'
coil to feed their readers to safety; and that too
without resort to FICTION. If southern reckless.
,oss and outrage be their theme, let them at leas
..ornn their stories upon facts, and, in the name
as cd hermit an inoffensve and heart-broken
family to weep over their griefs in peace and
quietness. .run, Lnou,edoe of this
ties in the narrative Of the "gentleman'' who was
employed in making the bust; and trllilng g at a.
tention to the accounts published IN ule I've"
~",aons naners Of the arrest trial and death o
NV brother, Washington A. Whitaker, exaggera
ted as some of them were, would expose many
of the cruel ,fasehoods in the romantic story VIII
,,,b;ch that narrative is preceded. Unfortunately
however, the cagerncss Of editors is not to b'