The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-09
From the Wythsriiie Republican.
The Tragedy In GraySOn.

We have alluded to the servie instruction
in Grayson and given what Information we then
had to the public. We now make more full
account of the fight and the result.
Four negro men, the property Of John Riyes
and David Cox, two citizens of that county, Sc
duced by the advice of the notorious and infa-
nous abolition emissary, Bacon, who has been
providing about through that county and Rus
sci in this State, and in Ashe and other coun-
ties in North Carolina, on the Virginia border
runaway from their masters, intending no doubt
to make for Ohio, or some other lawless and
forsw orn State of the confederacy, there to be
harbored and worked, and worked and harbored
occasion might allow or require. They took
the course of New river, intending as is believed,
10 pursue that river to its mouth, there to meet
2se coliedgues-hypocrite and william, of Bacon,
Crooks and Mcbride. 1t turned out, however,
that as they travelled, and yet in Grayson CO.,
eight or ten miles from Wythe line, they were
fallen in with by five or six white men of Gray
son, who undertook to stop and arrest them.
The negroes were armed with knives, spears,
and with OF or two weapons made of broken
English scythes. The white men had one or
two guns. We are rot prepared to give the par
ticulars of the combat. The negroes assaied the
whites, and the scythes We're used with terrible
effect Samuel Bartlett was struck in the forehead
and his head split open, cutting into the brainan
inch or two the whole length of the head he
lived about eight hours. Alfred Bartlett, his
brother, who had gun, and who had fired it.
Qoolishly) merely to wound, in attempting to
relieve his brother, had his left wrist and hand
badly cut, and almost severed from the arm
\ et after this, he knocked two of the negroes
down and lett them for dead One Of the me-
groes thus knocked down, had stabbed Mr..
Wilcox, whom he had under him on the ground
through the neck, and was in the act Of inflict-
ing more deadly wound when thus prevented
by the wonpded Bartlett Mr.. John Clemmcnts
was struck by one of the negroes, who used a
scythe across his head, and his skull was coven
from temple to temple, the brain cut in upon the
whole way from one to two inches, and vet there
are hopes of his recovery. Mr.. w. B Hale was
severely injured with rocks thrown by the ne.
grocs Notwithstanding the terrible wounds in
tiicted upon the white men, two of the negroes
were secured, the other two (both believed to
be wounded with gun shots,) made their escape,
and so far as we know are yet out, though holly
pursued. The two taken are in the Grayson
Jail, and will be tried for their lives for insur-
rection and murde-
We call this an insurreciicn--it is in a small
way. This field of operation Of the emissary
Dacoii, mas out &c siaNts--Out tlis only Tore
shadows the result when these infamous men
and their God-forsaken allies, political and IA
matte, shall have dissatisfied and contaminated
masses of slaves in large slave districts. Let
them, when caught, be hung without trial. We
learn that Bacon was in Grayson at the time of
the conflict; that few days since large meet
ing of excited citizens--for all Grayson is ex
cited to the utmost-apponted committee to
notify the miscreant to leave in "a hours which
notice was given and obeyed, and we hear he
started for Russell in this State. Will the peo-
pie of Russell permit the murderer and ncen-
diary to shelter among them! They should not
Let him be hunted from Virginia's border His
touch is desecration. His vocation murder and
rape
Simon, one of the above mentioned negroes,
was arrested on Thursday night last, by Mr..
Joseph Lambert, on his premises, about / miles
west of this place, on the main stage road, and
is now lodged in our Jail.