Washington telegraph., 1851-03-26
rJorrih,e Tragedy In Mississippi.

We copy the following account Of one
of the most dreadful tragedies it has ever
been our lot 20 recosc, from the Paulding
Jasper county, Miss} Clarion Of the Isl
inst. ~
Since the time when the midnight
murder of Dr. Longgon and family sent
a thrill of. horror through this community,
no event has created deeper sorrow and
more pervading Indignation than the as
sassiE alton. on Tuesday last, of Mrs. Mary
Dixon, wife of John Dixon, and her-in-
FAINT child, at her residence in the neighbor-
hood of VIM. Bridges, Esq. by Haley,
a negro man belonging to Mr.. Zacharlah
Thompson. Having been summoned OH
the coroners jury, we went IN person to
the scene of the horrible tragedy, saw
the mutilated body of the mutilated wo-
man, the severed throat of her infant.
and witnessed, without regret, the sum-
mary and terrible, but still inadequate ex-
pia4ion of his triple and atrocious c:ime
by the monster. The revolving facts are
briefly these: ga Ls.9.qmce
On Tuesday morning. Mr.. Dixon, nn-
conscious of the awful doom impending
over his family. started from home in
quest of cattle His little son, an artless
child a few months over two years old,
started fondly after him, pursuing him
some distance, unnoticed by tae father
and unobserved by the mother. Mrs.
Dixon soon missed the boy, went after
him, and called to him to return. She
was then approached by the brutal villain
Haley, who at once offered such :ndig-
mites as the virtue and pride of civilized
women resents and resists even at the
peril of life. She repelled the advances
of the bestial monster, yielding neither
to threats nor disgusting opportunities.
VIXEN he felled her to ihe earth. An out
rage too abhorrent to mention-an out
rage that stirs ~ indispensable indigna-
ton every manly and sympathetic feeling
in the human breist-was then perpetrat-
ed on the person of his victim by the
incarnate demon. Reft in moment of
her most preciou, jewel-forcibly despoil-
ed of her purityby the UIItat1 stare Of
her oacn father-.he wretehed lady doubt
less felt that everything valued in This
world was lost but she was not ready
for eternity. Sie asked, at,the hands OF
the fiend, life-ife. that she might pre-
pare for her solitary remaining hope-a
refuge for her ctushed spirit i'll Heaven.
But the rufiian needed her not; he spurn-
ed the prayer Of the wife injured beyond
reparation, andbeat her OH the head with
pine bs, and sta bbed her until she died.
Bruised, manged, and defled, lay the
corpse of thus lady, whom a husband had
greeted gladly and unsuspecungly few
hours before, presenting a spectacle too
hideous, too replete with horrible memo.
ries, for an uuarerted eye. The infan,
was found about 30 steps from the mother,
lis throat cut twice, with long, deep
gashes. 1t is probable the little child
was the last victim; that it witnessed the
unnatural pollution of its mother-heard
her piteous shrieks-her suppIicaIions TO
heaven and an absent husband for aid
and that The last aspiration Of her unut-
terabe agony fell appallingly upon his
| infant ear, before the cold knife of the
monster assassin passed over the throat
OF the innocent creature, and winged its
guleless spiritto an avenging God. And
why was horror thus piled on horror. till
| the heart sickened and the sense refused
credence to So revolving a reality! That
the bestial lust OF the negro might be
sated. a-l .U
The attendance of the Coroner was
procured on Wednes day. and the jury,
after patient investigation, returned Tie
following verdict: .I.
The said Jurors do upon their oaths
say that the said Mary Dixon came to
her death from blows inflicted by a GER
tain negro man slave named Haley. the
property of Zachariah Thompson. OF
Jasper county; that is to say. he! skull
was fractured and also her lower jaw
and cheek bone on the left side --her
neck was dislecated, and also her left
shouider-the litte finger was broken Oh
the right hand-her left ear was badly
mutilated-she had also three cuts ON her
neck. supposed 10 be inflicted by a knife,
one of them entering into the wind pipe,
another the jugular vein, and the other
a small cut on the left side Of the neck.
A large cut was also Oh the lower part
Of the breast bone. A cut was also on
her left arm, and some scratches and
marks of violence OH the right thigh.
which Indicated the purpose of the said
slave Haley. The said Zachariah Dixon
came to his death, as follows: by two
wounds inflicted by knife, one entering
the wind pipe, the other the carotid ar
terry on the left side, which wounds were
inflicted by the said slave Haley.
In witness whereof, the Coroner, as
we'll as the Jurors aforesaid have hereun-
to set their hands and affixed their seals
this 9th day of February. A. d. 1851.
When Haley was arrested. his clothes
were stained with blood and the wretch
attempted aud did throw away his knife.
After being severely whipped, he made