Washington sentinel., 1854-03-10

thing available to them, they forced his daughter
to join them, tearing her from beneath the roof
where her murdered father lay weltering in his
blood, and making her the victim of crimes too
horrible to be told. From the house of Mr..
Harrington they proceeded up Red river to the
mouth of the Cocodra, where was then living a
Mr. Todd, with his wife and child, who kept a
small store to supply raftsmen.
"At that time the two negroes were armed,
one with double-barrel gun and knife, and
the other with rifle and pistol. They de-
manded food and liquor, which he gave them.
After satisfying their appetites, they demanded
a free pass. He pretended to comply, and
wrote an account of what had transpired at his
house, stating his belief that they intended to
murder him. They did murder him by beat
ing out his brains. They then departed, TAX
ing with them his child, and his wife, whom
they made the victim of the same horrible
crimes to which they had devoted the innocent
young girl whom they had ruthlessly torn from
the home of a murdered father. Miss Herring
ton seemed to have lost her reason, but Mrs.
Todd it seems, was woman of great strength
of mind, and knowing that so soon as the muir
ders and abductions became known, the
neighbors would be ont in pursuit, she endea
vored to mark a trail for the pursuers, by leav
ing shreds of her dress on the bushes as they
passed, and making her little child walk in the
mud of the swamp at times, that its little track
might afford indubitabe proof of the course of
these savage hends and their unhappy victims.
"In week or ten days, while the party were
at halt, about three miles back of Union
point, which is on the Mississippi river, about
thirty.fve miles below Natchez, the two negro
men feel asleep, one of them with his head in
Mrs. Todd's lap. and the negro woman keeping
guard. Suddenly Mrs. Todd perceived the ap-
proach of the armed pursners. She, with admi-
rable presence of mind, motoned to them to be
cautious. They advanced silently, and when
she thought them sufficiently near, she sprang
up with shrek of deirious Joy, and rushed
towards them. The negroes sprung to their
feet; one was captured, the other escaped, sew
eral shots having been fred at him as he fed.
"The party were then taken to Union Point.
Many of the neighbors were collected. Miss
Harrington was maniac, but the mind OF Mrs.
Todd was clear and unclouded. She told her
story with remarkable clearness and consist
ency. 1t was enough to make men weep tears
of blood-a series of crimes black enough to
be execrated by devils. The people assembled
did not need long to deliberate. A summary
execution was resolved upon. The captured
negro was tied to tree. fagots were placed
around him, and Mrs. Todd herself set fire to
his funeral pile II aeas the one acho had mur-
dered her husband, and first outraged herself!
"About one week afterwards, the other negro
was captured and met similar fate. The ne
gro woman was not executed, Mrs. Todd stating
that she had saved the lives Of Miss Herring
ton and herself several times from these savage
fends.
"This is as accurate history of the trans
action as can be given at this lapse OF time
without reference to old files of newspapers,
which we have not been able to obtain. 1t is
drawn from the narrative of several old citi-
zens of that neighborhood, and in part from a
gentleman who witnessed the execution, and
heard Mrs. Todds tragic and heart-rending
story.
".Both the negroes made full confession of
their horrible crimes. They confessed further,
that they had lurked around the plantation Of
another planter of the neighborhood, for the
purpose Of numbering him also, and of obtain
ng'possession of his wife. We have seen and
conversed with highly respectable and intel
ligent planter of the neighborhood, who wit
messed the execution of the second negro, and
was opposed to it, thinking it best that the law
should take its course. He conversed with the
negro from whom he heard full confession.
The same gentleman also informs us that the
negroes assembled were far more anxious for
the execution than the whites, and that it was
with difficulty, after they heard of the crimes
he had committed, that they could be restrain
ed from tearing him to pieces; that he him
self addressed them to prevent them from
taking vengence themselves on the unhuman
fend."
The monsters described in the foregoing ex-
tract from the Free Trader are the prosecuted
saints over whose sad fate the Tribune and its
righteous allies shed their tears. That they
deserved the punishment they received, no
right-minded man can deny. It is not because
they were negroes we say this. Far from it.
Had they been white men, they would have
merited greater torments.
We are not accustomed to deal with such
subjects in our columns. They are disagreea-
bic subjects; but the present condition of
affairs renders it proper that such gross frauds
and falsehoods as those to which the Tribune
and its kindred journals have given currency
should be exposed. We might say much more,
but we forbear.
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