New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-03-11
THE NEGRO-BURNMG NEAR XATCHEz


The NtJf. Fire Traler which at FIRST denied that4here
WA ANY foundation Whatever for the story Ct the burning
Of negro lear Matches gives the particulars a. length
NOT from he own impression OF June &C. 1912 where, II az
are not msnformed first published, bat from tho
recoeotons OF persons in the vicinity who were aware OF
the circumstances at the time Its present statement az
folaWs
ain orr issue Of the 18Th inst pronounced the story
senertire fabrication and il is essentially. II prOfesses
to relate recent occurrence pretending - quote The ian
puaCe If Tile FTes IrGGe and altogether presents pc
tnTe Of horror such as has before been witnessed
The circumstance on which the fiction is doubtless
founded occurred from the best information we can gel
in the sumner or fall Of ls-l
Two mn away slaves in the Parish of Avoysllas Loa
isiara had for some time euded capture, ard had me
terror TO tie whites Of that thiniy setued res'n !Ss
FIST crime Of magnitude which they committed was .ie
murder of an old mar named Harrington who Wa vIns
on Red River nea the Mississippi, with his oaIy dang
Ter Young woman who assted hin b, her lsbot IN oo
tanning g meoger support. The negroes had previously
forced ~ gro woman belonging 70 neghDorAs pih'sr
10 Join htrn. After mur5eIing.Mr herrngion ahd roo
hing liz house Of everything available 10 men they
fore bis daughter JOIN them tearing her fro beneath
the roof whore her murdered father lay welteng IN hs
blood making her the victim of crimes too horrible 70
he told From the house Of Mr. Herogton they proceed
I'd no Red River the mouth of The cpda, where was
tho yir Ar Todd, with bis wife and child who Kept
email store to supply r,meD. AT that time the two ne
groes were aimed-oDe with double barrel gun ald
knife and the other with a rife and pistol. lhey dc
manced food and liquor which he gave them Amer si
Pretended to comply, and wrote an accoan. 81 whst ma
tansp I'd bis house, stating his belief that they intend
ed to murder him. hey did murder him BY beating out
his brains Tley then departed, taking with them his
child snd his wife, whom they made the Vctim oi t'e
the horrible crimes 70 which they bad devoted the
HOcen Young girl whom they hGd unlessy Torn iTO
the Lt ne Of murdered father Miss eriugton seemed
TO lave lost her reason but Mrs Todd, seems was Wo
man Of gre tren tn of mind and knowing that So soon
as the murders AID abduc;ons became known the neigh
bors would Be cut in pursuit she underworld TO marx
trail for the pursuers by leaving hrds Of her des. on
the bushes they passed and making her nttie Gnd
walk in tie mud Of the swamp at times that ITS Iiue
track might afford ndubthe proof OF the course OF these
savage fends and their unhappy victims.
In week ten days, while the party we're at halt
about three mites back Of Union Point, which Is on the
Mississippi River about thirty five miles below Naehez
the two negro fell asleep of them with MS mead
sudde1y Mrs Todd perceived the approach of the armed
ruruers She with admit able presence of mind mOtOned
10 them to be cautious. They advanced silently and
when she though them sufficiently near she spang up
wi Shrek Of delirious JOY and rushed toward them
The Iegroes sprang their feetOno was cap;uet-the
other escaped several shots having been fired at him as
he fed.
The party were tlen taken to Union Point. Many OF
the neichbors were collected. Miss Harrington was
maniac but tie mind of Mrs. Todd clear and un
clouGed She told her story with remarkable clearne-s
and consistency TWAS enough TO make men weep teaTs
Of boOda of crimes black enough to be execraed
by devils The people assembled did not need long 10 DC
Iherate. summary execution resolved upon. The
captured negro ted to tree -fagos were placed
around lim-ard Mrs Tocd herself SGT fire to his funeral
trsf outraged krscf
About one week Gfterwcrd the other negro was cap
tured ard net similar fate. The negro woman was not
executed Mrs Todd stating that she had saved the lives
of Miss Harrington and hersefsevera times from the say
age finds.
be given is lapse of time without ref renee to old files
Of newspapers. which have not been able to obtain
II drawn from the narrative of several old citizens o!
that neighborbOod, and in part from gentleman who wit
messed tie execution and heard Mrs Todd tragic and
heart TeIdng story.
bic crimes They confessed further that they had lurked
around the plantation Of another planter Of the neghbr
hood for the purpose of numbering him also snd OF ob
tanning possession Of his wife. We have seen and con
veIstd with highly respectable and intelligent planter ct
the IoghboIhood who witnessed the execution OF the
second negro and opposed TO T. thinking best that
the law should take its course. He convered with the
negro from whom he heard full confession The same
gentle man also informs that the negroes assembled
were far more anxious for the execution than the whites,
and that II was with difficulty after they heard OF the
crimes he had committed that they could be restrained
from tearing him TO pieces that he himself addressed
them 10 prevent them from taking vengeance themselves
on the inhuman her-1.
The region in which these criminal. committed their
borrd crimes them and is now, to great extent,
thply peoped region of gloomy and almost impossible
swamls. ~
"Ihe circumstances we have detailed undoubtedly
the basis Of the late foul abolition calumny The yany
Of that calumny consists in s pretending TO relate recent
ocourrence-in its assigning the reason for the burn
ling a slave alive that he merely raised h- hand
against white man., and in the fan ifu details of hor
nth which tle scene Is phIurtu Inc VI 'ul
thous and slaves being assembled. aud addresses from
magistrates ministers &c is totally false Not more than
thirty slaves at the utmost could have been present.
Had the perpetrators of these awful crimes for which
they terribly aOnod been white instead of negroes,
they would have met the fate is probable hai
the story would have been revived at this late day orhai
the phianfroysfs of the North would have found time
for The expression Of sympathy the outpourng OF ndg
nation II is only for negro slaves who crowded into
short space time series of crimes too black to be gwen
in all their horrid details that the eboOn has heart
10 mourn. He docs not think Of the two households
dtsCsted-of old the brink Of the grave, living
| in quiet secluson with only and beloved daughter
murdered in cold b0odof honest trader brutalY a
sassinaied after he had administered to the wants Of ne
murdert sof an innocent young ell and vruOus wife
doomed 10 fate hitch makes the heart shudjer. All
these things forgotten by the negrophist in his saw
/ sge sympathy for tie STARE
III there ever in which summary execution
was unsuitable from the character OF the crimes committed
the absolute certainty Of their commission, and the nece
city Of terrible example, this was one. None ever &c
CURED appe ang powerfully 10 every noble feeling
10 every generous sympathy mans high Of in
e1orsble justice. They Iershedperished terribly but
iusly-Ind they who read tie story will acknowledge in
their hearts perfect harmony between he they
} rerIetIated sDd the fate they met.
LYNCH Law IN WISCONSIN
From The Madison vs. A-.u.
Our readers viii remember the OF Carter arrested