The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-11-25
AN ABOLITION CONSPIRACY IN
NORTHERN TEXAS -H.s.

( estTc cF sH
81. The aathorties of Texas are making an official
investigates OF o secret Abolition organization
recent ~ detected in the Northern part of that
'Stsse. NE see from some pnbiicstons or the Off
eal testimony OF the existence and operations Of
this conspiracy that there was really very serious
cause of alarm. e>sa-iA ta aalfag'a adi ri
The organization appears to be one Of recent
date. 1t parports to have been started in the
North, and to embrace numbers of the Northern
army iu its fold. 1t also purpors to extend to at
least several companies OF the organized militia of
Northern Iexas. Z ne bulk otits membership In
/. Texas is in Cook, Wise. Denton, Grayson, etc.,
counties. 1t also reaches down to Austin. Its
first pretended object is to resist conscription
Its Chief object is to keep up spy system for the
Northern army. 1t has grip sign and pass
word In case member divulges, he is to be
hunted to the ends Of the earth. In case of a
draft OF the militia to meet Northern invasion,
the members are to 90 along and desert when the
battle comes The testimony elected also
points to an invasion of Texas from Kansas. 1t
refers moreover to concurrent invasion by way
of Galveston, and that both armies are to meet in
Austin. ass..o.
The organization has been found to extend to
all classes OF the community clergymen, profes-
slonal men, farmers, &c. The whole substance
and machinery Of the conspiracy has been dis
covered. jury Of twelve good men are empan-
nelled in each county, and the guilty parties are
brought before it and the evidence taken. Sew
eral OF the guilty, have, after Condemnation, made
full confession, aud while under the gallows de-
cared that they deserved death. In GAINESVILLE
twenty-five have been hung. Trials are now going
on IN all the counties. The testimony goes to
show that most Of the initiated have joined the
society since the 9th of September >
The Marshall Republican, November 1st, says:
A week or two ago, we gave brief account of
the troubles In Cook county, growing olt of the
discovery of reasonable plot to surrender that
portion of the State to Federal authority. Cook
county is a border county, contiguous to the In
dian territory and is thinly inhabited, O great
portion Of the settlers being originally from Ohio
and Indiana. 1t seems there was secret organi-
zation formed, having signs, grips and passwords
he members were sworn to secrecy and those
found worthy were entrusted with three degrees,
The first degree bound the member TO secrecy and
to avenge brother members blood. The second
degree was confined to robbing, jayhawking, &c.
The third contemplated the establishment of the
Old Union: BY some means the whole plot was
discovered, and created intense excitement
About seventy men were arrested, the most of
them, we understand, low characters, with here
and there of limited influence. About
twenty-four of these were tried and executed,
when the community was freshly excited by the
intelligence that the son Of the hotel keeper at
GAINESVILLE, (whose name we do not recollect,) had
been waylad and assassinated several miles from
town. Colonel William c. Young and several
others went out to get the body, but had not
reached the spot, when some one in ambush shot
Young through the head, killing him instantly.
Such was the exasperation caused by these assas-
sinations that the community hung several others
The number executed in Cook county, at last ac
counts reached ~, and two others were shot in
attempting to make their escape. The extent Of
the plot was not known but was not supposed to
be very extensive. How could it be, when there
probably not thousand Union men (if so
many in the State? 1t was traced, however, to
Grayson county; some few arrests had been made
at Sherman, and one man was condemned to be
hung Others, it was expected, would be summa-
rily dealt with Altogether it is a strange affair;
that a body of men, not numbering two hundred,
should concert plan of this kind, inviting inva-
sion, when they were not living in a country
which an invading foe would be likely to run the
hazard of entering, and when they must have
known that the discovery Of their plans would be
visited with condign punishment. We must infer
that thievng and robbing at the bottom of
the affair
Since writing the foregoing it is rumored that
several persons have been hung in Grayson couE-
ty, and among them Dr. Lively