American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1863-12-23

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overtakvu in smaN swamp, having eluded
the track of his enjaged and heartess pur-
suers for six 2avs.F Most of the time he
was obliged to go without food not daring
to show himself even to the slaves. Com
pletely exhausted, with his coarse gar
ments hanging in shreds, he sought ref
uge in the branches of large tree, but the
bloodhounds sented his track-until one
of them, bowling at the foot of the tree, at
traeted the attention of the man hunters.
Their discovery was signalled by the ut
terance of the most horrible oaths. shout
ing for the unfortunate man to come down
out of the tree. He was in the act of do
ing so, but begged most piteously for the
inhuman wretches to call off their savage
hounds, who floeked around the tree anx-
ious to satisfy their bloody appetite His
request was answered by another oath, fol-
lowed by the whistling of bullet, which
lodged in his thigh, bringing him to the
ground, where he was set upon by the
hounds, and his face terribly lacerated-
His captors desired to return with him
alive to the planters in the vicinity of
Vicksburg, who had so generously offered
a large reward for his capture-and it was
this circumstance alone saved him from
being entirely torn to pieces by the blood
hounds.
With exultant shouts and fearful i'm
precautions upon their lips, they placed the
half-lifeless and bleeding body upon a
horse, and, supported by enc of the "hun-
ters, the brutal party started on their way
back with their victim. After riding a
few miles, they alighted at the house of a
'bushwhackdf:' Here they remained an
hour or two, imbibing freely of that gun
powder stimulant known as " louisiana
whiskey." Excited almost to frenzy, they
galloped some four or five miles; till they
reached small bayou, where they halted
to water their horses. The wrath of Hea-
ven had manifested itself during that
death -gallop, and righteous God inter
posed, and with His silent and mysterious
power He summoned the agonized soul to
the bar ofjudgment, snatchng it from the
clutches Of these demons while they were
gloating over the fendish tortures in store
for their innocent and helpless victim
While in the act of adjusting a portion of
his harness, the "hunter" holding the
bleeding captive discovered that the vital
spark had fled. They were greatly enrag-
ed to think that they were obliged to car
ry an inanima.e piece of flesh. The body
was carried in this way to jackson, where
its arrival was welcomed bya brutal crowd,
who complimented the "hunters' upon
their success, and heaped the yilest anath-
emas up)n the remains, that, bleeding,
torn, and disfgured, lay before them
One of the planters, who had lost several
negroes since the Emancipation Procama-
ton, called all his slaves together, and
compelled them to witness the burial of
the murdered man in a ditch adjoining his
plantation.
"PooR PETER
is the name of the negro whose lacerated
back, as presented in the original photo
graph, has excited both the sympathy and
indignation of every humanitarian that has
seen it, Here is his own statement taken
from his lips April2, 1868, at Baton Rouge,
La. just after he had entered the Provost
Marshal's office. 1t may be we'll to state
that Peter" could speak but little Eng
lish, and that in broken accents. The
majority of the negroes of louisiana are
owned by Frenchmen or those of French
descent, and nearly all speak French in
deed, thousands were to be found along
our line of march who could not under
stand word of English.
Being interrogated in French, '.Poor
Peter" who stood before us the picture of
poverty, shrouded in ragsof every imagin-
able color, began his doleful story. Ten
days from to-day | left the plantation, run
away from massa.' What made you run
away, Peter; was your master ugly-did
he whip you? 2 With peculiar shrug of
his shoulders, and raising his eyes towards
the ceiling he shouted, Lor Cor Almighty
Nasal look here'-and suiting the action
to the word, he pulled down the pile of
dirty rags that half concealed his back
and which was once a shirt, and exhibit
ed his mutilated sable form to the crowd
of officers and others present in the office.
1t sent thrill of horror to every white
person present, but the few Blacks who
were waiting for passes, both men, women
and children, paid but little attention to
the sad spectacle, such terrible scenes be-
ing painfully familiar to them ALL who
whipped you, Peter?' 'Overseer Artayon
Carrier whipped mel don't remember
the whipping. | was two months in bed,
sore from the whipping and salt brine,
which Oyerscer put o my back. By and
by my senses began to come-they said l
was sort of crazy, and tried to shoot every
body. did notknow it--I did not know
that | had attempted to shoot any one
they told me so. / burned up all my
clothes, but don't remember that. Inev-
er was this way (crazy) before. don't
know what make me come that way (crazy).
My master came after was whipped-saw
me in bed. He discharged the overseer
They told me | attempted to shootmy wife
first one. / did not shoot any one. Ibid
not harm any one My wife tellme no do
these things when come away. She tho't
was dead with whipping. My masters
name is Captain John Lyon, cotton plant
er, on Atchafalaya River, near Washing