The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1864-06-02
a Horrible Murderer Punished
By 0vo years In the PemltentlaFy.
The President Reprimands the
Court for its Lenlency.
War Department,
Adiutapt Generals Office.

War Department, }
Adjutant Generals Office,
Washington, D. g., May 8. 1864
General Court Martial Oorders. No.
e8-l. Before Military Commission,
consisting Of Captain q. Thompson, leth
Michigan Volunteers Captain Owen
Griffith, 22d Wisconsin Volunteers ;
Capt. James Mutt, 9th Indiana Volun-
teers Captain B. Il. May 22d Wiscon
sin Volunteers First Lieutenant Geo
Bauman, 22d Wisconsin, Volunteers ;
and which convened st Murfreesboro'
Tennessee, September n, 1863. pursu.
ant to Special Orders No. 9, dated Post
Headquarters, Murfreesboro', Septem.
Der. .. 1868, was arraigned and tried
Robert Taylor, citizen.
Chdrys-"Murder."
Spec;fcation-"In this that he, the
said Robert Taylor, . citizen Of Coffee
county, in the State Of Tennessee, did
best . negro woman named "Retter"
in such manner that she died from the
effects Of the wounds thus inflicted.
This,.on or about the 3lst day Of Au
gust, 1863, at or near the residence Of
said Robert Taylor, about three miles
from the town Of Hillsboro, in Coffee
county, Tennessee"
To which charge and specification
the accused, Robert Taylor, citizen,
pleaded Not guilty"
FINDING.
The commission, having maturely
considered the evidence adduced, finds
The accused, Robert Taylor, citizen as
follows:
Ofthe speciication-"Guilty."
OF the charge-"Not guilty IS charg
ed, but guilty Of man slaughter"
SENTENCE.
And the Commission does therefore
sentence him, Robert TAYLOR, citizen,
ito be confined in the State Peniten-
,iarv for period Of five years"
II. The proceedings. findings sen
tence in the foregoing case having been
arprove,; By the Major General com.
manding the Department, and laid be.
fore the President of the United States
the following are his orders:
The testimony in the case, a. found
in the record, is brief and free from al
discrepancy Of contradiction. The
prisoner, it eeems, alleged that an
mount Of money had been stolen from
him-how much was not stated-but
there was not proof of any such theft
still less anything TO connect With il
the murdered woman, on whom his sns.
picions fell, Probably, however, from
apprehension ofpunishment, this WON
an, whom be claimed to own, made an
attempt TO run away, was pursued by
the prisoner and his neighbore, cap.
tured and brought back
The prisoner then procured . rope,
and addressing himself to the bystand
ers, asked if there vss any one present
who could tie 50 hanx-knot," when 1
man named Womack stepped forward
and tied it. The prisoner then adjust.
ed i. around the neck Of the woman.
and throwing it over the limb ofa tree
in the sight Of his own dwelling, where
his wife and daughters, the work Of
murder began
Finding that the woman protected
herself BY seizing the rope with her
hands, it was slackened and her hands
tied, and again she VAS drawn up, %
that her toes barely touched the ground
and in this position she vss aeld ~ the
prisoner until from sufocation and ex-
haustion her head. fell on one side,
Through the interposition Of the prison
er's wife and the bystanders, the rope
was then loosened, and an opportunity
given the woman to revive. While this
torture was going on, the prisoner de
clared his object to be to compel the
woman to confess the theft charged
upon her. but she stoutly denied any
knowledge fthe money alleged to have
been lost
She was nov taken by the prisoner
to his lanyard. distant two hundred or
two hundred and fifty yards, and Was
there stripped by him Of al her clothes
except her chemise.
In the language Of one Of the Wit
nesses, she vas then ''confned by cross.
ing her hands and tying them together
then putting them over her knees with
10 asiek thrust under. holding them ~
s##@& #