, 1866-12-21
DIABOLlCAl PLOT TO MURDER.
The Villains Folled-Four OF the Party
ArFeA9ed-The Crime C0nfesscd.
lEtnf3 The Mohila Adwatfianx

From the Mobile Advertiser, December III
One u the mo-t vlila!nous and col1-bloutcd
plots ever cnneoctcd to take the life of hu.
man being for paltry sum OF money, Was
attempted on last Thursday night. The par
ticulars. Tor which VIC are indebted to Officers
Shelton aud BtussIpghun, who arrested the
parties, nrc as follows:
"A short time ago planter named William
linmmuut came to this city from Mississippi,
and purchased place back Of Morgan's 50.
loon, on the OLD dirt road, for the purpose VI
tnblrkiDg in the butebesing business. Pre-
vlous 10 his taking Possession, he fell In With
"" 1nen married Joseph Mu>on aud J. E.
Moore, from VleksbuE$. who boarded at the
lloymeDt, ME. Hammond hired them to
help him clean up his new place. In the
eourse Of, their conversation, during
Inc iew day. they were at work, they
lreueht thirty bales Of cotton with him,
Which lie sold upon bis arrival hero. but had
mol drawn the money on 1t. The house be-
ing IN Readiness for occupation on THURSDAY
last, Mr. Hammond drew 800, aud acnt 1t to
rs wife III Mississippi. to enable her 10 join
The two men being appriscd of this act,
were led to believe that he tad drawn ali
the money due on the COTTON, and entered
into the plot with two negro men to rob and
murder him on that Thursday night.
II appears that the negroes came to this
city IN company With the two white men
from vlckebntg, and were on hand for the
nrst Job that presented Itself. But It seems
thai they wanted man that was acquainted
with the city and its avenues IF escape. To
man, who made them believe that he would
Join them On the road down. Al midnight
on Thursday last. the four men left the city
In hack driven BY Alfred King, q negro
wtll-known In the city, who was no doubt in
they NtfC E0{nEr.
The nth and last purity TO the plot did not
!nlhl DIS encaCemcnt. as he had promised,
but luis did not seem to excite their suspI.
cion, for they drove direct to the house,
which they hurela1ionsly entered. expecting
to Ind their victim and The money paid him
on the thirty bales Of cotton. But, through
the divine interposition OF Providence, Mr.
Hammond was detained in the city over
night. and the would-be murdcrcrs were
thwarted In their bloody design.
The leading spirit in the plot was Mason,
who had bis face BACKED and disguised as q
negro. Moore proposed him, upon find
ing their Eamc lost. TO defer further opera
hons unt!l the next night, but he insisted
vas Joined in the work By the rest or the
party Il does not appear that the hack
driver took any part In the robbery.
The young man who was to have met them
on the road, carried his information Of the
plot direct to Officers Shelton and Drussing-
ham, who at once set out to arrest the par
ties. They first got the negro hack driver,
and on Monday they arrested Joseph Mason,
alias J. E. Moore, John Moore, and one OF the
negroes psmed Allen Williams. The other
negro has not been found up to this time.
Since their confinement IN prison, Moore and
the negro hare confessed the plot, and re-
lated all the particulars Of It to the officers.
They state that ali Of them came from vlcks-
burg to this city, and have operated to-
gethtE.- They no doubt have committed
other crimes, and arc sailing under assumed
names.