The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-24
MORALITY IN KENTUCKY.
An Admirable Place for Local Edi-
tors.
Murders, Lynching, Seduction, etc.


The Courier Of yesterday says:
man named Stephen H0,conbe was ar
rested and committed 10 Jail Yesterday
morning, by officers Jones and Fe5tig.
charged with shooting and wouudiug Mar
TN MOlder. We learn that Mol9cr mad for
some time past been paying his attentions
10 sister OF HOlcOmbe's under pretense Of
wishing 70 marry her, and had accomplish
ca ms purpose BY the ruin Of the girl. Her
condition al last becoming perceptible, her
brother, Stephen Holcom5e, determined 10
aYenge himself on the seducer unless he
made the only honorable reparatiOu N his
power by marrying the girl. For this pur-
pose he armed himself, and proceeded to
the mouth Of the canal yesterday morning,
where he expected % find MOlder. Calling
him one side, he demanded from him the
satisfaction be desired. MOIder, making
light Of the affair, and making Jest Of the
ruin he had COIapasssd, HOlcymbe drew
derriuger and fired at him, the ball taking
effect Ia his neck, severiug one of the arte-
rlc5. lie fell, and was carried into house
close by. DR.. W8llIng was sent for the
hemOrghagc staunched, and the patient pug
in comfortable condition. His life is,
however, in q very doubtful situation. HOl-
COmbe was at once arrested, as above stated.
In another column the Courier has the
following:
On Saturday last, a negro boy about eigh-
teen years Of age, formerly the property Of
Mrs. COnycrs, attempted to commit an out
rage on the person OF "a Miss Guine, a very
respectable young lady, daughter Of sab
stautal farmer living IN Dawes county,
near MasOnville, and about eight miles back
Of greensboro. Miss GuIne was fortunate
l. g.. = IA & IL.
beasLy rutiau and effect her escape with
out his being able 20 effect his purpose. Her
father being informed Of the attempted out
rage, puraued the negro, and, oVertaking
him on a ncighboriug farm, beat him Sc
Verely. Returning TO his house for his wes-
pOns the negro escaped, but was subse-
quently captured aud taken to greensboro
and Imprisoned.
On Monday morning the negro was
brought before the City Court, j. Z. Wash
burue, Judge, and the evidence COnclusively
established his guilt, which he also freely
confessed. The Judge committed him for
further trial, and as he was being returned
TO the Jail he was seized by Mr.. Guine and
several others, a rope put around his neck,
and he was promptly swung TO an adjacent
tree. The whole thing vas done without
any excitement or confusion, but few of the
i
gro was dead.
Such occurrences are becoming entirely
too frequent in this State, and they must be
promptly stopped. There is no excuse for
mob law. The law is all sufficient for the
punishment Of crime, and to IL all must sub
init. The people of Kentucky, who are
Jealous of their reputation, must put a
prompt quietus TO this alarming and grow
ing evil.
The journal. of yesterday says:
For two or three days past, our efficient
city detective officer, b. I. BHgh, and Capt.
Gilmore, Chief, have been fereting out a
shameful robbery and attempted murder
perpetrated in Nelson county on Wcdnes-
day night, the 4th inst. The authors Of
this outrage were Thomas Nickcrs, alias
Texas, John Rhodes and John Seward-all
notorious for their guerrilla operations in
this State during and since the war. The
latter two, as our readers have been in
formed, were arrested as the supposed muir
dereTs of the Rev. Thomas !. Fisher, and
have been in custody here ever since. The
arrest was made by Capt. Gilmore and Mr..
Bhgh, at MiddlcOurg, in Nelson county.
Rhodes had been cXculpated from partici-
patton in the murder and retained as
witness Tor the Commonwealth in the case
of Seward, whose preliminary trial IS fixed
for tomorrow. NICker5, or Texas, will be
remembered as one Of the Oue-armed Berry
gang, and was captured and confined in the
military prison IN this city for about SIX
months, when he managed to escape, and
has been a. liberty since that time. 1t was
up1u the information OF this man that the
arrest of Rhodes and Seward was effected.
lie accompanied the officer to Louisville as
d witness against his former boon compan-
..f ,rT1Y7 fal 70 rar8
yesterday by officer Bigh and Capt. Gil
more.
ON the night above stated, these cowardly
scamps went 10 the house of an old negro
man named Stephen Scott, near Nelson
Furnace, six miles from Lebanon Junction.
They broke in and after beating the in
mates three negro boarders and old Uncle
Sterheul i'm q most uumercItul manner,
robbed tuem OF all their money, and pilaged
the house and premises Of everything yalu-
able One of the darkey boardeIs, who IN
fortunately had no money, was hung TO q
tree. the object Of the rutiaus being 10 eX-
tort from HIM the hiding place Of his treas
urc. Through the interference Of Texas,
we are told, the negro was lowered TO the
ground barely IN time to save his life. Some
of the gang then turned upon colored wo-
man ia the house and attempted TO violate
her. Here tho compUUctIOus Texas again
came to the rescue, and prevented the com
mission of the deed. After this hideOus
conduct. Rhodes and Seward disappeared
aud fingered in the vicinity Of Belmont
Furnace. Vickcrs remained behind to give
the information, which caused the arrest Of
his comrades, in Casey county on the llth.
Stephen Scott, at whose house these vii
famous acts were committed, is eighty years
old, and one of the most inoEensIye and
respectable old negroes in the State.
He is well known Ia THIS city for his excel
lcuce Of character. The same scoundrels
above-uRmed, as no alleges and says he can
prove. robbed him Of $500 sometime last
March. lie has not recovered a iarthiug Of
tho money stolen from HIM on either oCcs-
sion. None of the party had money IN their
possession when arrested and searched. Tho
old negro Stephen came 10 the city yesteT-
oay 20 appear again the prisoners; but he
was sent back for the man whose neck wss
stretched, iu order to identify his persecu-
tors. il Is probable that the accused men
will be handed over % Gen. Ely, of the
Freojmous Bureau, for trial.
We failed to get the Democrat last night,
or We would probably have had something
to add to this catalogue. Louisville is evil
IDENTIFY trying to rival the sanity city Of
Chicago.