Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-03-06

: was 10 put to death every negro ma
Z. found going into their lines. This negl
was one of hundreds OF victims 10 tn
policy. After he was hung d
Thomas McGehee, a yonng physician
living IN sight of the place where h
was executed, asked for and obtaine
, from the soldiers the body OF the negT
for dissection. In doing this he wa
p obeyiug the natural and commendabi
a / inqIisitiveness OF the medical student
/. ( The next day, the knife, in the hands G
i Dr. Thomas McGehee, and his iathel
Or. VIM c. McGehee, q physician q
I age, character and standing in tai
neighborho0d, did the work Of di=sectin
the dead body; and it was subjected Z
such scrutiny as is usual in such cases
= Parts of the body were also preserved, a
f is customary, aud afterwards Subjected O
such tests as they supposed wOGl,
[ lead to knowledge in the healing arr
! Nothing more was done with the bod
than is usual in such cases hl
/ was skinned only as such subjects ar,
usually skinned, and for the usual pur
poses, and with the usual privacy. Noth
ing is more common than physicians
cutting up, boiling, drying and preserv'
ing parts Of the human bodyi and D
these are the facts upon which Matthew'S
has manufactured the story against y Ohm
II. EIcCgbee, we scarcely know which
he deserves most, pity Tor his imbecile
weakness, or contempt for his greatlgno'
rance. We distinctly state that John IL.
McGehCe was not connected with this
transaction I'm any way was not present
80 the hanging or dissection, and Is a. III
nocent Of any crime connected with it as
his false accuser.
nr "a.
"that not a man IN ten, in Zion Hill pre-
cinct, can lay his hand on his heart and
/ swear be has done a faithful part by the
. freedmen" And his recommendation
! that troops be stationed in that neigh
/ bOrhOOd. or that freedmen be allowed to
I remove 10 localities where their lives
] viii br safe from such monsters.
The hest refut3tiOu of this wholesale
slauder Is the fact that most of the ne
gr0es are still here with their former
owners, and have, freely and of their
own accord, without any fear threat OF
c0mpuisi0n, made contracts with
them for the present year If they
are nHsyusrsFs,N "su-h ggU5isiCrs." how
viii Matthews account for this very SIM
gular fact? We venture TO say that
there Is not community IN the South
where the negroes are doing better, are
better cared for, are more contented, are
better paid or more humanely treated,
than they are in the eneighborhood where
live the "as0Hstegs' to whom Matthews
has referred; and we do most respect
fully invite the authorities 10 send
a. gentleman in our midst, TO
learn for the satifactiOn of all
concerned, and for our justification,
how false are the charges made
against n by said Matthews. As indi-
vlduals Of the Committee, We tender TO
such an agent the hospitality of our
homes during his sojOurn among us; and
we pledge our words for his security, and
for the utmost courtesy, and respect Of
our citizens Ii is thus " facts y may be |
learned and correctly reported. II can
not be done by sending a gangrened and
sylaaetic abolitiOnist 70 some distant To-
cality ike Magnolia, who will listen 10 |
every negro that seeks TO pour into his /
willingears his tales = distress. WecOuTt /
an honest and fair investigation of all the /
accusations made against us and We {
recommend 10 this meeting that Gov. /
Humphreys be requested 10 join with Us /
iB asking the proper authorities 10 send |
a gentleman into our midst, who shall /
make full inquiry INTO all the charges /
which said Matthews hes reported TO the /
FreedmeG's Bureau against The people Of {
this precinct aud if found 10 be false, or
that they are a gross eSaggeratiOn Offacts
for malicious purposes, thRt Coy. Hum
paTeys be respectfully requested to ask
for the removal Of said Matthews from
eFerg responsible position,
All OF y hich is respectfully submitted.
JJEE NUNNERY, Chairman
On motion, the refG1t was received and
agreed to.
On motion, the following resolution
" a. adopted:
" Re86lrcd. That the Southern Herald
Jackson AezHs, and All other papers
friendly 10 truth, are requested 30 publish
The proceedings of this meeting, aud that
the secretary furnish the Herald and
helrs with these minutes; also that a
7opy of these minutes be forwarded by
-he secretary TO Col O. J. i. Stewart,
with request that lie forward them 10
Governor dumphrsys, with the request
]f this meeting suggested in the report OF
he committee"
Major Van T. sweanBeeH Submitted
he following resolution, which was
adopted
"Res0lrsd, That we recognize not only ;
he rigEt but the propriety Of the Gov
.rnmenJ &c inquire into reported wrongs |
]
nen in this precinct; tUt ne protest !
against such inquiries being made at a
iistauce from the scene Of enactment,
md fso3u persons who could not be SUD /
iJsed 10 know anything Of them except |
rom hesrsag. and suggest that the inter
sts of truth, Of iBe freedmen, and the
lightly Of official authority will be bet :
er subserved boy sending a gentleman |
nto the immediate neighborhcod where
uch acts may have been committed, to
aaEe inquiries concerning them.
"ResoEs4 further, That upon no prin-
iple Of Justice should the whole people ! ,
Il 3 community in the south suffer for
be agts 0f a few, which are condemned
~ The many, aHy more than a Northern
shouid suffer for similar acts
nd this effort OF Cspt. Matthews 10 ruin ,
neighb0rhood for what, il tnev bad !
zen as true as they are false, could only
ave been theacts Of few, is unjust and
hn1i3 be condemned %
on motion. The meeting adjourned sine
is.
F. 4. FLOWERS. Chairman.
JOHN ". KEOX, Secretary.
STATE oF MISSISSIPPI, ANTE COUNrY.
J. B. X. Johns, Judge Of the Probate
curt Of Amiie county, state of Missis-
ppi, do hereby certify that the names F.
/ lhe gentlemen mentioned in the fore
DING minutes are known 10 Inc TO be !
idzens Of Zion Hill precinct in said
lunty, and they are men of character,
lspectability and standing.
3. r. JOHNS, Probate Judge. I
ZroE HILl-, ANTE Co.. MISS. Feb %, 1860.
Since the meeting Of the citizens Of
bis precinct, 10 take into consideration
be- accusations made against them by
ne Capt. Matthews, the undersigned, 1
'ho was then appointed a committee 10
-port them, have received from Col I
teWart at summit, certified copy of
be report OF said Mathews, made TO {
lieut.. Ethridge, &. A. A. C.. Freedmen's T
bureau, State Of Mississippi, and lind il ! .
ontalus more charges than We had seen u
in the Ncrs, which we deem q
our duty 20 notice: G
ist. lie says Mr.. Cain is a militiaman. o
ir. c. is nearly seventy years Of age. q
nd has no kind Dl connection with the q
iilitia, and never had. 2nd. He saws z
r. Lumpkin, son Of Squire Lumpkin. v
q militiaman. This is also false: Mr.. !
.umpSin never has had any connection s.
,hateYer with the militia, and never e
IA with them at any time while on y
uty. Sd. Essays, on the same night on %
,hich two other whippings Of women 5,
.curred both Of which statements are y
ilse, no such women ever having been .
'hipped, a negro woman was " terribly q
ogged 0n the place of John III. Me "a
-ehee, and that She has disappeared and y
luuot be found This Is false 4 wO-
,an, formerly owned by John II. Me-
ehee, left his premises about the 24th of e
december, after having some trouble with +
lr. McGehee, and Went TO iiborty0n the L
ime day, or, on the next day: remained d
lers several days, and is now living on q
lantatiou within i've miles Of Liberty, v
nd is perfectly sound aud we'll She did m
0t even report the case 20 Capt tadeg. r.
be Provost Marshal al that place 3th. | A
Ie says on 80 next night, a negro nj
IAN, whose name De had forgotten. but. nj
Notwithstanding that fact, be voucnes =,
" tnE iruthfulness Of his statement. had N
80 pony hefsas stolen from him on the p
ann plantation by the uiiit,a. This i, a,
Ike all the other--false. We can ri
d hesT hat anything akin 10 such II
b event ever transpiFHt, and if il did. we n
srtainly would have some Information I I'd
! tbe suhiert. He is again haunted n
itb the images nf Cain and Lumpkin q,
IA saws they were present, and can n
p Identified. These gentlemen court M
lvestigation. 9TH. He says he went a.
, the houses Of the various persons W
iDnectad with these transactiQps, Il
I'd attempted to arrest them. This is G.
$50 false. Revisited John ii. McGehee's "a.
lace, a. we have before stated, but he il
ID not visit the place 0f y single other +,
IAN IN this neigfb0rhoOd, 10 whom he "