Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-07-10
HORRIBLE TRAGEDY.
Five Persons Killed by a Negro
Toang-The Murderers at Large

/
From tho Nowbern (N.c) Reportorl
Intelligence reached our city on Sat
urday morning of the murder of Mr.
Richard Reeves Foscue and wife, at theil
residence on Island Creek, in Jones
county. about ten miles from this city
and within nine miles Of Pollocksville
ON the Beaufort road. A detachment o.
United States soldiers was at once ser'
to tho scene of the murder by Major D.
J. Van Horn, Of this post.
Our reporter arrived at DR.. Foscue
house on Saturday evening, and learned
the following as the facts in the case
On Friday afternoon three colored men
came on the premises and demanded
money of the ladies in the house, which
was occupied at the time by Mr. Foscuo
and wife, their two daughters and two
grandchildren. Failing to get money
from the ladies, they took Miss Foscue,
Mrs. Owen Witty and the two children
TO the smokehouse, and there shot them.
Mrs. Owen Witty, Mr.. Fosoue's daughter,
and an infant child of Mrs. Witty were
killed instantly, while Miss Foscue was
slightly wounded and left by the murder
ers, they thinking her dead. Miss
Foscue.will no doubt recover from her
injuries. A grandchild of Mr.. Foscue's,
the child of Mrs. Martin Brook, was shot
while in Mrs. Foscue's arms, and died
few hours afterwards from the injury.
After numbering the ladies, it seems the
murderers tied Mr. Foscue to post near
his smokehouse, where they stripped him
of clothing, cruelty and horribly beat
him, finally killing him by striking him
on the head with maui. The wretches
then completed their horrible work by
numbering Mrs. Foscue. They then
ransacked the house, where they OBJ
tanned a small amount of money, after
which they left
As soon as the murderers were gone
Miss Foscue, with difficulty, got out of
the smokehouse, and taking the Brook
child with her, made her way to q neigh
boris house, where she arrived at day
break on Saturday The house in which
the murder was committed is some three
or four miles from any other habitation.
As soon as intelligence reached the
neighbors, Mr.. Foy dispatched messen-
gers to Newbern and Pollocksville, ask
ing for aid to pursue the fugitive murder
ers.
Mr.. Barrus special magistrate ofJones
county. appointed by Mr. John Pearce,
formerly of Newbern, as special coroner
for the occasion, who, after summoning
a jury, proceeded to the place of the
murder and held an inquest, at which the
above facts were elected The soldiers
sent from Newbern were already at the
place when the coroner arrived. Imne-
diately after the inquest, they started in
pursuit of the murderers, Col. j. W.
Whitford having volunteered his aid as
guide
1t is to be hoped that the demons who
perpetrated this more than hellish out
rage may be overtaken.
Mr.. and Mrs Foscue were both over
sixty years Of age, and neither they nor
the young ladies could offer any resist
ance to the robbers; yet the fends seemed
to have thirsted for blood, and thus
cruelty butchersd FIVE helpless fellow
creatures. Our reporter describes the
scene at the house as most horrible.
Mr.. Foscue was found dead, still tied to
the post, his hands pinioned behind him
with the marks of violence on his naked
body. Mrs Witty and her child were
lying drenched in blood in the smoke
house, and Mrs. Foscue was dead upon
her bed in the house. Mr. Foscue was a
quiet upright citizen, who, with his
family were much loved and respected
by all who knew them. These murderers
have thrown a gloom over the entire
We sincerely hope that |
no means will be spared to bring the
authors of the massacre to Justice.