The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-27
The Murder of Col. steedman.

der Of Col. Steedman by negroes
We extract the following particulars
from q letter in 4Ae Charleston Ncers:
Col. J. NJ st Imam, in the vigor
of his manhood, and in the midst of
his usefulness as one of tho best of
citizens, came suddenly to his death
under the following heart-rending
circumstances, illustrating the de-
plorable state Of affairs to which our
once peaceful and happy country has
come:
Engaged in merchandising in a
part of Lexington District, where,
since the termination of the war, it
became necessary to guard against
the dcpredations of burglars, he and
his little family occupied apartments
within his store. On the night of
the Sth January, as they were sitting
around bright winters fire, the
doors and windows all bolted or lock
ed, seeming to give security to all
within, the dogs, as faithful senti-
nels, gave evidence of approaching
danger Without The Colonel arose,
advanced toward tie fI5nt door,
when his wife, taking counsel ''from
her fears" from information that
day derived from negro woman, of
which she had also advised the Colo
mel, demonstrated with him against
the imprudence of opening it; beg
ging him, instead, to go up stairs
and look out at the window; but this
fearless. man, having faced danger on
many bloody field during the late
war, now that peace prevailed, re-
garding it as weakness not to feel
secure within his own castle, needed
not her gentle admonition. He had
barely unlocked and opened the
door, when his devoted wife's worst
fears were fully realized by the report
Of gun; the entire load from it hay
ing lodged in her husbands body.
He still, however, retaining proper
presence of mind, had barely time
to close and bolt the door before the
vile assassins three negro men
were laundering at it, to force an
entrance. The Colonel called for his
gun; the resolute wife hastily handed
it to him. He warned the assailants
that so sure as they entered he would
shoot them. Still, they knocked,
kicked and pushed the door to open
it; the wounded Colonel and his fec
BILE, though resolute, wife, pressing
in return to lcepit closed. What an
awful moment The Colonel, being
no longer able to stand or use his
gun, laid his dying body against the
foot Of the door, still to aid his wife
in keeping it closed, directing her,
| n tn Il,
they entered. Declaring aloud her
purpose to do SO, she called the name
of one of the tiends, the supposed
leader of the band, and told him to
go away; that if money was what
they were after, they could get none
there, as all had been sent away.
This, perhaps, with the fear that the
ColoEel was still able to resist, and
would unto death, caused them 10
desist from further efforts. The
Colonel lived but about three .,ours
after receiving the fatal wound; his
wife and two little children. with per
haps a nurse, being the only Wit
nesscs Of the awF:l scenes within
that beleaguered lousc, not knowing
how soon it might be set on fire, and
ltii5 tliCil tiltN NOlItt nave 10 choose
between being burned alive or meet
ing death by the violent hands of the
murderers of the husband and father,
there lying q corpse.
The day after the murder, a Jury
Of inquest was properly empannelled
by the nearest magistrate, and sue
ceeded in drawing out such evidence
from various witnesses as justified
the rendering a verdict that they be-
lleved the deceased came to his death
by a wound from gun, fred from
the hands of one of a party Of three
negrocs-Henry, Emery and Joe
known to have been prowling about
the neighborhood doing mischief. and
all Of whom the jurors aforesaid be-
licved to have been parties to this in
famous crime Of murder, with inten-
ton to rob.
The two former went off with Sher-
mans army, and had but recently
returned to this part of the country
entirely too lazy to work for an ho-
nest living, and fully imbued with the
radical idea of equality, boastingly
telling other negroes of the various
murders they had committed, and
saying that they had papers from the
Yankees which would protect them
from harm, do what they would.
should the white people here atten,nt