New-York tribune., 1867-02-23
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
SOUTH CAROLINA MURDERS.

SECRETARY or WAR-UNIoH NBS IN REBEL STATES
SAFE ONLY UHDER MILITARY PROTECTION
On the 10th of December last, Messrs Pike Mel,
Farnsworth Gl.l aud Cooper TENN appointed q
Committee Of the House Of Repesentatvesto investigate
the circumstances attending the murder OF three Union
soldiers South Carolina. They submitted the fol-
lowing report:
The Committee appointed by order OF the House
eordance with the following resolution:
three % sSe o. & q, , Of hs United States s.e NOR
ees sTs 'Dd Uco % ~ soa @ u @ & oS.s ssss. mar
ay commission ior ger asa vsl said persons ootTnss
which they were akn by abeas corpus and Therefore,
Thai 2 os q s % Re sDSSs y -. ss
I and and ssS % % Ss and ss J. % and
therefor and All Che facts connected vh the same and @ rcemnnd
%is to have power persons aud papers and an
uBder oath.
beg leave 10 report
That following the order Of the resolution they rro-
ceeded 10 investigate the circumstances Of the MURDER
and found the following facts:
Corporal Corbett and priyates Emery Smith and Mason
Brown all of Company A, First Battalion Maine Veteran
Volunteers the sth OF October 1865 stationed 40
a crossing the Savannah River called Browns Ferry,
for the purpose Of guarding bales Of cotton which,
prior this tme had been seized by the officers OF the
Treasury Department When seized 1t palcd IN the
temporary custody of w. r. Brown, Of the ferry,
who lived within few rods Of the South Carolina bank
Of the river This property claimed the property
OF Crawford Keys, who had engaged Showers, who
lived on opposite side Of he river to boat il 10 IA
Showers had made preparations to receive II,
and had fixed upon Saturday the 9TH day OF October as
the time for its removal. On Friday, the 9th, Showers
went to Brown and notified HIM that the cotton ques
ton about to be sueptitiously taken away adding,
by way Of caution that he, himself not 10 De
cerred the act and advised Brown to the military
authorities and get released from his responsibility.
Brown accordingly informed the military Of the intended
removal and guard of three were sent to the ferry
on the evening the day The trip 20 Savannah
ipdaf Tho
| signed by Showers that his steersnan was sick
On Sunday morning the day Of the murder, one Mr..
Afford called St0wers house the Georgia side. TO
Stowers request, they crossed the ferry and visited
Hollands store on the Carolina SIDE few miles from the
Of the prisoners whose participation ID the murder !, not
This person awaiting them the Georgia sIde halt
mile from StOwers house. Crawford Keys hsed Win
miles from Browns Ferry. The three. Showers, Afford
and Peter Keys, went on together to stowerss house
evening and left going in the direction OF Browns ferry
arrived at the ferry he called across the ryerto ene
| ferryman employed bye BrowD a man named howell,
gave the false of Jones and ascbed false reason
for desiring M to SGos oS ba the kde iefy e. his " sos s
as much as possible out OF sight and refused
was correct He left ferry and something under
hour afterward returned with five other on foot all
by Brown and Howell They went to the ferry a short
distance from the houses Of Brown and Howell and an
alteration took place, voice heard-identfed ~
StowerssOrdering the guard to throw down their arms
The ana asserting that
the ferry under orders The answer was made; 6-I
d-n you, we have come to throw you into the nyeI
Shots then fired, seufe took place and shortly
after the party returned past the house three of them
riding the soldiers the other three foot they
was standing outside alarmed by the noise, to go back
into his house and the six thenp assed on in the direction
The time at which the assassination was committed
was about mdsht& & Gi '1e s , 81 % snd S
air perfectly st The road led past Browns aud Howels
houses within very few rods Of each. Brown byed
somewhat the ferry than Howell and in bed
at the time but saw he party from his window Howell
were old residents of the district and were perfectly
s0@e Tlu s ced h% daily across the 70 the
Carolina side and Browns ferry was the place at when
| he kept boat, and at which he daily crossed
Howell swears that he recognized OF the party Craw-
ford Keys Peter Keys Elisha Byram Francis g. Showers,
Brown the owner Of the ferry that the party
passed his house two of them were walking together sde
attention was particularly drawn 70 Two %h9 70 led the
party aud he feels not the slightest doubt 'nat tney were
The news Of the murder was carried the next morning
stated. the Keys family resided detachment came 10
search for the guard The three soldiers were ound IN
the river rod or from the shore Each was slot
through the head two Of them with wounds which must
have caused their immediate death ths tnd lIsy
show that the pistol had been held close to MS head
Their horses arms and equipments had been taken away
horse mperfeetly identified and found three months
aferward in the possession OF one Sargent whose on
the purchase and sale OF horses and Who par
tcuarly attended TO the purchase ana sae on n
t Tne ., Psfa 6s state nSd beyond he reach Of he military
authorities The cotton left at the Terry nndstbe9'
No special assigned at the trial Tor TINS cold
murder. The men aSsasSlnated nad Deem
stationed at Anderson about two months and he esou
tons public meeting held at Anderson two days afier
the murder certify their good conduct while there.
only ofenSe TO have been wearing the nb-
form Of the Republic and obeying the orders Of er
peror officers .,
OF those committing the murder. the Keys family
TO have been one OF the most prominent IN anasr T
son. and Showers man of sufficient 20
have been at time a member of the Georgia
Senate. IN. ,, ,,u.o
Charleston and Cen Sickles states tat,
when he took command, Gen. Gilmore called ms at
tenton 10 the ease Of great ar0cy and one which
the interests Of the service IN his opinion required to DO
thoroughly Investigated.
and proceeded those charged with the MURDER no
arrested, except Peter Keys and the person who
was recognized by Brown and Howell long ana
thorough examination of witnesses was naue occupying
80 days The defense was sklIuiy IhaIaS.n an
abi attempted 10 be proved on the part OF
quenty changed their testimony, and swore they bad
been trained 10y Showers 10 make their previous state
ments IL was attempted 10 shake the testimony OK
Howell and Brown ia various ways, but after patiene
and l gent comparison of statements the court lound
the facts have already detailed them Ihe esueco
is spread many hundred pages OF record aa :. am
py the conclusions at which the court Mreo
The commission found the two Keyses stowsIs, and
Rvram enity and senten them be hung The sen-
tence approved by Gen. sekes as 10 t,e eos 49,
and stowee but on aeconnt OF sne me sentence Was
commuted In the case OF the younger heys anu N'~ ~ w
r % as -, immediately presented to the President,
and applications made for pardon or Tor TRANSFER
the civil tribunals Letters froln several Leading men
the South seh as Alexander II. Stevens GOV orr anu
n Johnson appear among the papers laid before the
Presidents and with Others we noticed peI,v p % tSs
petitioners to ask with confidence, his lnerposnon In
ha Won % o. r. browning now Secretary OF the Inte
ror for fee OF 00 made an argument 70 the fresl-
dent In behalf Of the persons and urged tat tey Do
brought within the range Of writ OF haoeas corpus I'D