Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-03
Nninu aud 9ispat eli.
"WEDNESDAY. July ;. 1897.
Largest Circulation in City and State
BROWNLOW INCENDIARISM.

Burning Negroes and Burning Hoases
-BrOwnEOW 80 be Counted In "A
Negro seOurged. Shot, Thumb
screwed, and burned as the Stake
BreRnIOW Hounds ON the MOb-A
New Chapter iu the Book " Of the
Governor.
Correspondents Of the Union ana Dispatch.
/ have recently come into possession of
the following facts which seem so well
authenticated, that give them to you as
illustrating portion Of Governor Brown
lows record, that will especially commend
him to the favor and support Of our colored
fellow citizens. ..8a
On the l4th Of June, 1854, in the county
of Jefferson, East Tennessee, a young lady,
Miss Lotspeich, was ravished and killed,
and her uncle and aunt, Mr. aud Mrs.
Moore, were also murdered in the same
transaction by some person whom the COM
munity believed to be a negro, who had
fied. The excited people pursued and over
took the supposed criminal and shot and
captured him. He protested his innocence,
but the excited people whipped him
severely 10 obtain a confession. This fall
ing, they brought a vice and placed
his fingers and hands in it, screwed it up
until every bone was crushed and the
bruised flesh hung in fragments from
the extremities He still asserted his in
noeence, aud ether tortures were resOrted
10 to extract a confession, which are unfit
70 be described. These were successful,
and the wretch confessed. 1t was then re-
solved 10 burn him. A lot of "fat pine"
was procured and placed around a stake, a
small space being left for the doomed man.
He was tied to the stake, the pine set on
FIRE, and the negro was burned TO ashes.
As the flames cracked around his person.
he exhibited all the signs of intense agony,
and was living example, for brief space,
Of that hell Of which Gov. BroWnlow used
to speak when he was an "itinerant on the
circuit" These facts / gather from the
papers Of the day, including Brownlow's
Wtig, which last fully justified the pro-
ceeding, and from persons who resided in
the county at the time, and who were cog
infant of the facts. | am also informed
that the horrible tragedy became matter
of animadyersion by the New York Tribune
and that Brownlow, in his Wing, justified
and glOried over it, contending that the
only mistake was that the mob did not
adopt a slower method Of torture, such as
pulling the flesh from his bones with
pair Of pincsrs, by piece-meal
Now, Messrs. Editors, while it may be
excnsable, in the general estimation, for
people who may be suddenly thrown into
a tornado Of passion and exctment on an
outrageous prOyocation to do things other
wise criminal, it is clear that all such ae-
tion is 10 be condemned, where the laws
are paran ,nt. These acts were commit
ted Ia a time Of peace, when all was quiet.
and when the civil law bore fall sway.
BrOWnlow was not there. He was sitting
in his office at Knoxville; he was a man
of age and experience, and minister of
the gospel. If he could not condemn, ST.
lence would have at least been reasonable.
But BrOwnlOw, in obedience to his bloody
instincts, not only justified it, but went
about the country making speeches in its
support He went further, and justified
the burning Of private property. This
fact is shown by the following letter from a
friend, which was not written for publica-
ton, bat the author Of which Is as good
man as lives. la subjoining the letter,
may | ask you 10 cal upon the people, es-
pecially the colored people, 10 reflect aud
AltlAAEA AAtFfN AaAtE AAetAtAE AiltN give tlffAE
suflrages TO this bloOdy-minded tyrant.
The following is the letter:
-., June 9th, lS67-DEAR SIR: In
the month of June, 1854, negro man muir
dered his master and mistress and Young
lady, after committing a rape on her, in
Jefferson county, East Tennessee. A few
days afterwards he was captured On the
French Broad river, aud was burned at
stake by large mob. ] was in cambridge
at the time, and spoke in condemnation Of
the mob, which excited the angry feelings
of some persons. A few days afterwards |
was in New Market, ten miles distant, and
heard BroWnlow speak TO a large number
of persons He was instructing the people
in Know-Nothingism, and proposed or
ganizing a lodge at that place. few DAYS
before this, a grocery keeper near New
Market had been notified by some Of the
citizens that they would not tolerate his
tippling establishment, and unless he closed
his business they would burn him out; but
as he had obtained license 10 retail liquors,
he refused 10 comply with their order, and
his house was forthwith burnt by mob.
Brownlow, in commencing his speech, al
luded TO these local matters, and | think |
can remember his exact words
"Fellow. citizens" said he, l heard all
the particulars Of your burning that negro
the other day, and think you served him
exactly right; and came along this morn
ing BY the smoking remains of one ofthose
breathing holes Of hell, and | think you
served the owner right, too. Whenerer you
get 70 burning negroes or dram shops, count
me one; PH help you p
AS l had condemned both these actions
Btownlow's public approval Of them is (or-
ever fixed in my memory, and is doubtless
remembered also by many Of the citizens
Of New Market
! DO not wish any notoriety in this mat
Ter, but you can make whatever use you
may think proper of what / have written.