Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-09-04
THROCKMORTON'S PROTEST.
Recital Of Federal outrages In
Texas.


test of Gov. Throckmorton against the
order issued by Sheridan for his reno
val, will be read with interest:
The property of citizens has been used
without compensation-no in q few 1870
lated cases, but in many; not alone me
property of those who engaged IN the
war against, but Of those who were
through the struggle, and are yet loyal 10
the General Government. Wellington
punished with great severity any inter-
ference with private property, by ms
officers or soldiers. Scott ana Taylor
pursued the same course in Mexico. IL
has been the boast Of the Government
and the people that they did so. Yet
here. when the strife of countrymeh had
ceased. and after the highest authority
in the nation had proclaimed the glad
tidings Of peace, our people are not
entitled to the same consideration as
Frenchmen were al o time when they
had deluged Europe in blood and had
pillared almost its entire population, or
the Mexican people, who had violated oil
the rules of civilized warfare.
The Freedmen's Bureau has exercised
powers not conferred upon it; its agents
have made arrests, and imposed penal
ties not justified by the law, nor sus'
tanned by reason. Under pretense that
the civil rights act had been violated,
citizens have been arrested and re-
strained of their liberty, without the
process or forms required by law, and
for offenses alleged to have beencom-
mitted long anterior to its passage.
The town of BrenhaU was set on hire
by United States soldiers, and large
amount of property destroyed. If the
deed was not iustigated by the officer in
command, it was perpetrated almost in
his immediate presence, and no effort
was made to prevent it, or punish the Of
Tenders.
The judgments and DEGREES of the
courts have been prevented from being
executed, and have been ordered to be
set aside, and indictments and papers IN
criminal and civil causes have been
forcibly taken and destroyed, and the
Judges required to dismiss suits in a
number Of cases.
A decree of the District Court of the
limited States for the Western District
of Texas was interfered with, and for a
time its execution was prevented.
Freedmen charged by indictment with
high crimes have been protected from
arrest and trial. One charged with an
attempt at rape upon white girl, four.
teen years of age, was taken from Jail
nv an order of an agen. of Freedmen's
Bureau; and when the facts were made
known the agent was not punished, nor
the criminal returned to the officers Of
the law.
Two citizens, arrested by and in GUS
tody of company Of soldiers, were
murdered in less than an hour after
their arrest, by the person (himself a
fugitive from justice) who pointed
them out, and at whose in
stigation they were arrested. Upon the
testimony of soldiers, who we're present,
the officer in command was indicted as
accessory to this murder, yet he was not
delivered up for trial,
The following is a specimen of some
of the orders that have been issued.
this By an officer Of the grade of First
Lieutenant.
Special Order No. 81
1t having come to my knowledge that
lswless men, perjured traitors, enemies
of law, order, and of the United States,
sympethizers, aiders and sbettors of
Burns and Clerk, thieves, outlaws and
asssssins, have been engaged in making
threats, and in other notorious, disorderly
and disloyal conduct; and it having come
TO my knowledge that certain numerous
citizens here and in the vicinity of this
most, profess 10 be opposed to these law
less scoundrels, and TO be friendly to and
willing to aid in maintaining the au-
thority of the United States Government
This is therefore to notify the former
that for the first OUert act no quarter iom
be qfren, and the latter that they toill
be held responsible in person and
property.
Under order Of this officer for arrest of
citizens, house was surrounded at
night, two of the inmates were shot,
bayoneted and beaten with the butts of
guns. The excuse was that resistance
was made and the soldiery fred on.
The dying declarations of one of the
men slain, corroborated by the sworn
statement of survivors OF the family,
were, that the house was surrounded by
men unknown to them, and their surren-
der demanded, which at first was refused.
But when the father was informed that
the military authority Of the United
States demanded the arrest Of his two
sons. the officer was informed that
they would yield, 'and he was in
vited to come into the house, aud that
upon the entrance Of the officer, fol-
lowed by some Of the men, the work of
death commenced This man stated
further that when he had partially re-
vived, from the wounds he had received,
hearing the crowd in the yard, he seized
his gun and fTed on them, and then
crawled out and extinguished the
fire at the end of the house.
Other testimony showed that the
fire had been kindled as stated. The
executive of the State informed Major
General Griffin Of the occurrences, and
without expressing censure or exculpat-
ing the citizens of any offense, expressed
the fear that great wrong had been
committed, and made a respectful re
quest that a commission Of army officers
should investigate the acts. His request
was not complied with.
r~Io+s 80. Dz-aarnr-ss