Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-11-06
a Hideous Murder in Texas.
JEFFERSON, MARION COUNTY, TEXAS,
O1foI,av- 1890

JEFFERSON, MARION COUNTY, TEXAS, !
October 6, 1868.
One of the most desperate outrages
ever perpetrated against law and order,
took place in this town yesterday. To
give a clear idea, I will relate tIse whole
circumstance. A Republican meeting
was advertised to come off at Jefferson,
on Saturday, October 3, at which some
of the leading Republicans were to
i speak. among whom were Judge Cald-
well and @. w. Smith, both of whom
had been members of the Convention to
frame a constitution for the State of
Texas, and who had recently returned
from Austin. AS a matter of course a
large number of the Democracy (rebels)
gathered into town during the day
After the speaking ended and the meet
ing had dispersed Mr.. Smith, who had
made q speech, was coming out Of a
friends house, when he discovered
himself face to face with six or eight
each armed with the inevitable don 5le-
barreIed shotgun, six shooter and bow
ie knife-three things that go to make
up ga high-tOned Texas gentlemen
These men began to abuse Smith as a
id Radical, &C., and after a few
words fired twice at him, with guns,
but missed him each time. Smith
drew his revolver, and hred AT them
twice, WoundiDg one of them each
time. The disturbance had become so
us
Brevet Major James Curtis, Captain
18th United States infantry, command
ing the post, whose quarters were close
by, ordered out his men, which quieted
the affair down, Major Curtis heard
such threats made against Smiths life
that he concluded the safest place for
him [SmIthl until Monday morning
would be the city prison, where Smith
was accordingly placed, with a guard of
soldiers for better security.
", al s-yeyE
intensity during Sunday to such an ex-
tent and such loud threats were made
by the rebels that they would take
Smith out and hang him-to pre-
vent which Major Curtis would be pow
erlsss with the small force at his COM
mauG (only twenty Inen) that he Mai.
Curtis) sent special messenger to Mar
shall, sixteen miles of, to Brevet Brig
adler General J.. Hayden, Lieutenant
Colo mel Fifteenth Infantry, who was
there with the headquarters of the reg
iment. and two full companies Gen
eral Hayden ignored Major Curtis
state ment, and teleeraphed to a citizen
in j Jefferson, asking if more troops were
necessary. This citizen is one of the
worst rebels in this place, and of course
answered General Hayden that "all
was quiet, and that troops were not
necessary" Comment on the action of
General Hayden in ignoring the re- |
quest of Major Curtis for more troops, |
and relying on the statement of a citi- |
zen, one of the bitterest rebels in this |
whole town at that, is unnecessary.
To return. About 8 O'Clock on Sun
day morning, about three hundred |
armed and disguised Ia la Ku KIux) !
men surprised the small guard at the |
ealaboose, took their arms from them. |
burst open the door of the prison and |
fired a volley from double barreled |
shoG-guHs, loaded with buckshot into /
the room where Smith was confined. |
and dispersed. The whole thing was i
managed So quietly, and with such per-
feet order and system, that it did not /
take more than ten minutes to ef- /
feet their hellish purpose.
Oh that the Union men of the North
and especially the doubters and weak
kneed, could only see these things right
here where they are perpetrated, and
then see if they would sympathize with
any political party unless it promised
to put down, by every and all means,
such terrible acts of outrage. Just
think of it; man murdered in the
very jail, and under the very eyes of |
both civil and military, who were DOW
erless, for his political opinions and be-
cause he advocated the rights of the
poor and lOwly.
The day after the murder of George
Washington Smith, the report was re-
eeived here that Judge Hart was
murdered in the joining county, be-
caused he was Radical and consistent
Union man throughout the war; and
the next day the Bureau Agent at Bos-
ton, county-seat of Bowie County, was
assassinated for the same reason.