The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1868-10-17

~ A-CA CO4A-AL4Jt5A Tic OAJ4ds5GS
upon Er. Alezander-He Makes a
Clean Breast of the AfFair-The Ne
groes Organized and Armed to Rob
and Murder All Conservative
Terrible and Shocking Develop
ments.
Yesterday morning about 8 o'clock, de-
tectives McCune and Hastings, with officers
WEIGH, Holland, Smith and Gallagher, sur
rounded q house on Court street extended,
In the rear Of the Charleston Depot, and ar
rested a negro named Steven Terrence, alias
Irvine" who was one Of the gang who,
some weeks ago, shot a Mr.. Alexander, on
the Pigeon ROOst road, near Cane creek
bridge, and set fire to his house. When the
officers first obtained entrance to the house,
the inmates (sOme fifteen or twenty negroes)
persistently denied knowing anything about
the party that they were in quest of; but q
short search soon revealed him curled up
under a trUndle bed with a little negro boy
on one side Of him, girl on the other. On
being discovered, he stOUtly averred that he
was not the man they were looking for, bat
" another man altogether" Finding that
they were determined to take him, any way,
he at last admitted his identity, and on be-
ing carried to the station house made a
clean confession Of the whole affair which
for the remarkable statements contained
therein, we give in full. This confession
proves the statements made and reiterated
by the Appeal that the negroes in and
around the city were armed and OTganized
IN regular bands, 10 murder and pZuBder the
Jghjte Conservative citizens. 1t was made by
the prisoner in the presence of this reporter,
and Detective McCune, (others being pres
en6 alsO) under no restraint whatever, and
Of his own free will.
That night" (the night of the Alexan-
der aftair), Doc Woods called US together
five Of us-and said we must 90 some
where and get some meat. After we got out
a piece on the Charleston road, one of the
men said, let's geta calf and 90 back home
Doc. Woods said, there's no use Of having
any foOlishness about this thing. l come to
get something, and am going to get it. l
and Aaron Gallagher started to 20 back, but
Dock Woods said he was Captain, and hes
and Joe Webb and jim ShapGin got mad so
We went on with them. When we got to
Cane creek l said let's go to this mans
house (AleEander's) and get some watermel-
Ons. Dock Woods said mo- came for
money l am going to his house for that-he
has got plenty"
Question By Reporter" We were all
armed Dock Woods was the Captain
Aaron Gallagher had a gun, and the balance
of US had pistols Dock had always been at
this thing. l had only been on one ezpedi-
ton like this before. This was my second
trip,
ave went up to the house easily, and
Dock Woods posted one of us on each side
of the house, like regular sentinels. After
doing this, he went to the door on q little
porch and tried to shove it in, and called to
the man to come out He would not do it,
and Doc left the door and went to the win
dow by it, and as he did so theman put his
gun out Of the window and fired it off
Doc. left this window then, and went to the
sunrise side Of the house (east), and picking
up sort Of young tree, smashed in the
window on that side After he did this he
told the man to come out, saying if he did
not he would set the house afire and burn it
up. The man reasoned and begged with
him, but Doc. took q bunch Of dry fodder,
fastened 1t on the end Of a pole, set it afire
and showed it into the house / did not like
this, and hallOad let's go and get some chick
ems, and leave this business But thew
would not let me, and said we must have
money, that's what we came for. After this
heard gun fire, and run into the house
which they had already broken into. Aaron
Gallagher had fired the gun, and the man
(Alr. AleZander) was lying on the floor
bleeding. Aaron and Jim Shapfin had q
trunk broken open and was going through it.
Doc. was huTTying them up, and when I
came he cursed me and told me to 90 back
lie said that that woman had gone to arouse
the neighbOrhoOd. That was the first ! had
heard Of a woman. With this 7 went out,
and pretty soon they all came out and we
hurried off home. L went to Arkansas the
next day, and staid there awhile; then I
came over on this side, and went down into
Mississippi; but l did not have any rest. /
had to come back"
Question Jy tie Rep0r5ey.-''We were
regularly organized The first principle was
not to take anything away from, or harm
Union men or COlOred people, but to get
these rebels wherever we could By rebels
we mean these men that are working against
Grant, and are going to vote against him
We believe that is the right way to break
them all up. l am n Grant man and l am
going to vote for him. That way to serge
the rebels Is the only one to break them up.
1t Is proper to state that the prisoner
thought he was detailing this to radicals, and
that this candid confession of the motives,
with his declaration of his intention to vote
for Grant was sufficient palhation Of the
crime to secure his easy discharge.
Conservative men Democrats white
men are you prepared to meet these armed
and drilled hOrdes of brutal fendish ne
groes, who are taught by their white leaders,
black hearted, numbering scoundrels and
thieves, of the VIM. J. Smith and T. A
Hamilton stripe, that to rob and murder you,
your wives and children, is not only no
crime but high and holy duty, that the ne
gro owes to Grant and the Republican
party Voters of the North, and the East,
and the West, are you prepared to cast your
ballot for a man, the representative of a
party, under whose banners, and by the