Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-04-25

Two Of she NurdereFs Captured-They
Confess Their GuiIt-Are Burned
at the Stake.

A few days since we made brief mem
ton Of terrible tragedy that had taken
place near Omega Landing, La, sbost
forty miles above Vieksburg, on the l1th
inst. The particulars Of the murder, ar
rest of two of the murderers, their con
fessions, and the speedy retribution that
followed them, are detailed at length In
the VicksbuIg Times of the 22d. Deputy
Marshal Resor, of Vicksburg, was sent
for, and readily complied with the re-
quest to ferret out the murderers.
Taking the first boat, he proceeded to
! OmegA Landing, within q mile or two OF
the Neck, and there obtained informa-
ton which convinced him that the erim-
! inals had crossed over into this State Ia
q skiff, and were making their escape ip
an eastw8rdly direction. Accompanied
! by Gen. Peck and Capt. Cavalier, ResOT
crossed into Mississippi, and by great en-
ergy and perseverance,, succeeded Ia
coming up with the fugitives on the
second day. -Four negroes are supposed
to have been implicated in the matter.
Two, who are yet at liberty, planned sac
murder, and the two who were burat at
] L
two arrested were taken singly; the first
one acknowledged his guilt &c once, ans
informing on his sccomplice. From the
confession made by both soon after their
arrest, il would seem that keenan,, who
sold wood to steam boats had been sin
gled out as q victim several days before
the plan was put into practical operation.
The negroes were waiting until he dis
posed Of, and received the money for q
lot of wood he had piled out on the river
bank and ready for sale. On the llth
inst passing boat landed, and took the
wood. keenan, staid ct tne landing
until the boat lsft, snd then, rs he was
returning TO his cabin, was shot with an
old musket ia the hands of one of the
negroes. Hastily searching him, they
discovered that be had no money, with
the exception of a single three cent piece
ConcealiAg his body with leaves and
Underbush, and infuriated at this dissp-
pointment, the demons then proceeded
to Keensn's house, intent on com mpleting
their work of death. At the door of the
house they met keenRn's wife, and in
al insolent and threatening manner, de-
manded something to eat. The woman
replied that there was not much in the
house, but that her husband would re-
turn in the course of 3 few minutes, and
such as IL was they could have 8 portion
One of the negroes then remarked that
she need not wait for her husband-thRt
he wouldn't be there-thst they had
" fixed him." The woman became seri-
Ously alarmed at this stage of the pro-
ceeding feeling that she Was1in immin-
ent danger attempted to seize pistol w.
ing on the manteI-piece, She was rude
ly pushed aside BY enc Of the fends,
while the other with blow from . n axe
he carried, stretched her bleeding and
hslf-dead on the floor at their feet. At
tempting TO arise, another blow almost
severed her head from the trunk of her
body, and she fell back q second time. her
head in the fire blazing on the hearth.
The oldest child, boy some ten years of
age, stepped into the house at this time.
and seeing the position Of his mother,
ran forward to extrieate her from her
apparently painful situation, when the
axe was again raised and the boy sank
beside his mother, killed at blow. The
second child, girl some years younger
than the boy, was sleeping in a bed, and
being awakened by the noise began to
cry and call for its mother. To treat it
as they did the boy, would have been an
act of mercy. They set the bed on fire,
and binding the child 0n it, burned her
alive These are the facts OF the murder.
They are too revolving to dwell on sim
gle moment longer than is positively
necessary. The arresting party secured
the prisoners, and on the following
day, the 20.h, delivered them to the
proper civil authorities at Omega
Landing. Having confessed their guilt,
and waived an examination, Judge No.
land committed them for trial and placed
them in the hands Of his constable, to be
conveyed to the Parish seat for imprison-
ment. The constable took them in
charge and started on his journey, but
had only gotten short distance, when a
crowd of negroes overlook him, demand /
ed, and then took foTcible possession of
the murderers, and building huge Ere,
deliberately burnt them at the stake
Both met their fate without protest or
expostulation, and were apparently con-
vinced that they fully merited the terri |
BILE death which they finally suffered. |
While the burning was in progress, and
thinking to prevent continuance of
such horrible scenes, Gen. Peck and Capt. |
Cavalier rode up to the crowd and or-
dered them to desist, but the negroes en-
gagged refused to comply with the order,
saying that the murderers should be
burnt then and there. 1t is more than
probable that the two negroes who are
supposed to be implicated in the murder
will be arrested in the course of very
few days. Ass0redly, the avenging ans
gel IS sometimes swift in the work of
retributlon.