Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-02-25
EAST TENNESSEE.
Religious IntOlerance-ShOck
Ing Outrages upon the
Clergy DeplOrable
State Of A fairs.


spirit of mobbing and persecution was a
slumbering element in the minds of the
Radicals OF East Tennessee; that, il it
would contribute to their advantage, they
would exercise the same hostility as o
year ago, the material being accessible
for such outrages. In subsequent let
ter we expressed the belief that the ami
mosities which had so long disturbed this
unfortunate country were dying out !"
were ingloriously on the decline-at
the same time attributing the then ex-
isting troubles TO the animosity between
the churches, Southern and Northern.
We have no cause for the withdrawal
of these seeming contradictory conolu'
sions, Notwithstanding the Infamous out
RACES which We are about to chronicle.
We give facts ("not concocted lies, y
substantiated iacts--in order that the
world may see Of what infamous mate
rial the Radicals Of this portion of the
kingdom are composed, and to what
cowardly means they will resort, in their
last agonies, in order to induce down
trodden people to credit their presump'
tious croskings, as to their future gov
ernmont Of the country.
On the I'd inst, Rev. II. G. Neal, of the
Holston Conference, who has charge of
the circuit embracing Morgantown and
surrounding section OF Blount county,
had an appointment for Morgantown the
day above indicated. According to ap-
pointmeHt he was at the church for ser
vice, but to his surprise found his pulpit
occupied by a phite man and big buck
negro, while the church was filled mostly
by negroes Finding that the assem-
| blage" was hostile towards him, he left
the place and held service in pri-
vate dwelling not far distant. In
the evening he was to preach at Ak
ley's Chapel, some three miles from Nor
gantown. After riding something like
a mile and half, in company with a
young gentleman, he was met by party
| of men who presented their pistols and
ordered him to dismsunt. Almost in
simultaneously with the meeting of this
banditti similar band rushed from the
woodland adjacent to the road, and like
wise ordered him to dsmount, present
| ing pistols, as in the first case Not dis
mounting as speedily as they desired, he
was dragged from his horse and struck
over the forehead with either pistol or
rock. The blow was sufficient to stun
him, cutting the scalp to the skull, pro-
| ducing a wound of near two inches in
| length, from which he was soon saturated
with blood So soon as they had rendered
him powerless they dragged him through
the woodland over rugged hill into
hollow or sink, where they stripped him
and tied him to tree with rope,
brought, evidently, for the occasion" ="
They then beat him as long as they
thought he could endure their withs and
clubs, and yet live After thus exc.
cutting the mandates of the loyal
league" of that section-carrying out
the Pyrne-Brownlow theory, ordered
Mr.. Neal to lie down and not to look
after them as they dispersed; that, if he
made any motions to this effect, they
would shoot him AS he was severely
beaten aud having lost so much blood
from the wound inflicted upon his head,
the mere act of prostrating himself be-
fore them was quickly done
After he was satisfied that they had
all gone, he started for the nearest
dwelling in the community (Dr. Dou-
thet's), which place he was enabled to
gain some time in the night. His
assassins robbed him of a valuable gold
chain, having broken his watch to atoms
in dragging him through the woods. He
did not know any of these " disciples :"
of the Pyrne- Brownlow dynasty. We
say Pyrne Rrowulow dynasty Yes, for
what they fail to effect through the
medium of vulgar journals, and his
miserable dupes, the Legislature, the
other consummates through Radical
political preaching.
And who is Rev. II. G. Neal, and what
his political status will be asked. He is
a quiet, gentlemanly, unobtrusive and
high-toned young minister-one whose
years of manhood have been strictly
given to his "calling "--the dissemina-
ton of Gospel truth. As to politics, he
was not identified with either party by
action. His sympathies were undoubt-
edly with the South; yet for the more
efiectually carrying out of his early as
pirations, in reference to the ministry,
he said nothing, but was an itinerant
minister during the war, as well as since.
His crimel what could this be? Doing
service for the Southern Methodist Epis-
copal Church No other cause has
been ascribed. Probably the know
ing" Chattanooga Republican, and its
co.worker in the cause of revolution, the
Knoxville Wing, will denominate these
facts as sensational, and say that they
have been written by some one intend
ing to ipjure the travel on this line of
railway. But such evading vulgarisms
can no longer be palmed off upon the
public mind. The masses of our own
country and that abroad, are not so
iucredulous as to be wholly insensible
10 the occurrence of such outrages; espe-
cially in the face of such articles as
now food these so-called organs OF law
and iberty-articles revolutionary in
their character, and, If persisted in, will
force the outraged to self-defense. The
above outrage and cowardly attempt at
carrying out the teachings of set OF i'm
ported apostate preachers (broken down
political hacks), occurred near Lenoirs,
only few miles distant from the Geor-
pia and Tennessee railroad. The only
reason why it was not done near the rail-
road was because the subject Of the out
rage was not there.
But we will give another item, so long
as the charge Of maliciousness IS
charged against your correspondent A
short time since, Rev. W. w. Neal, OF
this place, was nailed out Of the church
where he had been accustomed to
preach, at Flat Greek, few miles east of
Knoxville, and subsequently, kept out OF
another one Of his churches in Rocky
Valley, near New Market, the particu-
lars Of which you have already Published.
Al the latter place the denominations
have Aeome more open and undisguised,
| Il .-k.u sknr