Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-09-16
VOLUME yXXIlI.-No. 3s.
Horror of Horrors.

double murder occurred nenr SWatn's Mill
in the Western corner of North Carolina, and
near the Georgia line, on Tuesday last, which
it was ever our lot to record, or which ever
took place in any civilized land. A few
miles from the mill, on the Columbus road,
lived Mrs. Marks, young and baniiiul
widow lady, about thirty years of age, a hired
woman and two children, little hoy ot five
and little girl of eight, living with her. AT
about o'clock in the evening Of the 2lst
inst, loud rap at the door "f tho house
startled the inmates who had just retired i"r
the night. The hired woman, who slept III
an upper room, raised vii dow tn a'c"rAin
pthe cause, aud was accosted by an. gr'. VIII"
said he had letter for Nrs. Ms'k-. VIII ch
he had brought IRON the village, aud {. It j,
was very important, and must be answered
that night. Recognizing him as maa from
the village whom she knew, she went dnwn
stairs and opened the door.
As soon as the door was fairly unfas!cned,
gang of nine armed negroes, who had been
concesled in the dark behind a c.ump OF
bushes, made rush into the house. Fhe
woman aed through rear door, and escaped
into piece of thick woods back Of tie house.
Mrs. Marks, hearing the noise, started to come
from her room, but was met BY two Of the.
negroes, who seized her and attempted 10
drag her toward bed standing in corner
of the room. Being woman Of greaf strength
she struggled fearfully, but The rest Of the
gang coming to tho AID Of the two. rite VISA
finally overpowered. They then ilirew hrt
on the bed, tying her arms and feet to the
bedpost4with cords, and proceeded 10 violaie
her person in turn, until all nine oethem had
satisted their hellish passions. While this
was going on an attempt to Violate the person
of,the little girl, who was held BY two Of the
tends in plain sight Of the mother. while
third one accomplished the damnable deed,
a knife having to be used for the purpose.
Tbescreams Of the child were fearful, which
so enraged the demons that they tore her
tongue from her mouth, aud finally beat her
brains out against the stone jam of the FIRE
place and threw the tody into the back yard
Not content with this they seized tho boy.
and after tying him with cords, proceeded to
commit nameless outrage upon his body.
Tho woman who escaped from the house fled
toward Slower Station, but the night being
dark, lost her way, AID did not arrive at Mr.
Appleby's, the nearest neighbor ofs Mrs.
Marks, until about two o'clock in the morn
ing.
She Immediately gave the alarm, and Mr..
Appleby called up his men, and after arming
them, sent off to Robert Slows and the
other neighbors. AS soon as possible they
all took their horses and proceeded 70 Marks,
where they found the house on 6rc, and dis
covered the terrible scene We have described,
but the perpetrators of the deed had fled.
When found, Mrs. Marks was wholly inssn-
sible, and it was with great difficulty that
she was restored to consciousness. George,
the little boy, was found dead on the floor,
bound with cords as they had left him, and
the dead body of Annie. tho little girl, had
been dragged from the yard into the back
stoop, undoubtedly for the purpose Of hav'sg
all traces Of their guilt ubliterated y the Iire
which they had set. 1t is.supposed thst. Tho 3
miscreants Were alarmed by the approach Of
the horses Of Mr.. Appleby and h,s men, and
they scattered to their homes before morning.
The whole country Is aroused, and it will be
difficult for all of the perpetrators Of such
diabolical deed to escape. Tho negro WHO
pretended to have the letter was recognized
By Mrs. Orally, the work woman, Bill
0oSoouY tu0- ICScht ue6Ao na0 4so0fSot Sattui.
date for the Legislature from that district.
he was not to be found the next day. and
his wife said he was going to Mulberry, to .
negro meeting. He is probably seercted
either in the wood or in the huts Of some If
the rest of the gang, but it will be hard for
him to escape, as the whole county is aroused.
No negroes were found absent from home Cor
five miles around, except Batson, and unless
ha is caught it will be very difficult to ferret
out the murderers, on account Of the secret
organizations known to exist among them.
LIFE and property are at the mercy Of The
blacks in nearly the whole South. They re-
fuse to work, and being fed by the Fresamen's
Bureau, arc allowed to live in idleness TO-
perpetrate their fiendish outrsges. Mr, Stokes,
whose plantation is on the Cumberland road,
informs rs that he Gnds it almost impossible
to hire help at any price-all the negroes re.
fusing to work and being supported by tho
bureau. Just bciure the last election Rourly
Two thousanl ratious were dealt out tG Tho
negroes in that district by the hurean agent,
spd Batson had nearly the whole distribution.
The excitement in relation to the murder is
intense, and it was with the utmost dhfculty
that the citizens could be restrained from
wrpsking vengeance indiscriuinately.-Geor.
sia Clarion.