Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-13


The result of the election was well received, and
all were pleased, although they had to concede the
defeat of some favorite candidate Who the indi
vidual votes were cast for do not know except my
own. 1t was then moved that each member should
be assessed certain amount of money to defray the
incidental expenses Of carrying the object Of the
committee, and the meeting adjourned. the members
leaving the hall in the usual manner in pairs and
at five minute intervals Before adiourning, how
ever, a meeting of the T" Assassination Committee
was called for noon next day, and they met in q
building not hundred miles from Jefferson street.
and proceeded to discuss how it was best 70 manip-
ulsts old Unctuous, as / used to call him in re-
peTt0rial days The committee was divided into
subcommittee and from two o o'clock that afternoon
until the next meeting, Barbour Lewis was shad-
owed, but his shddoa0 had strict instructions from
me to commit no overt act until authorized Had
it not been for that Lewis hands would now be out
of the county treasury Various plans were sug
geeted and discussed, the rope the dagger and the
pistol, and Of the committees appointed was for
the selection of suitable tree which to hang the
object of the enmity of this Base Ball or Glee
Club II was selected, and l viii also tell you,
Messrs. Editors, where it is situated. immediately
IN rear Of the Catholic graveyard snd between
Dunlap avenue and the Jewish graveyard on the
left hand side going out of town toward the Jewish
Cemetry, is a vacant lot of large dimensions on
which is now growing three trees, which form an
irregular triangle the trees being from twenty to
thirty feet apart It the middle one of this trio
forming as 1t were the apex of the triangle, which
these "TeLigi0xsty 1lsrtarCd young men selected
for my friend Barbour's benefit On this tree iut-
ting toward the street. comes out limb square from
the trunk, which limb these religiousy nurtur-
ed "Sixteen intended to have thrown rope and
most rctig;oasLy hung the gentlemen. So you see,
Mr.. Editor they had selected through member of
their committee, the gallows tree between two YER
table places of skulls. forgot to say in Il pro-
per place that the Office of Mr.. Lewis, on Second
street, was most critically examined bv 6iferent
members Of the committee, and Of ore time !. was
thought probable that it would be god place for
little quiet recreatve strsngulstion. At the next
meeting told the "religiously nurtured individ-
uas that it was not safe to do anything of the kind
because some of tho members Of the organization
bad been talking too much with their mouths
and the fact of the existence of the society was
known, and that myself had been followed as l
thought. for some time, by McCune and Hastings,
two of Beaumonts detessives, and that was salts
fed that unless the utcost caution was observed We
would be arrested aud some eight ten of US came
to the conclusion to withdraw from such indsereet
associates for one wish / had, for then l would
never have had this most unpleasant duty to my
self 10 perform. True to instincts the unfortu-
nate event happened, rendered doubly so by the
foolishness Of tho Sixteen" in follow ing foolish
counsels in foolshly trying TO fasten upon me the
charge Of treason" when the burden Of all my adj
vice to them was secrecy, caution and to trust no
man in the organization that each and every one of
us could not give our lives to. No man can be moro
sorry for the injury which may result from this
communication. l am not responsible for it. On
the Memphis Daily appeal it should, must and shall
all rest Had il pursued the sensible course Of the
Ardtanehe, and allowed. what consider the grea.
Of life my association with such things
TO remain in the tomb Of the Capulets" in which
had hoped it buried, no word would Beaumont
have heard from me on the subject. / have done
! am responsible for my own acts, but the acts of
boy or sage shall never be saddled upon nv shoul
ders without an indignant and energetic protest.
Yours, JACK Campbell
Memphis, April 20.