Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-04-12
THE LOYAL MILITIA.
Their Raids and 0utrages I'm
Haywood County, Tenn.
mil l. lk1g.

dOipge CT the Jenbe see lOyei tniilIaS
while upon their recent raid to this VI
cinity, holding it, as l do, to be the duty
OF those competent to the tssk-that 1sr
fhose who have had capacity and oppor-
tunity for observation-to lay before the
world the inner workings OF the military
despotism at present established over
Tennessee. Living in the immediate
vicinity of that portion OF country
against which the raid Wss directed, and
having not only observed the enOTmi-
ties INT ia common with msRy others
Of INV neighbors heFeab0uts, suf-
sred them in my own property
and person, 1 think shall De
able to sketch 8 few occurrences
which will snow up the charac-
tef Of the large and formidable body OF
bandits now stationed at Humboldt,
West Tennessee, and called by the Rsd-
ieals a. The Tennessee State Guards"
out known by the people generally by
that late synonym for outrage, ROBBERY
and pluDder, " militiR.H Dreadful and
dresdedensma The bare mention OF IL
| in the family circle causes the men 10
| COMPRESS their lips and their faces 10
0rov stern the mstTcn TO turn paler,
And east anxious glsnces upon her little
! brood gathered around and the child
ren, as il by instinct, TO cling closer 70
| ths sides of their natural protectors.
! The terrible crimes which these licsnsea
murderers and robbers have lately COM
mitted ia Arkansas, sud those Whicn
! nave transpired, and are stiH trsnsp'r-
/ ing. in Tennessee, have given TO tue
taTm UmilifisU a horrible Significance.
Some time last tall = negro named Rsd-
| monS-whO bad been carrying on q
/ blscksniith shop in this Deigbborhood,
suddenly disappeared, and the next
tbino that was heard OF him,
ne was at Nashville, ende&vor-
ling 10 prevail upon the
/ authorities there to furnish him nili-
tsrv force to return to the neighoOThOod
Of his shop 10 enforce payment OF the
dabts due to him for his blacksmith
/ work, il being Impossible, he represented,
/ TO obtain satisfaction by civil means
! Accordingly, when the late militia force
\ yes raised, Redmond was furnished with
a squad composed OF LieGtslshV anu
! twenty or twenty tive men. IIey re-
! msineCI in the neigh OOThOod several days,
| Ievvipg their contributions upon the peO-
ME proniscu0usly, alleging in each esse,
! however, that the individual wss in
dabted to Redmond in the amount de-
mgnded. The people, too badly scared
to gaipeay their demands, and glad
! enough to get of with merely pecuni-
arv mulct, complied promptly with their
requirements. At length, one night,
about ten o'clock, the squad pretended
! to take fright at the threatened attack oi
a body E snknowu men that is, IL
| the villAs Of WOOdviie, ABOUT
| mile distant, they heard the dis
| charge Of two guns and one or
two shouts, and hastily gathering up
their baggage, they started in the dark
] Ll-7r Gg-alf ~
miles distant, on foot, y hich they reached
| the next morning, entirely relieved OF
! their scare, if they had ever bsFn scared,
! but terribly mad and loud in their de-
] clarstions thSt northwestern Haywood
! was a doomed country. AfeW days sfJer
! this, a battalion, consisting OF ABOUT
| hundred and fifty men, returned to
/ Woodvi!la. They were loud IN tnelr
! threats OF bloOdshed, and disturbed the
Aeuuauimity Of the com munity 80 Htue.
They made several arrests, bat those
| whom Ii was thought would be most 90
noxi0us TO them, he8ring OF Inelr come
! ing, took occasion To keep cot OF TIE way.
! They arrested DR.. Swanson, Of Wood
vile, 3 highly respectable gentlemen,
upon the charge Of completely in Wnlp-
pipg negro The battalion was camped
l in WOodyIlle IN snd around the Masonic
/ Hall, The Messrs. Cheney, merchants
| OF Woodville, and friends to DR.. Swan
son, went to the MsjOr command
! irg, and requested to he allowed TO
! have the doctor in their keeping until
| tho day when be would be required to
answer their charges, binding them
selves in whatever penalty the mtJ
might exact, to produce him On the day
specified. phe MajOr paTleyed with them
! some time about it, and at last DECIDED
/ ., Fph- rf p 2
but that he might be taken into an upper
room Of the Masonic Hall, and their
kept, separate from the soldiers, TO sVoid
their insults and abuse. Ascending TO
| the door OF the upper room, they dlscov
cred that they bad no key to unlock Il,
gud one of the party was about to return
To bring key, when the MsJJT told him
he needn't trouble himself, for he had q
bQuch o. keys in his pocket, some one OF
which would it any lock in the country
j whereupou, producing large bunca OF
| KEYS, OF every conceivable pattern, ne
soon found ore that fitted the loeEi and
the door wss opened.
Bennett Griffith had 8 grocery 10
Woodville, and having heard that DIS
arrest was threatened by the bandits ne
betock himself to the bushes having
first instructed his CLERK, Monroe Andst-
son, to lock the door OF his grocery,
and not to open it while the force re-
ms!ned. The Erst night that the Osttsl-
ION staid ia WOOdviile, the MAJOR oy
means of his magic keys, vent into tDe
grocery and helped himself and mess 70
candles, saTdiBes, oysters, wnlsByi FCc',
but carefully excluded all others. It ~
ssid thst he never did go into the grocery
In daytime, but at night the would open
it and supply his mess for the nt4I H
twenty four bOuTs. Finding that ms
mess could not by itselieXhaust the gro
cery OF its contents during their stay Is
the neigf lborhood, on the night oe'ore
they lef, he took mis- whole battalion over
, and bade them reyel After they Ell
Anderson entered the grocery and found
things in wreck, and every thin 6 @.u-
, able that could be transported, caTrleo
away. This is one instance OF many o.
the same sort.
A squld OF seven, composed OF one ne
gro and six white men, came to my
mouse, and l being absent from home
; they iufOl med my wife that she must
, pay them for Redmond thirteen dollars
S1e was fortunatSelSugh to have the
money, and paidA&n. L, however,
Justly owed Redmond eight dollars; SO
that the amount of steaiage in this trz MS
action was only five dollars. They then
/
, for them, which she did. Proceeding to
the lot with their horses, each carried
} out and stTewed around bis horse
enough forage for half 8 dozen horses,
reminding one of the days when the
Yankee cavalry preyed upon US; when
the principle upon raid seemed to be,
Consume all you can, boys, and destroy
what you don't consume. They took m y
! Methodist hymn-b0Ok, my little boy's
3 books, pair Of socks belonging to an or.
g phan boy at my house, one set of tea,
4 spoons, one Of tablespoons, one fine
comb, etc. They seemed to think they
had perfect right TO anything they fan
G ed.
Can you tell. US. Mr.. Eiitor, what
is to become OF US? Is this "reign a
? terror" tn last always? We though
D when the Union arms triumphed In thC
t late war, and peace was declared to reigI
q from Mexico to Maine, and when tha
q peace continued Unbroken for wears, with
! no disposition manifested in any section
= of the Union OF among any class of peo
i ple-not even among the disfranehiseC
masses OF the SOuth-to disturb it tina
We would be permitted to enjoy th,
| Al g,f ostr hnvoaa olf \