Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-21
MURDER WILL OUT"
Another Chapter in the Hind
man HOrrOr-The Mys- 5iI
terry Solved at Last.
Arrest Of the Murderer Start
ling Confessions OF Prison.
erS In the Helena Jail.
The Assassination Part OF a
Plot to Burn the Town and
Murder Prominent
Conservatives.

The particulars of the horrid murde
of Gen. II. C. Hindman, in Helena, Ark.
last fall, are yet fresh in the public mind
While the General was sitting, after tea
in the midst of his family, the stillnes:
of the air was broken by the sharp crack
Of a gun. A ball whizzsd through q win.
dew and Gen. Hindman fell forward from
his chair, MORALLY wounded.
That the deed was the act of some o.
the Radicals there could be no doubt;
but every effort to fix the crime on the
perpetrators failed until Tuesday morn.
ing. By the merest accident everything
connected with the affair was brought to
light.
Several weeks before Gen. Hindman's
murder notorious negro outlaw, who
had murdered black and white men and
ravished women, was hanged by mob,
after desperate affray in whicha deputy
sheriff was murdered. This was in
September.
Early Tuesday morning two negroes
confined in the Helena jail, on trivial
charges, were cOnVersing in their cell.
A few words spoken above the low tones
employed, attracted the attention Of an,
other negro, an inmate Of an adjoining
cell. These told of plot and murder,
and the startled prisoner became q most
attentive listener. The two prisoners
seemed deeply interested in the subject,
and as the conversation progressed,
enough was CLEANED to startle the caves
dropper almost out of his senses.
Could it be possible? These two
blacks were coOlly commenting on the
miscarriage of plot whose partial exe-
cution sent the most distinguished citizen
of the community into eternity, and
whose conclusion would have laid a town
in ashes and added score to the SOL
itary murder.
The two prisoners and seven other
blacks had been members of the gang
of the lynched outlaw, and all had sworn
to wIeik terrible vengeance for his
DEATH In council it was deliberately
plotted to burn Helena and murder Gen.
Hindman and several other conservative
citizens. The night for its execution was
the night on which Hindman was MUIR
dered. A negro, named Charles Porter,
accompanied by one Of the narrators and
another, went to Hindmans yard. Por-
ter was selected to fire the fatal shot, and
fulfilled his mission. His ball shattered
the glass and performed the murder.
The remainder of the plot failed.
Those deputized 10 fire the town could
not summon sufficient courage
The listener to these horrid reveal
tions lost little time in communicating
them to the jailer. The two prisoners
were taken out and questioned. One of
them expressed willingness to make a
confession, and was taken before mag
istrate. He told the entire story, giving
the names of every fiend connected with
the plot. Porter, who fred the shot,
was found and arrested, as were two or
three others of the nine consl irators.
The revelations produced the most in
tense excitement. Nothing else was
thought of or discussed in Helena yester-
day; and there was talk of lynching the
prisoners, but no such action had been
taken at last accounts.
P. S.-Since the above was written We
have learned of the arrest Of all the ne>
grOes-nine in all--connected with this
horrible affair.-Hemphis AUdlanche,
March Is.