The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-29

YANcEYvHLE, Caswer County, July 20. 1870
The excitement over the arrest of twenty eight
of the Oldest, most influential and wealthiest cit
gems, who are now in close confinement in the
Court House here grows more intense each day.
BY instructions from Colonel Kirk, commanding
che East Tennessee jay-hawkers and free. hooters,
mo person is admitted to see the prisoners, and
the apprehension that some of them may
he tried and convicted on irresponsible testimony
by court Of Kinks ignorant, illiterate and par
*isan officers, and perhaps executed by his
band. keeps the community in a terrible
state of ferment and suspense. Should such
unparalleled outrage as this take place
it Ia impossible to conjecture the result
but 1t is certain beyond doubt that terrible
retribution would follow if the blood of any of the
citizens be shed. The most impartial investi.
cation fails to develop even the shadow of q rea-
son for the arrest of the class of men now impri-
soned here, except that they are the victims of
Governor Holden's malignty, whose evident OBJ
Sect it is to precpate civil conflict. and IL pos
bible throw the State back under military rule.
If this can be doubted q brief mention of who
THE PRISONERS
now in the military bastile here are will make it
clear and conclusive, as suoh men could not pos
sibly be mixed up in any of the disorders or out.
RACES alleged to have been committed in this and
adjoining counties -
DR.. N. M. Roam Ia sixty-seven years Of age, of
high character, eminent in his profession of spotess
reputation and for over thirty years leading
member of the Presbyterian Church. Hon. John
n. Kerr, ex-member of Congress, ex,judge of the
Superior Court, former wing candidate for Cover
nor, an orator of national reputation and gentle
man of high character and moral worth, now
ttlfty-eight years of age DR.. Albert G. Yancey is
over fifty years Of age, leading and exemplary
Citizen, member of the Baptist Church and IS the
Coroner for the county j. G. Griffith. the Sheriff
of Caswell, pronounced by the radical Judge
Tourgee to be the best Sheriff and peace officer in
his district, is over fifty years Of age and is re-
,speoted by all classes in the community. j. NJ
Meal is merchant of long standing who CON-
mands the confidence of everybody, and il Q man
of most unquestionable integrity, was never
known to have . personal difficulty in his life,
and is now ffty-fve years of age. Hon. s.
p. Hill is o gentleman of fine legal
attachments, an extensive practitioner, former
member in both branches of the State Legsla.
ture, was and is now the counsel of the family of
late ex-senator Stephens. who was murdered, is 4
p man of high character, sngularly diligent in
behalf of his clients, and now about fifty years Of
age. Colonel F. A. Wiley, former Sheriff Of this
county who resigned the position to give entire
attention to his farm, is fifty years Of age of high
moral character, law.abiding citizen, and per.
'sonally one of the most popular men among all
political parties in the county. Yancey Jones,
Former merchant and tobacco manufacturer well
known in New York, is over fifty years of age, an
orderly and peaceable citizen, of the strctest in
tegrity, and at present one of the Board of Com
5missioners for the county. William B. Brown,
'pne of the largest farmers in Caswel, is
now sixty-fve years Of age, leading
member of the Methodist Church for over
thirty years, former member Of the
Legislature. and gentleman of high social stand
ling in the community. j. c. Williamson, Bay
Graves, T. j. Womack and j. T. Mitchell are all
large farmers and prominent citizens of good
moral character, members of different churches
and. as they all are, peaceable and law abiding
1ctzens.
was sent here by Judge Mitchell, of the Superior
Court Of the district to serve the wrts Of habeas
corpus for the Caswell prisoners on Colonel
George w. Kirk, and, having performed this duty,
the writs. when squad of Kinks jay-hawkers on
horseback arrested him and confined him in the
Court House, where he now is. The Aamance
prisoners are of the same stamp, men who are the
benefaCtors, advisers and leaders of the communi.
ties in which they live and if to immune them in
dungeons, deny their friends the bare privilege Of
speaking to them "a man was even arrested for |
Blowing to one of them in the street,, |
and refuse them the sacred right of the |
writ of habeas corpus-f this is not done by q
hired band of Tennessee Outcasts for the purpose
then the people ask, What is it done for? The |
Governor however successful he has been in |
creating outrages through the means of the |
leagues of which he is the president in the State,
vyi al nua " in hia
MURDEROUS DESIGNS
Din Caswell and Alamance counties where the |
people are determined to abide by the civil law,
be the consequences what they may. The Presi- |
dent Of the United States has recently given bis |
assurance to the Hon. Bedford Brown Of this |
county, that no more arrests should be made by |
the militia Or State troops, except in aid of the
been informed that no mans life was safe in Cas-
well, that citizens were shot, down in
.he .; streets. on the Highways and that
RACES Now in contradiction OF these reports I |
have the assurance of two officers of the United |
States army, now here, that they meyer knew q
community before in their lives; and the only two
murders committed In the county since the close
of the war were those of which the Stephens fam
lily were the victims. The first OF these was the
Stephens mother, at his residence, in the broad
daylight. She was found lying at her bedside on
the floor Of the chamber with deep cash
IN ner turoat 1upPOsou W nave Deen made
by lath Ratchet. Va She was an old.
decrepit, wornout woman eighty years of |
age, and weighing, about eighty pounds;
murder shortened the few days or months she had
to live, and upon the inquest her daughter-in-
Jaw, Mrs. Stephens, explained that the old woman
had fallen upon an article of chamber furniture,
which made the cash in her throat, and the pieces
of which were then In the yard as she had thrown
thom out. This all that could be elected at the
Inquest. For the murder of Senator Stephens It
cannot be ascertaned who is directly responsible.
A prominent politician il said to have told num-
Der OF negroes from this county In Raleigh that
Stephens was not the man to lead the party In |
Caswell and that
''HB MUST BE GOT RID or" oiiA
Among the negroes this man is regarded as an