Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-24
RADICAL JUsTnCE I'm EAST TEN
NEsSEE.


NESSEE.
The Greeneville Union of the goth
inst, gives us an insight into the manner
in which Radical juries in East Tennes-
see dispose of cases brought before them
in which Radical and s'Rebel" are
parties TO suits. That paper says: g
''Since the sitting of the present Circuit
Court In Jonesboro' two causes have been
tried which should be noticel. &
1.-THE first was an action for damages
brought by one Hartman (who claims the
prefix of Dr., AGAINST one carson, vino
was a Confederate enrolling officer. The
charge was that Carson refused to give
exemption papers" to the quasi Doctor,
and that not having such papers he was
arrested and put into the Rebel army, or
in prison, and for this failure of duty,
Carson was liable for damages. The proof
was, that Carson being called upon on the
highway, away from his Office, refused to
issue said papers. The court charged,
that the Confederacy being no govern
ment Carson was no officer; had no du-
ties to perform as an officer, and could
not be held liable in damages for not do
ing what there was no law to compel him
to do. Yet 8 higher law was found to be
embodied in HRebel Enrolling Officer"
and ''Union man. A packed jury could
not but see in this failure to do what law
required not, an aiding, abetting and en-
couraging of the arrest, and verdict OF
some 1915 was rendered ID favor of the
plaintiff.
'1n the second case it was another mans
bull who gored the OK. 1t was a Radical
with a cudgel in hand and two pistols
belted around him, who met a Rebel,
"a little unarmed Dutcbman) on the high
way, knocked him from his horse, beat
him; threatened to blow out his brains if
he opened his-mouth to speak; refused to
let him pursue his journey to Jonesboro'
until third party interfered; charged the
Dutchman with being accessory to burn
ing his barn, for which criminal prose
cution was threatened; offered many
other indignities, and placed the
Rebel in state of distressing fear.
Under fear of his life the Dutchman was
induced to compromise all differences,
causes of action and damages, before ar
bitratOrs of opposite politics, whose award
was that the Dutchman must execute his
note to the Radical for the sum of 5000.
Though the award was not final, as some
thing remained to be done, and conse-
quently void; though void because of
compromising a felony; though void be-
cause the Dutchman was laboring under
great fear during the whole transaction,
yet this award was, before packed jury,
a sufficient defense to an action fol-
damages brought by the Dutchman against
the Radical"
1t appears that the juries in both these
cases were composed wholly of Radicals,
and hence the character of verdicts they
rendered. 1t appears to be the practice OF
officers in summoning juries in East Ten.
nessee to try cases in which political ques.
lions are involved in some way or other,
to select them wholly from the Radical
party. The Union says: 'tFrom The
manner in which juries of peculiar politi-
cal prejudices are packed in many of the
counties in East Tennessee, where a cause
originates from political differences, q
Rebel can no more get impartial justice
melted out, than can a Cuban insurgent
get Justice from the hands of Spanish
drum head court-martial Not that jurors
would, or at least large portion of them,
perjure themselves, but because preju-
dice a0iU swelve judgment; and where
all entertain the same prejudices all
are sweryed in one direction-hence in
justice is done the person against whom
the prejudices operate" This is the man.
ner in which the laws are administered
and justice dealt out in many of the coun-
ties of East Tennessee. The men who
are placed on juries in the trial of cases
ike those referred to above, are usually
of that rabid class who believe that a
''Rebel'|has no rights which any body
ought to respect, and their decisions are
in conformity with the opinion they en-
terrain. This is the sort of rule which
the Radical reconstructionists are seeking
to perpetuate In Tennessee. If they can
persuade Congress to set aside our present
State government we shall have this sys-
TEN of administering 'justice" inaugu-
rated throughout the state.
The Bristol Meas of the 22d instant
has the following paragraph which gives
us a glimpse of the reign Of terror that
has existed in Washington county:
1.-THE nicely laid plans OF some of the
Radical mice of Washington county are
topping over like card houses. During
the reign of terror in 1865, Mr.. r. G.
Burson was waited upon at his home in
the silence and darkness of the night by
a mob of loyal assassins and after being
by them cruelty and brutally beaten was
expelled from the county under pain of
immediate death. As the ring leader of
this mob he recognised one T. S. Cox,
who became the surety of one DIR. Hum
phreys that he might bring damage suit
against Isaac Deyault. In that act he said
Cox made oath that he was worth $50, 900,
a very snug little sum for any loyalisttopo
sess. He then preceded to bring suit against
his absent victim, BursoD, who had lefta
snug farm of over 100 acres. This suit
came TO grief and in the good time of
Jehovah things began to wear a better as
pect in Washington county and Mr.. Bur
son brought suit against the said L. S. Cox
for only a third of his nice estate,
say $40, 900, at which sum he rated the
loss of his wagon, team, stock, and other
personal property and also the ruin of his
farm. At this stage of the game the said
Cox proceeded to place his $50, 900 in
other hands and was ready we suppose to
swear he possessed not even so much as
30, 900 cents. Then began to appear
the incidentals, not least of which was the
fact that DR.. Humphreys being ruled to
give new security failed to give itand was
forced TO draw his reluctant claws out of |
Mr. Isaac DeVault."
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