Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-05-18
WHO Is RESPONSIBLE,

an outrage said to have been perpetrated !
upon one W. II. Bays, a minister of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, at
Logan's Chapel, in Blount county. The
story, as published, was SO shocking and
outrageous that we determined at once to
investigate the matter, and if we found it
to be true, to denounce it and call for the
prompt punishment of the offenders. AS
our readers will testify, we have been at
some expense and considerable effort to as
certain the exact truth. We have publish
ed the statements of several eyewitness
men belonging to both political parties
and we are entirely satisfied that we have
given the thing substantially as it happen
ed. We have been very particular to ar
rive at the real truth, as near as is possible
in such cases, because we feel that in the
publication referred to, a great outrage has
been perpetrated upon the people of
Blount county, and upon the reading
members of this community, and because
we are determined that the party who is
guilty shall be exposed 1t is always best
to make reasonable allowance for con-
| flict in the statements of witnesses to such
occurrences, but after giving our cotempo-
rary the benefit of all that, every fair
minded man will admit that in every ma
teral fact the Press and Herald account is
false The statements of the Press and
! Herald to which we invite attention are
as follows:
LIST. That Mr., Bays appointment to
preach having become known, the Rad
icals in the vicinity determined that no
minister of the God of Heaven who be-
longed to the Southern Methodists should
preach in Logan's Chapel, although that
place of worship belonged to the Methodist
| Church SOUTH
I'd. That ''eariy On Sunday morning a
large crowd of whites and blacks assem-
bled before the church, piled up the benches
against the doors and widows and that the
cro,od ,cas armed acith blatdgeons, pistols
and kniues, the latter aOedponS being carried
open in their hands. Threats and curses
were loudly uttered, to the effect that they
would not allow "any damned rebel preach
er to speak in that church" or anywhere
else that they could prevent.
Sd. That as Mr.. Kennedy, Mr.. Bays and
ladies approached the church, the crowd
of armed men were making the Sabbath
morning hideous with their yells. As the
buggy neared the church door, ''the crowd
advanced towards it, and our informants
say that Mr.. Goddard, who is known as
the principal in the whipping of Rev. Mr..
Smith, and Spencer Donaldson, who is
represented to us as man of very immoral
} character, flourished their bludgeonS
) around the head of Mr.. Bays and swore
that if he attempted to alight from his
buggy it would be at the risk of his life, "a
no damned rebel preacher should speak
there that morning. The croaOd fo,risheo
their knives, and aoith many an oath ana
yeU endorsed their leaders, threats. T"
4th. The presence of the ladies alone
preserved Mr.. Bays from the fate of Mr.
Smith. Mr.. Bays spoke kindly to the
= crowd, and Kennedy reasoned with them
but the infuriated men clamored only tn,
louder, and Kennedy, fearing delay nigh
u result in Mr.. Bays being assaulted or muir
> dcrcd, drove away,
Now, we contend that in every materia
z fact, in regard to the violence, characte
: and purpose Of the gathering, the abov'
;, statements are false. They We're 'manu
! featured " by the guilty party for mali
, cious, partisan purposes, or in the hope o
{ acquiring notoriety and the sympath.
such exposure to danger in good caus
/ would naturally provoke. We have show
II from the statement of two of Mr.. Kenne
u dy's sons ard his father-in-law, and from
Mr.. Goddard and-other eye-witnesses, tina
II the gathering aoos quiet that no clubs, lois
tolls or dram knipes 'rere seen ], that no yels
:, curses or 6oisterous language Werc atsod
u and that no fears of violence, mobbing o
murder could have been justly entertaine
u from any acts committed. We say now
e upon the information of two responsible
L men, that Mr.. Kennedy, ST., has admitte
that our statement is true in every mate
u rial fact. In addition to our own report G
the statements of the neighbors about Lo
> gan's Chapel, we might publish the &C
count n given in the Soldiers Gazette, q
VI Maryville, which is in substance the sam
:. as ours, but we deem II unnecessary, as tn
Press and Herald has made no effort /
- sustain its charges. The weight of test
n mony being, therefore, decidedly in on
:. favor, we demand to know of our conten
~ porary who is responsible for its state