The New York herald., 1870-09-17
Barbarity and AtrOcity Of the
Crime.
Full Details Of the Crime, Trial and Sentence
Of the MurdcrerS.
An Interview with One of the
Condemned.
SCENES AT THE EXECUTION.
ISLE OF WIGHT COURT HOUSE, Va,

be remembered on account of the terrible just
enacted here. Four condemned negroes were ush-
cred into eternity for completely in the murder and
highway robbery OF a white man named Joel Gray,
on the night OF the 1lth OF December, 1869. under
circumstances Of great atrocity and barbarity.
THIS APPALLING CRIME
mad its origin in an existing and but too prevalent
an evil among the negroes In Eastern Virginia,
where not only hundreds but thousands of them exc
out precarous existence ostensibly by fishing. but
actually by thieving and making maurading incur
sions on the property Of their white neigh
pors. In the present case the poultry Of q
widow lady named Mrs. Riddick had nightly and
gradually disappeared, until not a solitary
chicken was left to grace the roost She
suspected party OF disreputable negroes IN the
neghborhoOd who neither worked nor made any
pretence of living honestly as the authors OF her
losses, and she communicated her suspicious to Mr..
Joel Gray with view to the detection OF the
guilty persons. Gray, who was an astute man. and
had gained quite reputation as scout in-tne
Confederate signal corps, under Major James MILL
gan, of Norfolk quietly set work to ferret the
thieves, which he soon succeeded in doing. and
would have brought them to justice but for the
timely fate that bee him just al this time. Unfor-
tunately for him, for the preservation OF law and
good order and for the peace Of the community, his
luNcStiEauOuS Ttsullcu III lWpllCduuR VluuCtlVe
negro named Guyannetta Meers as one of the
poultry thieves, whose vote Gray mad once chaL
lenged at an election and prevented its acceptance.
For this outrage on his rights radical republican
Meers had
SWORN TO BE AVENGED
whenever time and opportunity should Oner, and
these were presented perhaps too soon. On the
eventul evening OF Saturday, the 11th OF December
last Gray had business at the country store of Mr.
Richard Channell, In the lower portion OF Isle OF
Wight county, known as "Channell's store" and
there he recognized, in crowd Of negroes, Guyan.
Meta Meers and another named Dick Pearce, both
OF whom he knew 10 be notorious thieves and despe-
rate characters. AS was their custom on Saturday
evening the negroes were variously engaged in bar
tering fish, oysters and poultry, and IN making pur.
chases at the store Soon after his arrival Gray
fronted Dick Peace and q negro named Dawson
Nicely, botn OF whom he charged with the robbery OF
Mrs Riddick's poultry and quite alteration en-
sued. which was happily terminated before 1t could
result seriously by Mr.. Channell the storekeeper,
who drew Gray into the store from the negroes, who
were infuriated and threatening In their aspect,
evidently meaning mischief. In this difficulty
the negro Guyannetta Meers took an active
part, making violent demonstrations at Gray and
threatening him with dire vengeance should he
get his hands on him. For considerable period
Gray remained within the store, while the negroes
still hung around without, muttering threats and
consulting together In low and omlnOus tones, ev-
IDENTITY perfecting plot for
THE MURDER OF GRAY,
as the sequel shows. Darkness had covered the
earth; but as If fearful OF some impending danger
Gray remained at Channell's store until the moon
snone with hazy, misty sort Of light through
mass Of ieecy clouds. AT about nine O'Clock P. M.
he took his departure, solitary and alone In the d.
rection OF another store, known as "Bunkley's"
some two or three miles distant, and not far from
Bem's church. This was his route home, but the
unfortunate man was destined never to reach 1t.
The negroes-Dawson, Neely and Dick Pearce-with
whom Gray had had the difficulty, had
left for their homes but with malice still ranking IN
his breast at the recollection of his challenged
vote, Guyannetta Meers remained behind waiting
and Watching an opportunity to De revenged on his
his brethren only too willing and anxious 80 second
him In any plan NJ ne IN might propose, and soon he or.
Gray and murder and rob him. This
BAND OF ASSASSINS
were named respectively Alfred Bunkley Peter
Nuby, Jacob Wallace, Noses Nuby, Henry COsten
and Guyannetta Meers. 1t was not long after Gray
had left the that they set out in pursuit of nm
but SO quickly did he walk that ne had well nigh
him. Travelling with all haste they had got half
way without discovering their victim, when they
luct Ill IOdu hODcTJ GOOuWlu, JlW FERGUSON
and his wife and another woman named Lizzie
East. OF these the murderers inquired whether
they had passed Gray, ana receiving an Affirmative
reply as well as the distance he was ahead, they
again pressed on in hot pursuit, and were soon re-
warded with sight Of him. With an instructive ap-
prehension that some terrible fate hung over him.
Gray stopped as he heard the negroes approach
He drew from his pocket long baded claspkn knife,
which he opened, and as Meers and his party got
within some twenty PAGES OF him he commanded
them to halt. This tney refused 70 do, and Meers,
acting as spokesman for the crowd, said Gwen be
Finding that he could not successfully
cope with so many Gray then resorted to conciiatory
terms, and advancing few steps toward them, said
extending his hand. Meers replied, ayes, It Is me;
but III be id II shake hands with you" These
words had scarcely dropped from his lips when ne
with club which sent him reeling to the ground.
He fell to usethe expression Of a witness, on "au
fOursr but he quickly raised the right hand still
holding his knife in attitude Of defence over his
head. he assassins then rushed upon him and with
q vigorous use OF their murderous clubs he was soon
a bleeding corpse. The pockets OF the murdered man
were then rled, and satisfied with their demoniacal
work the ends ned for fear Of detection leaving the
a living breathing human being On the foiowine H
Sabbath morning the people who were thrOnging to
church were horrified BY the discovery Of
THE MUTILATED BODY OF A MURDERED MAN
lying In the road not far from Bunkley's store.
Those who first saw 1t refused to touch II. None
were there In the crowd that soon assembled around
the terrible spectacle who recognized the mass OF
torn fesh, backened gore, and crushed bones. as
the remains OF Mr.. Joel Gray, with whom they
were all intimately acquainted. During the night
the ravenous starved hogs which roam wild through
the woods In this section mad scented the mur-
dered mans blood, and like the wolves on the pra-
ries they rushed to their prey and soon the corpse
torn ana disngured hey 0nd all hope OF recogni-
ton. The barbarous work began by the human nends
was terribly finished by the beasts OF the forest 1t was
only by the discovery OF some papers In the pockets
of the murdered mans clothes that he was at ali
Identtfed and these, coupled with the fact Of mis-
disappearance and the scene at Channells
store the previous evening, soon brought
of the hOrrined and now fearfully excited
people The news Of the terrible event soon spread
with the rapidfty ealmost OF electricity throughout
the country, and the prevailing excitement grew
more and more intense as the people assembled at
ine scene of the murder. An inquest was speedily
held at which facts sufIlcient to mplicate Guyan-
META Meers Alfred Bunkey, Peter Nuby, Jacob
Wallace Moses Nuby and Henry Costen IN the MUIR
der were ELECTED, and warrants were at once issued
Tor
A strong posse was summoned, which. IN charge
OF an oicer, proceeded to capture the above named
parties Alfred Bunkley was first secured, and he
quickly confessed that he was IN the party, but
mt Ha