The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-07-13
eVrRAGEs IN GEORGIA.
A Negro Whipped 10 Death-AtrOcl-
ties OF the Past.
ATLANTA, Ca, Correspondence of the New
York Sun, July l.

outrage perpetrated upon a family oil
colored people, near Highcastle, In
Forsyth County, in this State, have
just reached the city, the information
being brought by a gentleman direct
from the scene of the outrage. The
facts of the affair are substantially as
follows:
Some two weeks ago, about one
o'clock in the morning, party OF
nine or ten masked men surrounded
the cabin Of a colored man named
Walker, occupied by himself, wife
and sister as a residence, and, break
ing epen the door, dragged the in
mates from their beds and into the
open air, tied them, bound and gagged
to trees, and with heavy horsewbips
whipped them until they were in
sensible.
The fiends then left their victims,
still bound to the trees, remounted
their horses and rode away. The
next morning the poor creatures were
discovered by a party of laborers
going to their work, who Immediately
released them from their fastenings
and gave the alarm.
The sufferings Of the three poor
wretches, after returning to coneious-
ness, throughout the long terrible
night, may be imagined but not de-
scribed.
The three sufferers were at once re
moved to their cabin, and everything
done to ease their pain that was pos
sible for the poor people, their
friends, to do. The man. however,
has since died from the effect of his
wounds, while his wife and sister still
lie in very critical condition. .---
The bodies of the poor women my
informant describes to me as being
covered with long, deep gashes, the
marks Of the lashes being confined to
no particular part of the victims per.
having been completely stripped be-
fore the whipping. @
The causes that led TO the perpetra-
ton of this outrage rest in the refusal
of the deceased man Walker to leave
the country, be having been frequent
~ warned that it would be best for
him to do so. 1t seems that Walker
had been cultivating on shares the
farm of one of the residents
of the county, and by much
exertion had succeeded Ia getting in
a large crop of corn. The crop no
longer requiring attention till harvest
time, and it giving promise of q heavy
yield. has excited the cupIdity Of the
owner of the land to get entire pos
session of the crop, and therefore save
TO himself the share that would right
fully belong to Walker.
With this purpose in view he had
for some time past been subjecting
Walkerto insults and unjust treat
ment: but Walker was not IN that
way to be forced out of partic-
ipatiOn IN the fruits of his hard labor,
and so has borne every indignity and
wrong In humble silence.
Two days before the outrage upon
the negro and his family, the proprie-
tor of the land had occasion to leave
home, returning 10 Higheastle the day
after its committal. His assumed
surprise and affected Indignation at
learning of the outrage upon his ten
ant deceived no one; but, on the coz
trory, from its palpable insincerity.
convinced everybody that the man
himself, if not a participant, was at
least an accessory to the whipping.
Two Of the party engaged IN the out
rage were recognized by the women,
and two days after the whipping, war.
rants for the arrest Of the men were
placed in the hands of one of the offi.
GERS of the county. But there the
matter rests. One of the leading and
inhueniialsmen Of Highcastle, Wilkie
by name, when appealed to by Mr
HOlliushed, the Notary Public who
issued the warrants, TO exert his in
huence to bring the perpetrators of
the dastardly atroeity TO justice, vic
lently opposed the idea of making any
arrests, giving as his reasons for such
a course that the presence of a few
Ku-Kiux in the county was necessary
to keep the freedmen In proper dis.
cipline.
It is intended to ley the whole
matter before General Terry, the mil
itary commander of the State; but il
is feared it will be impossible to bring
to trial any of the gang engaged 10
whipping of the negroes, the general
character of the inhabitants of For
syth County, and their known SYM
pathy with the marauders, precluding
the hope that any member of the
Khan can be arrested.
It was 10 this same county that the
old man Hutchins and his two sons
were summarily huug one morning by
the roadside, in front of their own
dwelling, the former being suspended
to the limb of tree by an old OK
chain; the two latter by green withes
eCt from the bushes.
The only crime alleged against this
unhappy trio was their unfaltering
devotion to the Union cause. 1t wa:
In this same county, also, that the
lamented Colonel Ashley, with twelve
Of his men and a boy guide, were
brutality murdered in cold blood
The manner 10 which death was
melted out to this brave little band
by their inhuman captors, has no par.
allel In the annals of savage butchery
The twelve men were chained to
gether by the wrist in pairs. They
we're then despatched with reviewers
one at a time. one of the men of each
pair being compelled to witness the
death struggles of his companion.
When the first victim had expired
the second one was executed, and 81
on. The brave Col. Ashley shared
in company with his little guide. thu
same fate of his men. The little guide
a mere child, and ignorant OF having
committed any crime, prayed earnestl!
to be spared his life. but it was de
MED him. The bodies of these four
teen martys to the Union cause werr
thrown by their inhuman executioner
into OLe common pit. Their bore
have since the war been removed t
the national cemetery at Marietta, ant
decently inferred.
And as if the above were not eno1gl
to complete the list Of horrors com
mitted in that unhappy country, it j
there where lives the brave woman
who, to make her divulge the hidin