Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-08-31
ALABAMA KUKLUK oUTRAeEs.
Seven Men Murdered in One Night-Details
Of the Bloody Deed.

Inc IollOMlnk - hN'' SNAA
tleman of the highest character and the utmost
confidence may be placed in his statement;
PAToNA Ala, Aug "a, 1870.
Ep1ToRs MISUNDERSTANDING Chattanooga
last night at 7:40 on the State road, we soon
found ourselves at Dalton, and ready for the
train on the Selma, Rome and Dalton road,
which unexpectedly was not ready for us. a
company of soldiers were to be transported to
Patona. eighty miles down the road, and owing
TO some mismanagement, cars had to be provid-
ed which detained us for a full hour and a half
but at length we were off, packed like sardines
and as facetious individual expressed It, IN
"deviish uncool condition" Arrived at Patona,
we found depot building, a small hotel and
half Il round house, with extensive preparations
for permanent shops for this very important line
of railroad, and the preliminary e&amlhau91 OF
witnesses in connection with the fearful hukluN
tragedy of the 18th Of July, in the village of
Cross Plains, some three-fourths of mile up the
road from this point j confess to being sur,
prised at the little apparent interest manifested
in this trial throughout the country. Seldom II
ever in our history has anything so devilish and
inhuman been perpetrated anywhere or under
any circumstances. Five men hung and two
shot in one night. Seven victims, six colored
and one white, coolly murdered without a pre-
tense and without law Tho facts in brief as
near rs / can gather after no little inquiry are
substantially as follows:
On Sunday evening, July 10th, a number Of
negroes from Patona were at the depot mt Gross
Plans about the tlne the Train came aloig lIu
Selma, when Pat Craig. young man from the
neighbJrhOod, rode up and ordered Wiley
Moon, one of the negroes, to hold his mule.
| Wiley did SO, but when the train came in the
mule got away. Craig was offended, and push
cd him off the platform Green Little, another
negro, made some remark, when Craig pushed
him off also, when Little picked up a stick and
threw at Craig. Craig then threw something at
him, when the negroes ran away and went back
to Patona. That night, some eight or ten of the
Namn IN town AGAIN. for the
purpose of trouble, bnt this is not clearly shown
as yet. At all events, at the time meeting
closed party of young men, and Craig among
the rest. came down the street, with others, and
meeting the negroes, collision occurred when
some twenty or more shots were exchanged,
with no damage except the wounding in the
back of one of the negroes. There seems to be
some doubt as to who commenced the firing the
Cross Plains people claiming thRt the negroes
were the aggressors, and rice versa. At any
rate, the same parties were in this affair and the
trouble at the depot. The negroes, who were in
the employ of the Railroad Company at Patona,
ran home at once, and the citizens of Gross
Plains Immediately prepared for an attack evil
IDENTIFY expecting more trouble. They sent into
the country for the Sheriff stationed patrols
about the town and were evidentlyin considera-
Bile force. Nothing further having been heard
from the negroes, a party started for Patona
about three o'clock in the morning. and arrested
some FIVE in all and brought them to trial before
a Mr.. Nabers a Justice of the Peace. at Cross
| Plains During the examination, some one tes-
tilted that he thought white man resembling a
| Mr. Luke a Canadian, and teacher in the col
ored school, was with the negroes during tho
| shooting the night before and Luke was also
| arrested. Night coming on before the examine
| ton closed, the negroes were placed in charge
of strong force on the piazza of vacant store
| in town for the night, and the white man, Luke
taken to the hotel under guard and placed in Il
room by himself Early in the night, another
| nero was arrested at Patona, without warrant,
and placed on the piazza with the others. I'm
derpretense that there might be trouble the
landlord requested that Luke be taken from his
house, which was done about eleven % clock,
| and he also placed on the piazza with the other
| prisoners.
| At about twelve o clock the same night COM
| pany of Ku-Klux, variously estimated Mt from
twenty to thirty, came into Cross Plains, drove
| away the guard, seized the prisoners and taking
| them about a half mile from the village hung
| three and shot two others, and the same night,
some distance from town, two other men were
| hung, all colored except one, the schoolmaster,
| Lake. The bodies of these hung wereleft hang
| ing till the morning of the second day. Luke
was allowed to write a letter to his wife which
was left on stump near his body for which
| purpose a light and paper had been procured al
a house near by. The others, it seems, left nc
message. The shooting was of the most bruta
character, and the men were dragged to thC
fence by the road side and left in the most hor
rible condition. 1t seems the intention was tC
short piece was found around the neck Of one o
these who had been shot OF course the excite
ment was intense, and the effort is now being
made to bring the iends to justice. Gov, Smith
is here attending the trial, and doing all he car
10 ferret out the murderers. Ex-Governor Par
sons is managing the prosecution for the State
and Hon. Thomas NJ. Peters, of the Suprem,
Court of Alabama. is the presiding Judge
Hon. Chandler Foster and General Forney ar,
among the lawyers engaged in this case. Tn,
universal testimony seems to be that most of tn,
murdered negroes were harmless innotfensiv,
persons, and that Mr.. Luke was faithful eff
cent teacher, deVout Christian and in no way
a medlerd in politics.
leave you to draw your own conclusions ant
contemplate the state of security where sucl
outrages could be perpetrated Verify some
thing is wrong somewhere. Troops are here
and daily making arrests, and it is said severa
suspicious persons have left the country On
thing is certain, there is an earnest effort bein
made TO bring the guilty parties punishment