Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-01
RErRIBUTIvE JUSTICE.

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RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE.
The students of Virginia University, du-
ring the sessions of 1S6e-7-S, viii, many of
them, doubtless remember G. T. Hill, Esq,
of Columbus, Miss, Generous even to a
fault, affable and courteous, brilliant in the
social circle of friends, By whom he was
esteemed and beloved for all the higher and
ennobling traits of character that give grace
to manhood and lend charm of more. than
transitory interest to life's career, he was
indeed a true type of man.. leaving
college we'll prepared for the more arduous
tasks of life and with the warm wishes of
bis classmates for success, he settled at his
home in Columbus, Miss, and was re-
garded as young man of exemplary habits
and one whose progress was onward
and upward to all that is bright and
successful in the practice of law. In the
latter part of last winter a gentleman from
Mecklenberg county, Virginia, by the name
Harvey Chambers, who was also student
of law at the University of Virginia, while
Hill was there, and between whom ensued
friendship which, the sequel shows, was
more lasting than the pleasant days of
college life, came out to Mississippi and ere
he had been there long became involved in
a difficulty with two persons by the name
of Moore and Gewen at Okolona. Know
ing full well his danger and that one friend
there was who would readily and
faithfully render assistance, Chambers
Immediately sent to Columbus for
Hill, who, without waiting for more in
formation as to the nature of the occasion
demanding his services, at once left for
OkolOna, where he had no sooner arrived
at night, and registered at the hotel, than he
was accosted by several persons, among
them Moore and Gewen, who several times
asked him if he were Mr.. Hill, from Co
lumbus. Hill answered in the affirmative,
but the questioning, as to his identity, con-
tinued several minutes, until he was sur
rounded by the parties, who, now secure of
their victim, extinguished the lights and
commenced firing-all without a warning.
/ Innocent and unsrspecting, in the
dark of night, lit only by the
death-hash of the demons pistols,
he fell, weltering in his own life's blood.
Friends and others present rushed TO his
assistance, but, alas! too late. The angel
of death had placed its signet on his brow,
and ere two hours had passed, his soul,
brave and generous man, had also fed and
passed away from friends and those who
knew him but to love. Many hearts were
! bowed in grief, and the whole community
by whom he was so highly and truly es-
/ teemed, were shocked and deeply, o! how
deeply, panied, no words could tell, no pen
describe. Columbus was rObed in grief and
the citizens, one and all, testified as to his
! worth and expressed their loss in his death
4 by draping their homes and houses In
I mourning. But there was one, gentle,
! loving maiden, with whom he was soon to
! be married, whose heart was racked with
anguish, that yet weeps for the noble dead,
/ with grief that is as pure and unfeigned
/ as their love was deep and lasting. At the
/ time, friends, and those who knew young
! Hill, vowed a deathless vengeance on the
murderers' heads. The guilty parties were
/ arrested and tried by jury composed of
! two white men and the rest negroes. A
I mistrial or conviction and new trial
| granted, We are not exactly informed
I which, was the result; suffice to say they
I were acquitted. Hill was assassiDated about
! the 10th of March, and was tenderly placed
4 under the sod. Flowers were spread above
his grave; kind hands placed them
| there, and weeping friends
/ watered them with tears. BY some the
| event was passed away and lost in the back
! ground. The trees had budded and bloom
I ed, the grass had grown and withered above
I the grave of the silent, but not unwept and
remembered dead. Vengeanee-the ven
J geance of justice was only sleeping, for on
/ last Tuesday two weeks ago, at or near
! OkolOna, Gewen himself was murdered by
/ an unknown hand. From an unseen place
! deaths messenger, grim with horror and
/ terrible with the memory of its deed of sin
! and guilt, once more winged its stayless
/ fight and rested on the soul of him who
was deemed living shame of criminal de-
! graduation. a..
I Such are the facts in substance given to us,
| and in relation to the above deed we take
the following from the Memphis appeal of
! Oct. 81, ascribing the prevalence of
crime in the State of Mississippi to the fact
/ of Justice being so often denied by negro
/ iuries and negro magistrates:
CoRINTH, MISS, Oct. 26.-Some time
ago, in Monroe county, Miss, negro was
hired, as he confessed, to kill white man.
He did the deed, was tried and acquitted
by negro jury. Later, a negro jury
! in the same county acquitted Gewen
and Moore, who killed a young
man named Hill. Ina community pro-
nounced the murderers in this case as
assassins. The jury that released them
consisted of ten negroes and two whites.
The impression prevails in this region that
no murderer can be punished by the courts
as now organized, and as juries are now
constituted. Three or four days ago, a
ferryman was assassinated at Carmargo by
a negro. The negro was arrested, taken
before a loyal magistrate, who released him
if he would give bond. In this the negro
failed. He was put in charge of two white
men named Lagrove to be committed to
prison. From their charge he was taken
by persons unknown, and LOST
The country is much excited by these
facts United States troops have appeared
and arrested the Lagroves, who have been
. brought to Corinth for trial While there
can be no apology for hanging men by
mobs, disguised or not, such is the facility
with which juries in this country are now
bribed that crime must 60 unwhipped OF
justice. ia raE OFF