Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-05-03
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KUEIUX N WEST 0TENNEssE,E.

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BIZ KUELUX ~ WEST TENNESSEE. 30
-lh Two OOl0red Men Hung by Masked rlleB
1'Nh Our dispatches yesterday morning u
luded to the hanging of, two coloreh men
mt Ralston, on the Nashville and Ndri6-
western Railroad We find a fuller ne
count in our Nashville. and Memphis ez-
MEMPHIS, April 24-The 4tabbchc
says that about ten days since, the Office of
David Shaeffers, ex-Sheriff of Weakloy
county, at Dresden, in this state, was
broken into and valuable papers contained
in the desk distracted, and others burned
'on the floor. Suspicion attached to Will
liam and Ed. Johnson, colored The lat
ter was arrested and confined in jail While
his brother Bill made his escape, and sent
word back from Paducah, KY, that he
had a list of kukluX in the county, which
he had found in the desk, and would send
regiment of colored troops there to.
squelch them. A few days since, Mr..
Shaefiers, accompanied by Sheriff Vim
cent, proceeded to Paducah, and, with
requisiton, arrested Bill and started for
Dresden with the prisoner.
Nothing occurred until they arrived at
RalstOn, a small station six miles from
Dresden where the train stopped moment
to allow passenger to get off The train
had hardly halted before it was
BOARDED BY ABOUT FORTY MEN,
all in disguise and Thoroughly armed, who
presented pistols at the heads of the engi-
neer and conductor of the train, as well as
to Shaefter's and Nincents, threatening to
blow their brains out if they made any
noise or attempted any resistance to the
carrying out of their plans. Under the
circumstances, those gentlemen naturally
remained mute, and waited for further de- |
velopments, which soon came in the shape |
of two of them taking Bill from the seat,
1g Ia, LII. 4
him Off the train. As soon as he was out |
the men also left, first
THREATENING TO SHOOT
any man who would have the temerity to |
follow them to find out what was to become |
of the negro. After the men had left, the |
train, with Shaeffers and Vincent on
board, proceeded on its way, arriving at |
Dresden few minutes afteFward, when it |
was found that the Jail had been broll EN-
open by mob-supposed to be the same
that had boarded the train--who had taken
Ed, Bills brother, who was implicated
with him in the robbery, and marched off
with him in custody
Nothing more was heard of the men or
negroes until the next yesterday morn
ing, when the dead bodies of the latter
Were found suspended by the necks to a
tree near the roadside, about mile from
Dresden. ...... u. ... H.r.#-
When the train was boarded both Shaef-
fers and Vincent begged the masked men
not TO take the negro away from them as
he was certain to be sent to the penitenti-
airy for a number of years for the robbery
which he had committed. No attention
was paid to their entreaties or wishes be-
You'd a gruff order for them to "shut up
or It would be worse for them The whole
affair occupied only few minutes, and
many of the passengers knew nothing of
it until it was all over and the train again
on its way. The hanging of these men
made the third negro that has stepped off
unexpectedly to his friends near Dresden |
within the past eleven months, the other
negro being mobbed for committing rape
on white girl. The affair caused great .
excitement in the vicinity of Dresden, and
is greately deplored by all the respectable I
and law-abiding citizens of that town and
country, Our informant was
a passenger on the train and an eye wit
ness to the whole affair.