The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-25
THE MERIDIAN MASSACRE.
A rale Of Bioodshed and Horror.

Tale OF Btoodshed and Horror.
The New York Tribune has detailed account
of the outrages in Mississippi, from which we
extract the following
A little later the body of William Dennis was
dragged from the courtroom to the porch, an |,
bleeding, as it was from several bullet-wOunds,
1t was tossed TO the street below amid the shouts
and jeers of the crowds. Signs of life being
still discoyerable, some one kindly cat his throat
from ear to ear. At this time there we're lying
dead in the room the bodies OF Justice Bram-
lette and the negro Gus. Ford, with an old man,
Isaac Lee, badly wounded in the
shoulder. All over town crowds
of freDzied whites were rushing in every direc-
tion hunting this and that prominent black in
order to kill him, and committing outrages of
every kind on the others. As night came on, as
if to be in at the death, crowd of the Alabama
Ku-kluX appeared in town and took hand with
the rest. They were heard shouting, "Hurrah
for Alabama" at various times, and committed
several outrages on the blacks. One of their
victims, after being stripped and hogged in a
terrible manner, and having several buckshot
fred into his body, was allowed to escape and
at the present writing lies in helpless condition
in a colored hotel in jackson.
To tell the whole of the outrages that were
thus committed would fill page alter page. AS
an evidence of the state of feeling at the time,
however, l will give the statement of an aged
gentleman, an old citizen, and one of undoubted
veracity. At the hotel, Immediately after the
affray in the Court House, he heard the propo-
sition made to go up and have look at the
dead bodies. He accompanied the party and
saw the bodies of the Justice and the negro,
Gus. Ford, lying weltering in their blood, both
dead. Close by lay the aged negro, Isaac Lee,
badly wounded. The old negro, fearing that they
had come to kill kim, was much alarmed. He
endeavored to reassure him, telling him one
would hurt him, in his condition. The black
replied, Don't know bout dat Massa," but
seemed to feel better. The party soon left At
the foot of the stairs the old gentlemen was hor-
rifed at the proposition to go back and kill the
poor old wounded negro. He demonstrated,
saying, You are not fends." and Gually
persuaded the party to give up their pur-
pose. little later the black somehow got
out of the house, and found his way to his
cabin, but gang of human bloodhounds came
along in search OF prey. They had with
them already, as prisoners, two blacks, named
Marion White and Henry johnson; but they
seized upon the old man, Isaac Lee, wounded
as he was, and marched him off with the Others
The next morning the bodies of the whole three
were found in the woods close by. The Hon.
Aaron Moore, member of the Mississippi House
of Representatives, stood Immediately by Justice
Bramlette when the first shot was fired. AS the
Justice fell, Moore fell with him, the dead body
OF the Justice on top. Without douot this
saved his life. Lying thus, covered with the
blood of the dead Justice, he very naturally
passed for dead himself few moments, and
the room being temporarily cleared, he made
his, escape to-, his house. A crowd,
cry and gang after gang started in pursuit.
Leaving his house Immediately, he took to the
woods. One gang, arriving little later, and
unulnR Inc DlTu HOWL, IuTneu MS vile ana chill
dren out of doors and set fire to the house,
which was burned to the ground. The next
morning largeerowd of armed mems got ON the
train bound for Jackson, 93 miles distant, and
put off portion of their number at every prin-
cipal station. Aaron Moore, the representative
from their district, minister of the Gospel, and
leading adviser smong the blacks, they were
bound to have. Moore, however, struck off on
foot giving the railroad wide berth.
He weighed probably two hundred and
fifty pounds, and had nothing to eat save
what he could procure at negro cabin in
sparsely settled country. He trudged through
the woods night and day for distance of 125
miles, weighed down with anxiety for the fate
of his family, and with the human bloodhounds
on his track. Eluding all of his pursuers, how
ever, he came into jackson on the following
Friday, where he has since been joined by the
rest of his family, save one son, a young man,
who he justly fears has been murdered. How
many fell victims to this massacre it is almost
impossible to tell. large number are missing;
doubtless many of these will still turn up. but in
the opinion of the chief of the so-caled State
Detective force. probably no less than 25 or 80
have been killed.
Out of 5000, 900 owners of real estate in the
United States, more than two-thirds are
farmers.