Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-06-28
SWIFT RETRIBUTION.
A Negro Outrages White Girl in Smith
County.
The Fiend Arrested andis Finally Executed
by the lncensed Citizens.
From lhs Nashville Union and Ameri

From the Nashville Union and Ameri-
can.
GORDONsVILLE, SMITH COUNTY,
June -, 1S7l.-I hasten TO give you
an account of an outrage perpetTated
in this vicinity yesterday morning,
and its tragical result last night. AS
the daughter of Mr. +. Z. Buckner,
who lives about two miles from this
place, was going to school, black
fiend, named Frank Buckner, who
once belonged TO Mr.. Buckner's faith
er, and who was in his employ at the
time, waylaid her, and forcibly viola
ted her person. She is about fourteen
or fifteen years old, and has always
been a delicate child. The family
is highly respectable, and, as may be
inferred, the sympathies Of the whole
community were excited in their be-
half, as soon as the facts were known,
and the deepest indignation was
aroused against the perpetrat0r of
the hOrrid deed. There was, how
ever, no Outburst, such as an
occurrence Of this character was
calculated 10 produce, espe.
cially in a community so unused to
crime as this is. The law took its
course. The negro was promptly ar
rested, taken before EsquiTes James
and Nixon, and committed to Jail after
an examination. There was no inter
ference with the officers who took him
to Carthage and delivered him to the
sheriff, who lodged him in the Jail.
But the outrage was too much for hu-
man nature. It was too much to eX-
pect that men with human souls
could look upon that pale child so
crushed and outraged, think of their
own daughters and sisters and 90 to
sleep while the guilty villain lived.
accordingly about II or l O'Clock last
night four men aWOke the sheriff and
demanded the jail keys OF him, telling
him they only wanted Frank. AS a
faithful officer he refused, when upon
a signal sixteen others appeared. See
ing that resistance was vain, he gave
them up. They then quietly opened
the doors, took the negro out, re-
locked the Jail, and taking the jailer
with them to the river, where some
others were guarding the boat, en-
barked-first releasing the jailer and
the keyS-came to this side,
and on the road about a mile from
the river hung him to a tree, where
he was found dead this mOrhing. All
this was done without the least dis
turbance, and the men aCtO did it acre
not disguised. l understand the
sheriff says he did not recognize sim
gle man in the crowd. One man did
all the talking and he didn't know
him.
The above are briefly the facts as
they have been reported to me this
l was absent from home
yesterday and last night in an adjOin-
ing county, and only returned late
this afternoon.
No one can be more opposed to mob
law than / am. 1t is a terrible and
remedy, and can seldom be
much less justified. But if
there ever was case that justified
resort to it, this one is certainly such.
Knowing that rail, innocent child as
1 have, from her infancy; knowing
her now sainted mother as / did, and
knowing her father, grandfather and
grandmother, as 1 do, with fathers
sympathies in my heart, ! cannot con-
denim the summary execution of this
man, but on the other hand, feel that
it was just and proper. Let it be re-
there was no disguise in
the case-nO mob in the true sense of
the word. 1t was the deliberate up
rising of society to rid itself Of the
perpetratOr of crime which shecks
all the sensibilitjes OF human nature.