The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-26

NEW "
or old SHOES and Q paddle Tor stirring up "mash"
there was nothing. left And here, sitting about on
the barrels, Steve ted me the history OF John saun
ders the detective, and his end:-
STEVE LowRRY's STORY OF THE DEED.
"About the middle OF 1859 Saunders came down
here to teach school; he boarded around among the
cO.ored people and always said he was republi-
can. For several months after he came he made
no EFFORT to make our acquaintance, though he often
met US in the roads and would bid US the time OF
day very pleasantly. aud he would tell the colored
people about here that we outlaws had been driven
to the swamps against our viii. After he had been
here about four or five months he said he had au-
tnorlty TO organize Masonic lodges. and he told US
Oil about Masonry. We had heard before there
was such society whose members
STOOD BY EACH OTHER THROUGH THICK AND THIN,
but we did not know anything about IL, scarcely.
He told Il mean the cClorej men who were not out
laws for he didn't know yet. except to speak to
ns) the Masons had started over q thousand years
ago. and that from that time until this only one man
ever broke his oath and refused to help another
Mason, and that that man had been killed. lie
started a lodge and charged TWO or three dollars to
get In, and two dollars besides for chart that mad
all the figures on 1t used in Masonry. A heap OF
our people joined II. and they would come and tell
us outlaws what good thing 1t would be for US.
They said II we were Masons, and any other Mason
would come to hunt us or il we were arrested and
the jury or the judge were Masons all we mad 10 do
to get clear was to give them sign. and they
wouldn't trouble us any more.
SAUNDERS HAD MIGHTY SLICK TONGUE,
and could talk like a preacher. When the
colored people told US so much about him and
uvouff IN n md o(fo that
we were mighty thick with him until the fall
OF 1870. None Of US joined the Masons, but
we believed what he said, and that he
was the best friend we had. He finally offered to
get US out OF this country down South II we would
pay him for 1t, and trust him, and we had made
some OF our arrangements te leave when we found
him out
"In the meantime, early In the spring, he found
the white people more powerfully down on him. and
to save his life from them no had tell what he was
after, and to Join the Ku Klux. That summer we
often knew OF his being with some OF the people we
thought were Ku Klux. but ne told US they were &C
cusing him OF making Masons Of u.s. and he prolessed
to be very much afraid OF them.
"Finally we heard through some friends that we
had among the white men that Saunders was one OF
the leaders OF the Ku Klux, and we ourselves TO
watch him sharp. and finally we found, proven be.
yond all doubt, that he was the commander OF q
party Of Ku Klux, who, with sheepsktns on their
faces
DRAGGED AT MIDNIGHT FROM THEIR BEDS
Sim Oxendlne Bart Mccain, Jim Dial and Snas
Deane. and shot Floyd Oxendine taking them all to
Moss Neck, and whipping some and tying others
up by the thumbs The next day Saunders was
driven to John Taylor's house In Taylors wagon,
and hid away from US, for somebody told him we
had found him out.
"In November Il think 1870 we found that
Saunders was living In this place. Call this Campo
Why, it Is whlskey still You say that the Lowerys
are helping the United States government In
BREAKING UP ILLICIT waIsKEY STILLS,
for that was what we did here. They had every
thing ready TO begin work again ON Monday morn
ing. They had been making corn whiskey here on
this spot for months The meal for It was ground
at William McNeil's mill, where Archie Mcneil
worked, and the still was John Taylor's. The pa
pers call this saunders camp; you see it is whis-
key camp.
"Wel, one Sunday soon after I found this place,
we outlaws and q heap OF men that had been |
hunted by the Ku Klux came here alter Saunders
We got mere little bit before night and there were
only three men here, all named Smith. sons Of the
man who owns the land. We stationed our guards
about the camp good many OF them in that blind
showed you $50 yards back, and others all through
the woods, SO that we would be surprised.
q
CAPTURED THREE OF THE M'NRrL BOYS,
who came to the still to get on q little spree, and
after that we saw nobody until nearly morning. l
was stationed about hundred yards from the
camp and fifty from the other boys. Our prisoners
were under guard at the still.
'About daylight l heard some one coming, and
directly mp walked Saunders, his head hanging
down, and his gun, double-barrelled shot gun,
slung under his left arm. slipped ont from my
.IIoif.S ha, II
nothing and made a motion with his right hand
towards his gum Said !, God damn you, none Of
that;
PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD OR I'LL BLOW
you TO HE'LL
and went up 10 him with both hammers of my gun
cooked, took Off his gun, unbucKled his belt OF ps.
tolls and took him TO The camp, where the rest OF the
outlaws joined US. and released our other prisoners
''Here we searched Saunders, and found on him
paper issued by the Ku Klux, containing the names
of forty.eight colored men who were to be killed;
among them were Sinclair and Patrick Lowery. my
brothers. aud James Oxendine as good and peace
able man as there is IN North Carolina. The paper
was signed by Saunders his full name, John q.
Saunders. and Sandy Mcintyre, with John Taylor
Witness wish had that paper yet to show you;
but when killed Saunders I buried 1t, and 1t Is
rotted long ago. reckon.
swell, We TOOK MIN away from there over to near
where MS Douy was Iounu, AFTER Henuerson Oxen-
Dimes confession and kept him until Thursday.
You
NEVER SAW ANYBODY BEG FOR HIS LIFE As
HE DID.
He offered, II we would let him 60, to join us and
Kill ANYBODY we told him to. He said we might
bring any other prisoner there and he would kill
him for us II we only would let him live, and he
confessed to having joined the Ku Kux and told US
who the rest Of them were He did beg powerfully
Tor life, but we couldn't let MIN CO. and the only
privilege we gave him was to allow him to write q
letter to his wife. which we mailed for him after.
ward. We asked him why some OF the Mas0ns
didn't come to save him, and he admitted he had
no right to make Masons. At last on Thursday We