Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-18
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY NEAR
ATHENS, ALA.
A Man Murdered and his Wife Raw
isheds
FOUR Negroes and one white Man.
THE Negroes Caught and Lodged in
Jail.
A Ku.KIux Humbug.

Last Saturday four negroes and While
man went TO the residence of gentleman
named Wilson, living on the banks Of the
Tennessee river, in Limestone county, Ala
bama, and without any cause or provoca-
ton, murdered him and threw his body in
the river. Not satisfied with having COM
mitted this dreadful deed, the human fiends
seized the wife of their murdered victim
and violated her person. The fact of this
horrible outrage spread like wild fire, and
soon number of gentlemen, being in the
neighborhood, assembled and went in pur-
suit of the monsters. The excitement was
great, and the deed being committed so
fearlessly, only gave additional enthusiasm
to those who went in pursuit. The criminals
were pursued through Limestone county
TO a place near Decatur. The white man
succeeded in making bis escape, but parties
are now close upon his heels. The four
negroes were captured Tuesday morning
and have since confessed their guilt and
implicated the white man as pdrticepS
criDaiRis to the vile act. After being arrest
ed the negroes were taken to Decatur and
lodged in Jail. Being informed of the ar
rest the Sheriff of Limestone county with
a'small guard went to Decatur and placed
the negro prise ners on the train for the pur-
pose of taking them TO Athens, the county
seat of Limestone county. When the train
reached the junction, one mile this side of
Decatur, at 5:45, 1t was boarded
while waiting for the switch to be opened,
by hundred armed men, all of whom were
disguised. The disguised party demanded
the prisoners and the sheriff endeavered to
prevent their rescue. Finding this impossi-
bic, he made them speech, asking that no
violence be done them. Disre1ardiDg the
sheriff, the men seized the prisoners and
hastily took them away for the purpose ii
was then thought of lynching them. This,
however, was not done, but the prisoners
were carried back to Decatur during the
night and confined in Jail again. Yesterday
the sheriff of Limestone county, with
posse cOnlitdtuS numbering forty per-
sons, went to Decatur and in accord
ance with the law, took charge OF the pris-
oners and carried them to Athens, where
they are now confined in jail, Every body
in the train from which the negroes were
taken, thought the disguised party intended
to deal out summary vengeance upon the
negroes, for they certainly deserve death,
and cannot expect to shun the penalties of
the law attending the committal Of an act
report was current here that the masked
men were Ku-Klux, and that the negroes
had been hung to the railroad bridge. Fur
tber investigation showed this report to be
untrue, and that the negroes were not
harmed in the least. On the contrary,
the best evidence is that the dis
guised men, who rescued the prisoners,
were negroes. The prisoners say that the
men who took them from the train cut their
handouts off with hatchets and turned
them loose, telling them to go where they
would be free from injury or criminal pros
ecution. After being released the negroes,
who were almost frightened out of their
wits, lost no time in getting away from the
| locality where they were taken from the
| train. They went to the farm where they
had been at work previous to the committal
| of the murder and sought cORcealment.
Before day another party, composed OF seven
or eight men, came to the house where the
negroes were and arrested them, but did not
| offer any violence. Their new captors car
ried the negroes to Decatur and placed
them ipjail. This party is supposed to be
citizens who, by some unknown means, as
| certained the fact of the negroes having
been rescued by their colOred friends. This
| is the statement of the negroes themselves;
| and we have no reason to think the dis
guised persons rescuing them were any
| others than negroes. All were either ne
| groes, or else disguised SO as to represent
negroes. Yesterday morning large NAM
Der of hats, masks, clothing, etc, which the
party had left, were found at the place
where the negroes were taken from the
train.