New-York tribune., 1874-10-23
THE OUTRAGES, THE BLOODY OU7

To the call of the Hon. Jefferson Long of
Georgia for "Outrages," "blOOdy Outrages."
there comes at length response. The Chat
tanOOga Convention was not planted on the
mountains of Tennessee to wait for them, as
that dusky statesman recommended. The lack
of rations on those inhospitable SUBMITS made
the plan impracticabie. The Convention
melted away, like vision too beautiful to
last. perhaps underwent sea change into
something rich and strange, perhaps, and
more likely. gathered up its paper collars
into its symbolic carpet-bag and trickled away
in rivulets of patriotism through all the
Southern States. But its bugle blast was not
in vain. The Committee on Outrages may
have forgotten their duty and sank blissfuly
to sleep beside the treasures they have emp
tied, but their work is not neglected. The
Federal Government. for whose stability and
perpetuity the compilation of Outrages is de-
manded, has its own agents in the field, it's
own trustworthy and efficient collectors. The
demand will be supplied.
Hester and Beach are in Alabama. Hester
ia the agent of the POst-Ofice Department,
Beach of the Treasury. They hunt together,
and they improve each shining hour. All day
they gather outrages all night they write up
the most thrilling narratives. The first INSTALL
ment since tho Chattanooga Convention issued
it's requisition has been published in the new
Administration organ in this city. Hester and
Beach, or Beach and Hester-we really do not
know the order to which they are entitled by
rank-went into Alabama "dressed in jeans
and rough boots, with a wagon drawn by
"two fine mules loaded with manufactured
"tobacco and apple brandy the best bait to
"catch Ku-Klux) all of their own make and
I" of the best quality" Thrice is he armed
who goes for Outrages in wagon drawn by
two fine mules loaded with manufactured to-
bacco and apple brandy. 1t is not clear which
was loaded with tobacco and apple brandy,
the agents, the mules, or the wagon-it matters
little. Government pays for the bait, no mat
ter how it is used. They found armed men in
bands of 200; they found men Strengthening
"out the niggers" and "killing the leaders,"
so as to "carry the election" They found
man who said there was to be ga meeting to-
night at Weavers store" A man of whom
the Treasury agent, Mr.. Beach, says in his
graphic way, "as the whisky gurgled down
"his throat, the oaths rippled from his mouth
"with frightful rapidity." For Beach is
man vino stirs the blood with his style as
well as his facts. This man, he says, was
true type of the Southern gentleman"
Beach knows gentleman when he sees him,
and he knows, too, what sort of information
the people banker for just before election.
They found-Beach and Hester did-"a
"reign of terror )" they saw.6O or 70 people
riding in "a bright moonlight night" to
"Weaver's store;" they saw" Major Bottom"
who remarked to them that he and his friends
were killing out the leaders of the Radical
"party )" they saw 200 armed men in pursuit
Z" of Bob Reid, Republican pOlltician;" they
saw "a colored mail-rder driven back" and
call night long" they heard "men riding up
"and down the road" They asked what Bob
Reid's Offense was,i and "the only reply was
" that he was leader and they must put him
"out of the way" They stopped at the house
of Mr.. Hawkins, who said, awe have been
"riding at night for three mouths and have
"now got the niggers regulated" They
&" drove out of Belmont looking for camp
"ing ground and found armed men scat
"tered along the road" They found that
"the humble class of citizens" "had been
driven from their fields and their crops de-
stroyed :" that 4" they are denied the right of
" free speech, and their life is made unendur-
liable by continued persecution, until many
"haye expressed wish to return to slavery"
And Beach remarks upon this, in his earnest
way. speaking for Hester as well as himself {:
"We are amazed at their forbearance. Any
" other race would long ere this have risen
"and made this country desOlate, but there
"has been no unlawful assemblage, no armed
"bands, as has been represented, an all they
"ask is the right to gather their crops in
"peace."
Hester and Beach seem to be the right men
in the right place. We venture to say that
no two persons now liviDg-always excepting
Charles Hays-could have gone into Alabama
and seen and found and heard so many
things so much to the point, and so well
adapted to the present campaign, upon the
ordinary salary of Government agents, with
no perquisites to mention except the two
mules, the tobacco, and the apple brandy.
They deserve well of the country. They ought
to be promoted to places in the New-fork
Custom house. There are incredulous persons
no doubt who will shake their heads over
this truthful narrative, and say it is hardly
possble that men travel about in parties of
200 to kill political leaders, or that they talk
80 freely about it with strangers; and some
may say that the two agents would hardly be
safe in country where there were all these
ooines on But Hester and Beach are men of
yeracity. They took the Ku-klux Oaths for
the purpose of exposing the society, and Mr..
Hester, IN the interest of truth. "tOld prom
"inent citizen that he had killed several Rad
(" icals in North Carolina, and was evading
"arrestu Now men who would do that would MT
Ia fhaunhtl Thasa