Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-09-09

] LDGE were ldhEu llD4AA AAlG All IA NA-l
night time, forcibly, by body Of masked
men, and some of them put to death.
The men who committed this outrage
which had brought 3 stain upon the
character Of the whole State, were guilty
OF a three-fold felony; first in going
prOwling about in mask; second f1F
breaking the Jail; and third, for murder
ing the prisoners. He had no language
adequate to the condemnation Of
such a diabolicaI outrage, which
could not be justified by any
law or eustouH, or by any motive OF self
protection. The perpetrators we're
felons, and had made themselves out
laws. Every power o. the State gov
eminent, in all of ifs departments,
ought to be brought to bear 70 bring them
to punishment. Every civil officer
from the chief executive down, was
/ bound, obligated by his oath, 70 use
/ every means 10 effect that end. Every
! citizen owed it to himself, 70 his vile ana
his children, as well as to society, 70 de-
tect the murderers and punish the assiAs-
! sirs. He said this was 3 crisis which
| every citizen should meet under his just
/ responsibility before the law and unto
| society. He believed the people OF Glib
| son county would sustain their courts
/ and their civil officers in every effort
l looking to this end, and that
| the agencies charged by the law
with the protection OF society
and with the punishment Of crinei
would never cease in their operations
until these offenders in all classes should
be brought to condign punishment. The
governor then pictured the state Of So
ciety attendant upon the course Of men
taking the law into their own hands.
There was no Sc curity to society while
men assayed Of their own accord to say
who should be punished. He pointed
to the anarchy Of Mexico, the fearful
condition of South America and 10 that
of France, when in the midst OF tur-
moil, internecine anger and civil OUT
rage, the streets of Paris were running
with blood. He spoke Of the fact that
the maintenance of law was necessary
for the preservation OF life, iloerty aud
property, and without law there was no
security for their families or homes. he
deplored the agitation as well IS
the origin of the civil rights
bill gotten up for the purpose OF
exciting the country, and that we would
act unwisely did we permit its agltsJion.
He advised the maintenance and cultl-
walton Of kindly relations between the
gaFded the negro as an element OF pro-
duction and development in this coun-
try, and as such a useful ally to the
white man, upon whom be is dependent
for the tilling and the means Of tilling
the soil, as he did not own 1t. This
should beget mutual relations of conf
denee and friendship between the
whites and the blacks. L wise counsels
prevailed with both races, that they
could and should live together in peace.
He then referred st some length to the
duty Of civil officers, embracing sheritts,
coustables and ali iudicNl and admins
terisl officers whose sworn duty it wss to
see the law faithfully executed in
preventing all breaches of the
peace, in preventing crime and IA
bringing criminals to punishment.
The measure of protection society re-
ceived depended largely upon the watch
fulness and fidelity Of sheritts, cOnsta-
bles and magistrates. This duty alike
extends to the white man and the black
man. He said any one Of those officers
had the power, when necessary, 70 sum-
mon any or all Of the inhabitants OF the
county to aid him in maintaining the
law and preserving the peace Of society,
and wherever these officers appreciated
and faithfully performed these duties
society would be fully protected. he
exhorted these officers to vigilance and
activity, as upon them very largely de-
pended the solution Of the question as to
whethera State government could main
tain itself.
Governor Brown spoke shout an hour
and a half, during which time he was
listened to with breathless interest by the
vast crowd. The negroes received the
speech in q gratifying manner, and also
evinced the sympathy manifested by
the white people, both frequently ap-
plsudipg. The speech Of Governor
Brown was mastery, thrilling, ana fear
less. 1t did him more than official cred
it, and elevates him higher still IN the
temple of Tennessee's glory,
Governor Brown was followed by At
torney- General SkiffingtOn, Messrs.
Sharp, Spiral Hill, r. 2. Caldwell, and
Chas. n. Gibbs, secretary Of state. These
gentlemen made able speeches, all con-
curing with Governor Brown in the
ideas he expressed.
STATEMENT OF W. N. sENTEB.
TRENTON, Tenn, September This
is to certify that l, w, NJ. Seuter, con-
stable for the second civil district of Glib
son county, was the officer in charge Of
the negroes tried at Piekettsville on the
twenty-fOurth day OF August, 1874, and
beg leave to make the following state
ment in regard to the same; On Sun
day morning, the twenty-third, was
sent for to go to Pickettsville. Upon my
arrival there, l wss informed by Aaessrs.
/ Warren and Morgan that they had been
/ fred upon by band Of armed negroes,
J supposed to be some thirty-five or forty
aerI1N
| eleven and twelve O'Clock. They stated
that on riding along the rosd they pass
/ ed two armed negroes standing by
| the roadside, who let them pass without
/ saving anything. Soon after passing
/ the two they came upon the main body,
! and Just IS they made this discovery the
negroes cooked their guns, when they
/ Immediately Jumped off their horses on
I the opposite side, the negroes firing at
| them some thirty eT forty shots. They
made their escape 10 the village and
| gave the alarm. An armed party or
| men were gotten together as sooR as
possible. A negro living in the village
! informed this party that on the evening
| before Saturday Nels McGee came
| TO him while sowing turnips and
/ informed him of their intention, anu
1 tried to get him 10 go with them. The
white party then commenced making
their arrests, founded upon this informa-
! ton, and after making some few arrests
they then gave the names Of the other
members Of the conspiracy. We then
arrested twelve negroes in number, all
of whom confessed voluntarily that they
had been engaged in the affair Of SatuT-
day night, except one, and all OF the
Others, with outside testimony proved
that he was one of the Number.
They stated in the trial that
they expected a company of one hun
dred men to join them from Humboldt
Saturday night, who would be well
armed. The question was asked them
what they intended to do, and they an
swered they intended to fight tue ku-
klux. They were then asked # they
had seen any, and they answered they
had not, but had heard Of some three or
four miles eff. They were then asked
what they intended doing after that.
They stated they were going TO John
Webb's to finish organizing; th ehn-
said they must kill out the Is;
that they had worked the white
peoples lands long enough. The time
had come when they must kill out the
whites and have the lands themselves.
They also stated that they were organ
izlpg all over the county; that they had
no knowledge of anything outside OF the
| county. They were turned over to me
to bring to jail at Trenton, aud l SUM
moned squad of twenty men to aid
( me. left Piekettsville about two hours
/ by sun, and reached Trenton about dusk,
and f1rnad tho rrisnuers over to the