Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-09-02
From Daily Chronicle Aug. -S.I
A DIsC0URAGIEG STATE OF AFFAIRS

A DISC0URAGIEG STATE OF AFFAIRS.
Our exchanges from Kentucky,
Tennessee, and other Southern states,
are ,eeming with facts which show a
most alarming state of affairs. Human
life, it seems, in some localities, is no
longer held sacred, but is taken with
impunity and with a recklessness that
is truly appalling. Where is it to
stop?
The day after the August elections
riot at Somerville resulted in the seri-
Gus wounding Of Judge Reeves and
the death of two of his sons. A few
days afterwards, the whole country
was in an uproar about riot at Aus
tin, Mississippi, and up to this good
hour not q scintilla of evidence has
been produced iustifying the hasty and
incOnsiderate action of few hot heads
who seized arms and rushed Off to
shoot "niggers.n Riots followed in
rapid succession in North and South
Carolina and in Georgia. Ten days
ago a drunken desperate drew a pistol
near Kingston Springs in this State
and without the least provocation
shot a colored man, killing him
almost instantly. The peace of
some localities in Kentucky has been
shamefully disturbed by a lawless
element, details of which have already
been published in these columns. Last
| Saturday morning, two ruflians rode
up to the house Of a colored man near
Hartsville, Tennessee, and in the most
cOwardly manner possible, shot and
| killed a female mulatto school teacher.
| In Gibson county a masked mob, mad
dencd with hate for the negro race and
thirsting for human blood, took six
teen colored men from the jail at Tren-
ton, killed four of them and MORALLY
wounded two others, carrying the
remainder away. The ten have no
doubt been murdered. The whole
country is in confusion, and it IS claims
ed that the negroes are organized for
the purpose Of rioting, rapine and
murder The whites have armed
themselves and there is no telling
, where the trouble will end. The
murderers of Judge Reeves sons, the
/ fend who shot the colored man at
Kingston Springs, the murderers ofthe
colored school teacher and the Gibson
county mob, have escaped punishment
, so far as we have any knowledge
The Memphis Appeal closes a long
, and 10 doubt partial account Of the
Gibson county troubles with these
words:
1.-THE people believe, or rather Inspect,
that the negroes have a general organization
throughout the entire county, for the pur-
pose OF TiOting, rapine and murder. For
p some time past strange negroes have been
perambulatng Gibson county, and it is
thought their object was % organize the
, negroes, and finally incite them 10 acts OF
violence and deeds of murder. Perhaps
there may not be cause for more fear, and
yet it is hard to tell under existing circum-
stances.
f Now, we ask any candid man, no
, matter what his political sentiments
| may be, if the people GelicUing, or
/ rather suspecting, that the negroes
/ have such organizations, will it justify
mob law? In Gibson county there are
: about three white men to each negro
p and with this difference in favor Of the
p whites they certainly have the power
2 to enforce the laws, and by that means
p protect the lives Of citizens without
} resorting to the desperate and neyer.to-
/, be excused expedient OF mob law. II
the sixteen Gibson county negroes did
} mediate such a thing as is charged
g the law is sufficient for their punish
4 ment, or, il il is not, il should be made
{ so. The whole story, though plausible
is weak, and TO our minds altogether