Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1874-10-01
EJAllOoIIly OuASJ
JOSEPH r. HAwLEY.
To the Hon. Charles Hays, M. C.

man of unimpeachable honor.
Sincerely yours,
JOSEPH r. HAwLEY.
To the Hon. Charles Hays, Nc.
WASHINGTON, d. c.. Sept. z, 1874.
Hon. Joseph E. Hawley, Hampton, Va:
MY DEAR SIR-Your letter of even
date with this is before me, and I hasten
to reply, for I am anxious that the true
of affairs in the State of Alabama
should be known as soon as possible to
the whole country, in order that they may
begin to realize the fact that the spirit of
rebellion against the laws and Govern
ment of the United States, to extinguish
which SO many brave and gallant men
laid down their lives, still exists in the
hearts of many misguided people. They
embrace every opportunity to commit
deeds of laWlessness and crime, that are
everlasting stigmas upon the fair name of
the nation, and an open insult to the flag
of our country, which many of your peo-
pie are vainly patriotic enough to believe
is an egis of protection, wherever it
floats. I had fondly hoped that the
''reign of terror" in the South was over,
and that peace, good will, and prosperity
might henceforth reign supreme. In this
hope am sadly disappointed, for candor
campeIs me to say that to-day riots, muir
ders, assassinations, and torturings for the
purpose of terrorizing the true friends of
the Government are more common than
they have been at any hour since Lee sur
rendered to Grant, and unless the
strong arm of Federal power can
avert the calamity I can see
nothing in the future save gloom
and despair to the loyal men of the South,
ruin to the material interests of the coun-
try, and death to those of us who uphold
the honor and integrity of the nation,
and counsel submission to the laws of the
United States. But need make no ap-
peal to the patriotism or the sympathy of
Northern men, who, like yourself, have
barred their breasts to the battle storm in
the dark and bloody days Of the eventful
past The bare recital of proven facts
shall be my only appeal. That will cause
the heart to shudder, the cheek to blanch,
and the mind to wonder how such das-
tardly outrages, such unprovoked muir
ders, and such fiend-like conduct can be
tolerated for an hour. l shall be particu-
lar to narrate no rumors, to color nc
atrocity, to "set down naught in malice,
but simply to give you we'll authenticated
ldCtSs Will OdlCo, u1l1CS anu 1OCdl1bEC69 81
that every man in the land may himsel
verify the accuracy of my statements, i
! he deems it necessary. These then I pro
ceed to give you, with the deliberate
opinion on my part, that the half canno
! be told, and that to-day many victims o
hellish murder are sleeping in unknown
spots and secluded places from whicl
they will never be wakened until the fna
jugdment day.
THE CASES SUMTER COUNTY.
On or about the 1st day of. August
1874, in Sumter county, Ala, about on
mile from his residence, near Ramsey
station, on the Gainesville branch of tn
Mobile and Ohio railroad, Captain W.
Billings, a son-in-law of ex-United State
Judge Wells, of Missouri, and formerl
a resident of Brooklyn, NY, was brutal
ly murdered. When discovered, he an
his horse were both lying dead in the pull
lie road his body pierced with buckshc
and that of his horse riddled with bullet
The "hiding place" of the assassins ws
found, but the Coroner's jury returne
the usual verdict, 'sthat he came to b
, death by gunshot wounds, and that tt
parties firing were unknown" Cap
. Billings was Republican, and had tn;
!, .udy dQQESSScO q I0SpuOAACdH
b. Abraham's plantation, some fifteen mill
distant from the spot where he fell. e
> had about twelve months since purchase
+ a cotton plantation in the county, was
man of unimpeachable character, and di
f not know that he had an enemy in IL
world. His widowed wife and orphs
children are now in Jefferson City, Mi
/ souri,, "driven from their adopted home
Oj Mrs. B. can furnish to the incredulol
/ many narrowing details of this revoltir
murder, from which my pen turns
loathing and disgust. His only erin
was that of being yankee" and 'R
publican"
As fit sequel to this horrid polite
assassination, will now narrate the ca
of a Northern man named Allen, keep
It of a, hotel in Livingston, in the sar
county where Billings was murdere
. Upto this time, and for twenty years pa
It Allen has voted the Democratic ticket
o Alabama. Since the taking off of B
/ lings, Allen has been outspoken in his
Q nunciation of the crime and its perpetrf
d ors, and has openly asserted that BilIin
II "was murdered on account of his po
e tics" The last week in August, in
g hotel, while he was peaceably pursuil
q his business, Allen was set upon by ga
le of ruf1ans, who beat him unmerciful
W with their pistols, and threatened to k
e him ''if he didn't keep his mouth sh
4 about that id Yankee Billings"
rs The next example" as the rebel lea
re ers are wont to term the "usual XII
rs ings," is perhaps one of the most att
T, cious, unprovoked, and terrible th
y has ever stained the pages of Sout
q ern desperation. About six mont
&c since, I had Thomas l.. IVey, an j
,e offensive, intelligent, honest, and hal
y working eolored man, appointed a Unit
in States Route Agent on the Alabama a
O. Chattanooga railroad, running betwe
in Meridian, Mississippi, and Livingstoi
ok Alabama. Mr.. Ivey had never be
lr charged with any crime against the la
Sc Of the State or society, and was unive
an ally regarded as an exemplary and fai
" ful employe of the Government. Yet
tn Saturday, August 30, 1874, he was WI
at tonly murdered while in the discharge
It's his duties, as will most fully appear fr
nd the following, taken from the Selma D
Ell ly times "a leading Democratic news
re perl of September -'t''i'