Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-21
WILLIAMS USURPATION.
q, s. District Attorney Murray's
Report to the Attorney
General.
The Conflict of Jurisdiction in
the Gibson County Cases.

The Conflict of Jurisdiction ia
the Gibson County Cases.
We print below the full text of the re-
port made by the United States District
Attorney for West Tennessee to the Aftor-
ney General at Washington, a copy of
which was forwarded by the latter to Gov.
Brown:
OFFICE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY,
MEMPHIS TENN, Oct. 2, 1S74-Hon.
George II. Williams, Attorney General,
Washington, d. C.-Sir: Your commune
cation, OF the 21st ult., enclosing copy of
telegram from Gov. John c. Brown to the
President, relative to the prosecution of
certain cases for violations Of law, has been
received, and would have been earlier an
swered but for my duties in court. In re-
ply, have the honor to say that, from af-
fidsyits Eow on file in my Office, the follow
ing facts appear; Since the election on the
9th of August last, bands of men armed
and in disguise, and knownas the Ku-Klux
Klan, have been riding through certain
portions of Gibson county, in this
district, almost every night CON-
hitting outrages upon the colored
people, in some instances, whipping them;
and on Saturday night, Aug. 16, number
Of cOlored people were shot at on their re-
turn home from church by certain of these
masked men. An old negro named Joshua
was severely whipped, and at the same
time was told by the Ku-Klux that they
should again visit him on Saturday night,
Aug. %; and, therefore, on that night sew
eTal Of his cOlored neighbors started to 90
u -
self, and on the way thither were met by a
party of men armed, mounted and in dis
guise, who first fred upon them, they re-
turning the fire. and either killing
or wounding a mule, whereupon both
parties fled. This is, as l suppose,
''the conspiracy to take the lives of the
white citizens Of the neighborhood," for
which, sixteen negroes were committed to
the Jail Of Gibson county, In this State" re-
ferred TO in Gov. Browns telegram. The
next day, Sunday, the State authorities
commenced arresting the black men in the
vicinity, almost indiscriminately, taking,
among Others, two colored preachers out Of
their churches; the prisoners, so arrested,
were confined and guarded, TO await their
preliminary trial the next day; during that
night, some Of these prisoners were taken
ONAb VI NLC buCl were
confined, by some of the guard, and, by
means of threats, and in one instance by
hanging the prisoner TO a tree, confessions
were extOrted from them, which confess
siOns, so obtained, were used as testimony
against them in their examination before
the committing court. During Monday
and Tuesday, Aug. "A and ., sixteen black
men were committed to the Jail of the
fnnrrf Svaa1 al,
two az witnesses against them. They were
conducted on foot to the Jail, a distance of
eleven miles, bound together by trace
chains about their necks, secured by pad
locks, twelve being committed on Monday
and four on Tuesday, while the Sherif's
posse who conveyed them thither were
mounted. On their way to the Jail, on Mon
day, two attempts were made by armed
men in disguise to obtain possession ofthese
cOlored prisoners, twelve in number, but
these attempts were unsuccessful. Fourteen
of the prisoners We're confined together
in small cell in the Jail, two being left in
the hall of the Jail. On Tuesday night,
Aug. %, band of masked men, armed
and generally mounted, variously estimated
to number seyenty-five TO a hundred and
fifty, surrounded the Jail, and forcibly en-
oners, tied them together with ropes,
marched them a few hundred wards dis
tant to bridge, crossing a small river, and
commenced shooting them indiscriminate-
ly, then and there killing four and wound
ing others, one of whom has since died of
his wounds, and some are known to have
escaped.
AS soon as these facts were properly
brought to my attention by those who could
testify positively in the matter, on the re-
quisite affidayits being made, l caused
United States Commissioners warrants to
issue to to the Marshal of this district, for
the apprehension of such of the parties as
belived to be guilty from the testimony
then in my possession, as provided in the
Acis of Congress, passed respectively MAY
81, A. d. 1870, and April 20, a. D.
1871, upon which several of the
parties so charged fed the country,
and nine were arrested on the charge of
violating certain sections of said acts of
Congress. These nine prisoners were al
lowed bail. A full examination of two
days duration was had before the Commits
siOner, many witnesses were examined,
three able attorneys appeared in the de-
Tense, and no effort was spared to make
the examination full, fair and
complete. Three of those charged
by the warrants were released
by the Commissioner, and six Of them were
held under bonds to await the action of the
grand jury. Our court convened on the
21st ult., since which time these matters
have been diligently inquired into by the
grand jury of this district, and sixteen men
have been indicted already, and Others,
probably, will be as soon as the testi-
mOny eau be adduced. | have great
difficulty in securing proof against the
parties engaged in the transaction, and in
some inst ances witnesses do not obey the
process Of the court, and l am obliged TO
have writs of attachment issued in order to
secure their attendance. Such, in brief,
are the facts, as shown in the manner above |
stated, and the testimony before the grand |
jury does not, in any material point,
contradict them, and the above
are, in a few words, ''the steps
taken for the prosecution of the par
ties charged with the outrage committed in
Gibson county,
As TO 'what necessity, if any, there is
for proceedings on the part of the
United States to punish the offenders in
that case have respectfully to submit
that the crime committed was an
open ana palpable violation of
the acts of Congress above referred
to, attended with circumstances
of the most revolving and aggravating char
acter, and if any crime has been committed
in this district since my appointment as
prosecuting officer thereof, which emphat-
ically calls for action on the part of the
United States, this is, par excellence, that
crime. ! should consider myself grossly
deTelict in the performance of my of
fetal duties had | taken no steps
fo- the vindicatiOn of the laws
thus grossly outraged. Besides, | received
from your office letter or circular of date
Sept. 3, issued by the authority of the Pres
ideut with the concurrence oftba Sacratarv