Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-09-26
HANDS OFF,
Gov. Brown Protests Against Federal
Interference In Gibson
County.
And Demands That the Arrested Par
ties be Turned Over TO the
State Authorities.

0tatC AutHtIItkCS-
: Gov. Brown sent the following tele.
gram to President Grant in regard tc
Federal interference in the Gibson
county affairs: z ai hae
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT. NASH
VILE, TENN, Sept. Is, 1S74.-His
Excelleney, u. s. Grant, President OF
the United States, Washington, ID. c.:
There were sixteen negroes committed
to the Jail of Gibson county, in this
State, charged with a conspiracy to
take the life of the white citizens of
| their neighborhood. On the night of
the 18th of August, 1874, a party of
disguised men violated the Jail and
took the prisoners, forcibly, from the
jaller, and killed four and wounded
two-the remainder escaping and be-
ing now at large The next day | Of
fered reward Of $500. each, for those
unknown offenders. The State Court
being then in session, took immediate
eognizance of the outrage, and the la
bors of the regular and special term
have resulted In the detection and in
dicment of forty-one of the guilty par
ties, the majority of whom have been
arrested, and the remainder will be, if
they have not fled the country.
They are indicted under the second
and third sections of the act of the
General Assembly of Tennessee of
1869-7O, passed the Both of January,
1870, entitled An act to preserve the
Public Peace" The sections are as
follows:
y. Be it further enacted that if any
person or persons disguised or in mask,
by day or by night, shall enter upon
the premises of another. or demand |
admission into the house or enelo- |
sure of any citizen of this State, Il
shall beeonsidered prima facia that his I
or their Intention is to commit fell 1,
ony, and such demand shall be deem.
ed an assault with intent to commit n |
felony; and the person or persons so
offending shall, upon conviction, be |
punished by Imprisonment in the pen
itentiary not less than ten years nor
more than twenty years.
''3. Be it further enacted, That if
any person or persons, so prowling,
travelling, riding or walking through
the towns or country of this State
masked or in disguise, shall or may
assault another with deadly weapon,
he or they shall be deemed guilty of
an assault with intent to commit muir
der in the first degree, and on convie-
tion thereof, shall suffer death by hang
ing; provided the jury trying the case
may substitute Imprisonment in the
penitentiary for a period of not less
than ten years nor more than twenty
one years"
The State authorities have manifest
ed the most earnest desire to enforce
the law against the guilty parties, and
have demonstrated by the indictments
and arrests not only their disposition,
but ability to enforce the law and pro-
tect all citizens without regard to race,
or previous condition of servitude
These efforts, L can assure you, will in
no sense be relaxed, until the majesty
of the law is fully vindicated.
Notwithstanding these efforts with
the results stated, the United States
Marshal and Commissioner for the
Western division of Tennessee, with
the aid of detachments from the Gov
ernment garrison at Humboldt. have
are continuing to arrest cit
izens, and conveying them under guard
to Memphis, nearly one hundred miles
distant, to answer for the same offense
charged against them by the State
courts.
As Governor of Tennessee, do most
respectfully but earnestly protest
against this exercise of jurisdiction by
the United States Commissioner and
Marshal, without reference to the
question whether the offenses and
proper subjects of cognizance by the Il
United States Commissioner, but alone
upon the ground that the peace of So
ciety will be more certainly preserved
and the rights of citizens as well pro-
tected by conceding jurisdiction to
the State courts. H'.-
Aud L therefore respectfully ask
your exeelleney to order that no furth-
er arrests be made by the Marshal,
and that the parties already in custody
be turned over to the proper local tri-
bunals for trial and punishment.
| undertake to assure your excellen-
cy that, no effort will be spared to en-
force the laws and protect the citizens
by the State government throughout
the borders OF this State. And | be-
lieye the local authority is ample to
protect people of every race and con- {
dition in life.
An early reply is respectfully solic-
tied.
JNO. G. Brown,
Governor of Tennessee.