New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-31


now he seems to feel that he has very important
job on his hands, and is correspondngly, though not
Extensively consequential He told me that he had
his prisoners ont of doors for their health the jail
was too small for the accommodation Of them oil,
even at night, and he had, therefore, Quartered a
part of them in the Courthouse, and kept them all
in the open air during the day.
EFFECT OF RUNORs
The excitement although it has greatly abated
here, has not entirely disappeared, and is likely TO
be rekindled at any time by reports, false or other
wise, that may gain currency. The country people
in the South especially at such times as this, are
often the victims of groundless rumors and reports
which set them all in furry of excitement and ap-
prehension. Some one Overhears the negroes on his
place in conversation and thinks there is something
suspicious in it he tells his neighbor, who In turn
repeats it until it finally reaches the ears OF some
excitable person, who gets on his horse and hurres
to town with the information that the negroes are
arming and preparing to march upon the city. re-
port was brought in this afternoon that the negroes
in the lower part Of the county were massing anu
would make an attempt 10 rescue the prisoners
during the night. don't believe word OF IT, put'
as the cavalry company has been sent away 10 MAKE
some arrests and is not expected back tnls evening"
many of the citizens feel very uneasy.
The mail which has Just arrived brings Augusta
papers Of to-day, reporting that ROBERT oco''' q
colored preacher, was found dead on the railroad
near Station Ne. OLE on the Central haliroao "a
Georgia, on Sunday morning, with bulet-hoie III
his head The reporter adds that ne was very
friendly to the whites and obnoxious to the negroes
on that account, and that it is generally thought
that the latter believed he intended to testify against
them. and therefore killed him. heard rumor that
a man had been found as l came up yesterday
morning, but could learn no particulars "hne'
therefore, know nothing of the matter, the ex-
PLANTATION given above is hardly credible The whole
Of the section near whore the negro was found had
been in a state of the greatest excitement 1or
week and the white people had all been under arms,
and II is much more probable that this negro was
murdered by some irresponsible white man. IL Is
true that the negroes do often punish persons OF
their own race for testifyng against them, or, as
they call it, "goin' agin thar COLOR" and l have
known of several such cases, but If this man was
friendly to the whites" he would not have known
any secrets to dvuge, and 1t is hardly reasonable
to suppose that the negroes would Kill INN before
he had given any evidence against them.
The same paper brings an account of another affair."
for which l believe there was no justification.
although know nothing Of the circumstances. The
report ia that some young men from WaynesbOro
and Augusta, armed with nles, encountered on
Friday IS or 20 negroes, three of whom were
armed: firing at once begun, and one negro was
killed and the rest fed. 1t to prevent just such
occurrences as this that Gov. Smith refused. last
week to order men from Augusta to WaynesDoro'
and the people Of this whole section will have 10
take unusual precautions to prevent tho recurrence
of ANYTHING like this they will forfeit the credt
they have Justly received thus far for for5earance
and respect for law. Happily no act OF violence has
vet been done in this county, I'll. W.
THE TRIAL OF THE NEGROES.
JUDGE H. v. JOHNsON's CHARGE TO THE GRAND
JURY-HE URGES THAT The PRISONERS BE
TREATED AS FREEMEN AND WHITE MEN WOULD
TBr TELEGRAPH 70 THE fnIBoNE
SANDERsvILLE, Ga, via AUGUSTA, Aug. 30-Judge
Herschell V. johnson opened q special term OF the
court here to-day, for the trial of the negroes who
have been arrested and accused OF attempting to
incte an insurrection The State represented by
Attorney General Hammond Mr. Alderman, ex-
Attorney General of the United States will arrive
on Wednesday to defend some of the prisoners
In his charge to the Grand jury Judge johnson
dwelt at considerable length on the spirit and tenn
Der in which they should conduct their investlga-
TONS He directed their attention to the language
of the oath they had taken. and said: This Ian
guage addresses your moral sense and binds your
by it YOU call upon the Supreme Being to witness
the solemn obligation into which you have entered
Then, the spirit that should animate you is that OF
strict impartialtg and fearessness." Referring to
the iIppossibility of contemplating with compla-
cency q plot for the wholesale indiscriminate and
secret murder of one race by part OF the other
race and the difficulty of suppressing feeling OF
| yindictive revenge he continued But you and
are here in judicial capacity, to admin
lister justice according to law, and not
according to human passions We are sworn
to expel from our bosoms every feeling of malice.
or hatred, or revenge. We are sworn to be guided
by the light Of TRUTH and to enforce the law Just as
it isn He impressed upon the minds OF the jury the
fact that the law knows difference between white
men and black men, and added: "Then, gentlemen,
ignore the fact that the accused negroes Ignore
the fact that they were ever slaves. Deal with them
az free. and as IL they were white, and award to
them their full legal right to your impartialty."
The Judge counseled the jury not to be influenced in
their actions by the fact that there are some men in
this and in every community who in times like this
favor extreme measures and summary punishment,
nor TO be Influenced by the unjust criticisms OF those
at a distance, who know nothing OF the circum-
stances or who impute this whole grave affair to
desire on the part of the whites to have prete1t
for an ndiscrminate slaughter of the blacks. This
imputaton," he said, is contradicted by the fact
that no violence has been perpetrated against the
blacks, He said he did not refer to it to refute it,
but to admonsh them not to be influenced by it.
The spirit OF the charge is almost universally ap-
proved by the people.
| VIEWS OF GOV SMITH.
THE PEOPLE KINDLY DISPOSED TOWARD THE
| NEGRO-THE PREACHERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
| TROUBLE. 80