The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-10-17
a BLACK BRUTE.
Arrest of "a Negro Preacher in the
Pulpit, who Had EIOgSed His
Daughter 40 Death, and Abused
Her Body After She was Dead.

Atlanta lGa.) constitutional
Never, either in the annals Of crime
or in work of fiction, have we ever read
or heard of case so noted for unnatural
cruelty or inhuman brutality as the one
which | am about to relate.
While visiting Houston County few
days ago the story was told me, and
vouched for by different witnesses, (some
Of whom are among the most reliable
citizens in this section) as well as corrob-
Grated by the court record. About ten
days ago a negro blacksmith named Burt
Holeman became enraged because he
could not find one of the house keys that
he wanted, and concluded that his child,
a girl about twelve years old, had lost it,
and because she could not tell where it
was he commenced whipping her with a
heavy wagon whip, every stroke of the
lash cutting the skin and drawing the
blood. He continued beating the child
until he was completely exhausted. Then
he called his wife, who found the young
girl with her back and shoulders all lac
Grated and the blood still flowing freely
from the gaping wounds, while the lash
of the whip was wet and colored with the
blood Of her daughter. The fend of a
husband then by threats made the wife
undress the girl and wash the wounds of
the daughter with salt and water. Being
moved by the piteous shrieks of the child,
she declared that she had rather risk her
husband 5 vengeance than to intlIct addi
tional torture on the child and fed from
the house.
After his wife left he gathered the
whip again and commenced logging the
child anew for crying. Instead of being
moved by her cries and pleas for mercy,
he continued the child actually died
under the lash While holding the dead
child in his hands he struck it across the
head ? heavy blow, for "playing pos
sum"
He then took the body to dark wood
near by and buried it, smoothing the
ground over the place so as to remove all
traces of the grave. His next move was
to tell his neighbors that he sent the child
to Bib county, and to threaten his wife
with instant death if she ever said any
thing about what had happened. The
story of his crime would would perhaps
never have been known if some of the
little negro children in the neighborhood
had not have been attracted by the child's
cries and seen everything that happened,
even to the burial of the deceased. They
a day or two after told what they had
seen to one Of their neighbors, who had a
warrant issued against the negro, and
arrested him in pulpit where he was
preaching the word of God to his colored
brethren, preparatory to taking up a col
lection. When arrested he stontly de-
MED everything. Before the Court, when
confronted by his wife and the other
witnesses, he still denied that he had
ever whipped the child at all. He was
then taken by the officers of the law to
the forest where the witnesses said he
had buried the child. After a short
search they found new-made grave, and
digging up the ground they found the
body Of child tearfully bruised and
mutilated. When the father saw the
body of his murdered daughter he broke
completely down and acknowledged the
whole affair. His only excuse for beat
ing the child was that she lost one of the
house keys that she had no business touch
ing. HOlleman is in Jail to await trial
at the November term of the court.