The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-03-15
For the DEMoCRAT,l
TENNESSEE-CHAMP FERG USON.

A. MCGREGoR, EsQ.-Having sojourn-
ed in Tennessee most of the past winter,
| took some pains to ascertain to what
extent the people of that section were
preludiced against the people of the
North, and found the feeling light in
comparison to the statements of many of
the Republican papers and adherents to
that creed. Indeed, it is wonder that
the bitterest feeling does not fill the
hearts Of all Southerners against the Yam
KEGS, as all people of the North are called
by our Southern neighbors. To support
my assertions, with your permission, /
will statesom facts which learned from
reliable and indisputable authority. AS
many of your readers no doubt remem-
Der the hanging of Champ Ferguson at
Nashville, Tenn, after the close of the
war, and but few even of our army have
heard the particulars of his career, am
prepared to relate the cause of his appar-
ent cruel conduct for which he yielded
up his life upon the gallows.
When the war broke out Champ Fer
guson was citizen of the Blue Grass re-
gion in Kentucky, where he was respect
ed and esteemed, as an honorable, high
minded man. He enlisted in the first
or sixth Kentucky regiment of infantry
in the Confederate army, leaving a wife
and two daughters at home. After the
Confederate forces were driven beyond
the Cumberland river, a company of
twenty-five home guards were formed in
the vicinity of Ferguson's home, compo-
sed OF eighteen whites and four negroes.
1t was the province of these brave men to
go about the neighborhood watching the
actions oftheir unarmed neighbors, COM
mitting depredations on the property of
those who had gone into the Confederate
service, and maltreating their defence
less and unprotected families. This COM
pany of twenty-five inhuman wretches
visited the home of Champ Ferguson,
stripped his wife and daughters, compell-
ed them to dance around the room until
their hellish delights were grati6ed and
then ravished them. After the women
were So prostrated as to be unable to
walk, they were carried out of the house
and placed upon bedding, and the house
was fred and the building and contents
consumed.
When the news of this outrage reach
ed the camp of Ferguson, he related it
to his Commander-in-chief, and asked to
to be transferred to the scouting depart
ment. His request was granted, and he
was given the command of forty good
mounted men He took an oath ere he
left camp to kill those twenty-five moral
lepers with his own hand. Carefully
working his way back to Kentucky he
ascertained their names, and was success
full in killing twenty-one, the other hav-
ing fled the country. To show you how
coolly he carried out his purpose l will
relate two or three of his acts of revenge.
1t will be borne in mind that he killed
all the twenty-one with his own hand,
using his bowie-knife in every case with
the exception of four, whom he shot. In
one case he came near losing his own life.
Seeing one of his victims on horseback,
he halted his command, drew his knife
and pursued. When overtaken, the fu-
gitive turned and levelled his revolver,
bu! Ferguson knocked up the weapon
and the ball passed harmless over his
head. Ferguson's knife laid open his
breast and the victim rolled upon the
ground. 0vertaking two of the negroes
engaged in the destruction of his home,
he took them from their mules, tied
them to trees, and dispatched them with
his knife. To show how cool he contin-
ued his work l relate one more act of his
revenge. He approached the house in
the night-fnding all dark, he dismount-
ed, and forcing the door open, took seat
at the fire, taking out his pipe he pro-
ceeded to take a smoke. The man and
wife of the house were in bed. After con-
versing Cheerfully with the woman for
some time she arose and took seat also
by the fire. After awhile she appealed
to him not to kill her husband. He said
to her that the man was monster, and
not fit to be her husband-thatshe ought
to leave him and seek man Of honor
When he got through smoking, he arose,
put his pipe away, saying sit was time to
co." drew his knife, and stepping to the
bed, took his victim by the hair, drew
his head to the side of the bed and cut
his throat. He then drew him to the
door and threw his body in the yard,
mounted his horse and rode off with his
command.
After these events Ferguson removed
his family to Alabama, where they re-
mained until the close of the war.
When the Confederates were reporting
at Nashville to Capt. Blackford, in COM
mand there, some of Ferguson's company
insisted upon him not reporting, but he
wrote Capt. Blackford, and asked if he
would be treated as a prisoner of war if
he should report. He had this assur-
ance, and accordingly reported. He was
treated as a murderer, court-martialed
without being permitted to offer rebut-
ting testimony, and gave up his life upon
the gallows.
This was his offending, and this his
end. Who would have done different2
MACK,