, 1880-08-29

Iei0ed Graves to Get "Ch2fmN-
CHASTITY SaparstItfons.
Vernon (ALa-) Clipper.
On Sunday morning, about h2lfpast
o'clock, Sheriff Lacy was called up by
armed men, who demanded the keys Of
the Jail. When positively. refused, they
placed guard at his door and told him
| not to come out. as they did not wish to
hurt him. They then proceeded to the jul,
broke open the doors, and, after hamme.i1g
the cage awhile, were heard calling, "Coma
out Of there; come out Of therev' several
times. Then ten or twelve shots were
heard, though mostly pistols, and the men
D., thought to be about thirty in number,
marched away. When they were gone
Lindsey Portwood, Dudley Brothers, and
Wesley Richardson were found dead In
the cage, and the door OF the cage broken
open. They had been committed ten days
ago ior violating ;d 81 gFsyes; sis;.u ,rn
and held all inquest. DR.. VIM. A. Brown
| examined the bodies In the presence Of the
| jury and made out a statement, in writing,
! of the nature and number Of the wounds,
! and stated that they all came to their death
! by shot wounds Thomas 3. Nesmltlt1
| the jury. every person FROM whom 1t was
! supposed that any testimony could be OBJ
| tained, but no discovery was made IS to
| who committed the crime. The citizens oil
| Vernon met and prepared good, plain eofftis1
and DRESSED, the dead in Meat suits and
gave them decent burial. The colored peo-
| pie refused to aid, and seemed to have
! supcrstitious fear OF coming near the dead.
The crime committed By these unfortunate
] men, and the facts and manner OF is ds-
| coverv, are about as 1oll0ws: one day !s ias.
\ sick and thinking he was about to dle,
J unbnrdened his conscience to his nurse,
! an old negro woman named Jude Dobbins,
and named the above three as engaged II
| the crime, and told her that some OF tae
with were about the house. Aunt Jude,
thinking that Poe would die. and being
! superstitiously alarmed, communicated nef
| information to white woman. The whlse
! people, finding that several grlVes had 5eeh
| dug into, became excited and were threaten
! ing SUMMARY yengence. Some prudent
| citizens obtained u warrant and succeeaea
| III arresting the three named above for Vlo*
| latlng graves. Poe being sick, they It'd not
disturb him. The prisoners, wlieE arrested.
separately confessed the crime, and eacn
told about the same story. Each was taken
! to the graves separately, end each pointed
out the graves they had opened; Tha
prisoners were then taken before Aas;s-
trate, who, upon their full confession COM
| mitted them to jail.
The citizens who had the matter in hand
had great difficulty in protecting the Pr
| oners till they were lodged III Jill, anu iof
| several days afterward the Sheriff and GU.
gems Of Vernon feared something like Tnn
! become quiet. The people aftcrward opened
| and examined the graves. One in whlehs
| man had been buried about thirty-hVe ycoIs
| had been dug out to the bottom. and i's8 tna
| decayed bones were mixed with the alls
to the top, and some of them were foan9
011t -nf fhn Tho c1IH fQET
! did not take any Of them because theJ Wels
| too much decayed. The other was tha! oi
4. Mrs. Tom Poe, who had been barea 1ea
about two years. The left hand Of !le
corpse had been pulled off at tue Wrls1 s1
pulled off at the shoulder, and was missing
and the corpse was nlangfed and tu5nen hpea
about in the coffin. The lid had ncen
merely laid back and the grave hsG
The negroes said they had taken ls away yyha;p s;p
persons, which they said were from Als.
poe,s hands; These bones ars now IN, ~ postt xet
to; belong to the same human hand. Ihey
said they had sold some Of them. t.
believed that several other graves haa t 9es1 e
the digging had been done is at or neI a.t
Poplar Spring Church, in the southwess.
corner Of this county, and all fhe glh,so
mnlested were the graves of white peopt.e' "a
lut CauSe oI THIS SIran1E CuH4"eSfs ~
related by tha negroes themselves, Is as Aof'
lows;
During November and December lass
negro by the name OF jerry Vaughn 1lon4I 1Ioa4
Mississippi, stated among them, anu J.: SUN s'na
them rights aud recipes for working cnaitha ~
anu performing miracles. 70 acquire .,n w
''caru charm,'F three or more 60 to grasE,
one kneels at the head and prays, On ong *. Y
more stand at the foot and curse, tne t:, III II
ance dig down and get the bones, anu ,rs. -.
up the grave again, the praying anu !, tut ;nin
ing going on all the WHILE Then aA JoiMf III
IN game. Of cards on the grave, anu - -
have acquired the '1charm." Ihey Pus I.anT ~
bones in q poke or string them anu anuMssa5 Msa51
them about the body, and, as they eXpIesof Xp7:ss =
It, I'VE have good luck" They LICK eus1 .aga -
human bones, and wet the tips Of their nnke.o o
while they lianals or play cards, alla ,ains9 nasf
'"'good luck" They rub the caros !, neasrad nd
the bones about their body for "luck ~, aIn n
they swallow the dust for s'good inch .,av ~
any undertaking. Rumor has It thaL utSs ~
said: II black man will take dose o. t,,an M
dust of white woman's bones he eau !. a'iua ha
charm any white woman and 40 ar Y ~
pleases with her" We do not yoncnt nth;a tJa
this, as the prisoners never mentloneu ,mf NJ
charm to tho Sheriff after they were ~ pa'
in Jail, but they spoke freely Of the ot1Ssn, sSa1
and sail that they did not see that e1''
had any better" luck.'
SC10L!Shl.