The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-14
THE MATTHEW'S MURDER.
The Narrative of the Widow of the
Murdered AIississippian.
A Family Driven Into Exile by UnreasCu-
ing Bourbon Fury-A Tale of Bar
barOus Cruelty.

blooded assassination of Mr. Matthews, and
have sought refuge with friends in this city,
having been forced to abandon their home
through fear of brutal violence at the hands
of the same cruel Bourbon mob that was en-
gagged in the murder of the head of the fam
lily on election day. They had threatened
her life and the lives of her children by pub
lie resolution and by unmistakable mob
tokens, and Eight was made imperative.
The unfortunate Mr.. Matthews and every
member of his family were born and have
lived all their lives in Coplah county, and
they are of the best blood in the State. Mrs.
Matthews is refined lady, woman of edu-
cation and of unusual intelligence. The
family consists of mother, two daughters and
three sons. The two eldest boys, just ripen-
ing into manhood, bright, handsome fellows,
are students at the university. One of them
carried off the honors for oratory at the last
commencement The mother is a woman of
little past middle age, matronly aud mod
est dressed in deep mourning. She is a sad
eyed, heart-broken woman.
Mrs. Matthews, in reply to my request that
she favor the National Republican with re-
cital of the circumstances leading up to and
associated with the Hazlehurst tragedy, said
that she had no disposition to parade her
sorrows before the public, nor to conceal
Them if their publication would have ten
dency to save Others from a similar desola-
ton. She had received from journalists and
others repeated requests for statement, but
she had written nothing. So many horrible
things had been done in Mississippi since the
war, which for time seemed to arouse the
whole nation, and then be forgotten, that she
had 10 bOn hot arS cad haDp-
fit any one.
Mrs. Matthews went on to say that she and
her husband had known each other from
childhood, and were married about the be-
ginning of the war. Mr.. Matthews always
entertained the political opinions for which
he was murdered In 1860, when mere
boy, he made Union speech, which excited
the hostility of the Democrats, who were as
intolerant then as now. He was firm in
maintaining his convictions, generally sue
cessful in whatever he undertook, and aside
from his politics, as popular as any man in
ness than most of his neighborS,
For many years he had be-
lieve8 his assassination possible
at any time as has been stated by the Coplah
County Signal and that fact had caused her
to watch his course more closely, and take
more interest in politics than she otherwise
would.
BEGINNING OF THE PERSECUTION.
GAS far back as 1852 she said IAN armed
and angry mob of Democrats marched in pro-
cession in front of our house, carrying life
sized coffin, with my husbands name upon
it, tolling bell as they marched, and we
had many such warnings of what finally befel
US.
"At the late election my husband was
chairman of the Republican county commit
tee, and Amos Burnett was chairman of the
Independent committee. They and their
friends deemed it best to make up the ticket
mainly of Independents and liberal Demo-
Gratis brother of Mr. Mathews, who was
nominated for sheriff was the only Repub-
lcan placed upon it. When this ticket was
first put out everybody, including Demo-
cratic county papers, said it Yves an excellent
and unexceptionable one; but when they saw
that it would certainly be elected the Bour
bons entered on their campaign of
Mr.. Burnett, Independent chairman, was
shot down by a Democrat. He was
carried to our house to be nursed, where
he fingered until two days before the cleo
ton, when threats of further violence forced
him to leave. A week before the election
bands of armed men commenced night-raid
ing, whipping and numbering negroes, and
driving them from, their homes and 70 sleep
in the woods. One excellent old man, who
was seventy years old, and who had harmed
no one. was called out of his house at mid
night and shot to DEATH and his wife seri-
ously wounded. His only crime was that be
had expressed preference for the anti
Bourbon ticket. Several others were killed
in a similar manner. The house of Erastus
Matthews was fired into by the mob, and the
houses of many other Independents and Re-
publicans were visited and threats of v1o-
lence freely INDUCED, and, in several cases,
the men severely whipped.
by the Saturday before the election the
reign of terror had become so great that Dr.
Barlow and others brought to Hazlehurst a
petition directed to the sheriff and signed by
sixty white men, asking for protection, or
orders to protect themselves, and they made
affidavit for the arrest of the rioters but no
attention was paid to the demand On the
same day my husband received in the mail a
letter, signed by authority of the Democratic
Club, threatening his life, and, later in the
day, reliable person came to my husband
and informed him that he had overheard
conversation between Sheriff Hargraves,
Mead, the chairman of the Democratic com
mittee, and Others in which it was proposed
to deputize him to go out and arrest the riot
ers some of them remarking that it would be
a good way of having him killed
''At first we thought our informant must
have misunderstood the conversation, but as
we were sitting down to tea on Saturday
evening Sheriff Hargraves his deputy, Lowe,
and Mead came to our gate, and on being in
vited in to make known their business they
stated that they wished to deputize my hus-
band to go out and arrest the persons against
whom affidavit had been made. This was
in my presence, and my husband replied
that they well knew he was not the
proper man to make the ar
rest, and that their wanting him
to undertake it verified what he had heard a
few hours before-that they had agreed on
that plan of having him assassinated They,
of course, denied it, but there is no doubt of
its truth. On Saturday night we kept lights
burning all night, expecting the effort to as
rble suspense. On Sunday armed bodies of
men were riding through the streets, as on
Saturday. On Monday the excitement had