National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-06-27


eyer, were only corroborating information pre-
viollsly received, II appeared that the reckless
and restless characters Of that region had
GGy SSonse keep Several esIoSs w Wers
shot in the attempt to escape, others succeeded
in Guiding the vigilance of their prosecutors;
large numbers, terrified by what they saw aud
heard, quietly remained under the restraint
imposed upon them, waiting for better oppor.
tunities similar system was fol-
lowed in Alabama. but enough has become
known to indicate the condition of things In
localities not Immediately under the eye Of tho
military. III that state the efforts made 10 hold
the negro in state Of subsection appear to
have been Of particularly atrocious nature.
Rumors 10 that effect which reached me at
Montgomery induced me to make inquiries Mt
the post hospital. The records OF that institu.
which bad occurred Immediately after the
close of the war, and some of moro recent
daici all OF which proved that negroes leaving
the plantations, and found on the roads were
exposed to tho savsgost treatment.
In proof Of this latter assertion Gen.
Schurz gives an extract from the hospital
report at Selma, Ala;
Lii.o( coiOfed peopie kiiei or MANNED bV 1oing
mon and treated az post hospital, Montgomery.
j. Nancy colored woman, ears cut or She
had followed Wilson's column toward Macon
two or three days, and when returning camped
near the rOnd and while asleep white man
by the nGmo Of Ferguson, or Foster, nm over
seer, came upon her and cut her cars off, This
Montgomery
q Mary Steel, ono sldo of her head scalped
died. She was with Nancy.
O. jacob Steel, both ears cut on; was with
the snlno pnrty.
4. Amanda Steel, ears cut off; was with the
same party.
O. Washington Booth, shot in the back, near
Montgomery, while returning from his work,
May l. He WINS shot by William Harris, OF
Pine Level, thirty miles from here, without
d. Sutton Jones beard and chin cut off, He
belonged TO Nanoy'sparty, and was MANNED by
the Same man.
I. About Six colorod people were treated ct
this hospital who were shot by persons In am
bnscado during tho months Of Juno and July.
Their names cannot be found In hasty re-
8. Robert, servant Of Col Hough, wasstabbed
while at his house BY "a man wearing IN part
the garb OF O confederate soldier; died on tho
after having been stabbed
o. Ida, young colored girl, was struck on
the head with club by an oycrsecr, about
thirty miles from here; died of her wound ut
this hospital June 20.
10. james Taylor stabbed about half n mile
from town; had seven stabs that entered his
lungs, two in his arms, two pistol shots grazed
him, and one arm cut one.third of, on tho 18th
Of June. Offender escaped
II. James Monroe, cut across the throat
while engaged In snddling horse. Tho
offender, a White man by tho name Of Metcaif,
was arrested. No provocatioD. Case happened
on Aug. 10, in this city.
-IuCbc cases Ch1nc 10 NOTICE surgeon IN
charge Of the post hospital Mt Montgomery.
treated them myself and certify that the above
statements are correct, j. N. PMrPs,
Acting stati Surgeon, in Charge Post Hospital.
MoNTGONEgY HALL, Aug Il, 1865.
Also n report fromJ. L. Harvey, assistant
surgeon, 5Sth Illinois, who gives three adj
ditional eases; and one from Mai. j. p.
Houston, major 9th Minnesota, who cites
by name twelve negroes killed in one month
by white men, and from Capt. W. A. Poll
Ion, stationed at Mobile, who, among other
things, says:
An hores OF equity and justice through the
civil organization of this city IS barred;
prejudice, and vindictive hatred TO color Is
universal here; II increases intensely, and the
only capacity IN which the negro wlll be tolcr!,
The fever Of excitement distrust, aud AMI.
mostly Is kept alive by lnccndiary and lying
reports In the papers, md false representations
OF rebel detectives. The alarm Is constantly
abroad that the negroes orc going to rise this
| is utterly without foundation. The freemen
will not rise, though docile and submissive to
city ii they arc ragged and dirty, they are
spurnCd AZ outcasty ifgcnteel and respectable,
they nro insultedG resumptiye lfintolllgent,
they arc inccndiary and their humble worship
| of God IL construed as designing plot TO rise
against the citizen who Cypress them.
In the counties of this district above nannod
| there is no right Of the negro which the white
man respects; all Is anarchy and confusion; a
reign of terror exists, and the life Of the freed
| men is at the mercy OF any villain whose
hatred or caprice incites to murder. Organ.
| lied patrols with negro hounds keep guard
| over the thoroughfares, bands OF lawless rob-
bers traverse the country, and the unfortunate
| who attempts escape, or he who returns for his
| wife or child, is waylIld or pursued with
| hounds, and shot or hung. Laborers on the
BHaeibSS36 81 as SEea s1h maSo
| the crops and are.now driven OF TO rcRchjAIo.
bile or starve; scarcely any of Thorn have rags
| enough to cover thcn. Many who still labor
| afo denied any meat, and whenever they arc
treated with humanity It Is an isolated oxcep.
| ton. Ragged, MANNED, and diseased, those
| miserable outcasts seek their only refuge, the
| ireedmers bureau, and their simple tale of
suffering and WOO calls loudly on the mighty
arm Of the government for the protection prom
| ised them.
These people are industrious. They do not
refuse to work; on the contrary, they labor for
the smallest plttAncc and plainest food, and
are too often driven OIL deprived Of the small
compensation they labored for.
Capt. Poillon then gives a list of num-
| bers OF negroes who were killed, one
burned to death, one knocked down and
torn by dogs, and Others hung, shot, beaten,
&c. He says:
Al the cases have mentioned arc authentic,
| and numerous witnesses Will testify to
his ghasiiy train stalks abroad at
NSSday and TsySs in 6gndsPgded
freedmen know not what TO do. To leave Is
| death; 10 remain is TO suffer tho increased
burden imposed on them by the cruel task
master, whose only Interest Is their labor,
wrung from them by every device an inhumail
ingenuity cnn devise Hence the lash and
murder. are resorted 20 to, intimdate those
whom fear of an awful death alone causes to
remain, While patrols, negro dogs, and spies
disguised as Yankoes) keep constant guard
over these unfortunate people.
All these statements arc adopted and In
serted in his report by Gen. Schurz as evil
| nft ,fh Ill
Here is what Col. Brinkerhoff, stationed
at Vicksburg, says and Gen. Schurz in
dorses:
One planter said in my hearing lately,
''These niggers will all be slaves again IN
twelve months. You have nothingbu Lincoln
proclamatiOns to make them free" Another
said, mo white labor shall ever reclaim my
cotton fields" Another said, "Emigration has
been the curse Of the country; IL must be pre-.
present owners and their descendants =
Another said, "The constitutional amendment
II successful, Will be carried before the su'
tain, and we hope much from that court"
And this is from Col. p. Jones YorSe, at
Port Gibson "The negroes Of this section
Of country these men Estate milltia) con,
trolled were kept In the most abject state OF
slavery" And this is from Capt, j. H.
Weber:
But in remote localities, those that cannot
well be reached by officers of tho bureau, the
blacks are as badly treated as ever. Colored
people often report themselves to the subcom.
mlssioners with bruised heads and lacerated
backs, and ask for redress, protection, to bG
permitted to live at their former homes, and
some assurance that they will not be treated
In q like manner again If they return. !
a girl about ~ years Of ago, certainly toe
young 10 commit any serious oifense, lies In
No. / hospital now with her back perfectly
raw, the results of padding administered by
her former owner, Amy number Of such case.
nom the civil authorities, there Is no snch
thing outside OF this city. There is not a jus