The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-06-05
THE BRAVE TEXAN.
A Fellow Traveller, now in Mississippi, who
Was an Eyewitness to the Tragedy,
Relates the Details Of Crozier's Death.


Mayor Goggans has received the fol-
lowing letter which will he read with
! interest:
OXFORD, Mss, May ~, lS!W.
TO tire Mayor of Newberry {. II =,
:. g., Dear Sir: The enclosed clipping
appeared in the Atlanta Constitution
and at once arrested the attention of
Mrs. :. q. Price, the widow of the
writer's brother. She had often heard
her husband and myself tell the sad
story of the brave mans death, and
knew at once that the subject of this
sketch was no other than our COM
panion - CroZier, whose first name
lave forgotten, but it can easily he
, supplied by our kinsnan, y Il: Mial,
Of Wake County, y. {.
CroZer and Armead Price We're pa
rolled soldiers. | was L lad l3years old,
and had for the past ten years prior to
1865 been with my guardian and uncle,
y. Price, in Wake County, y. G.
Armead Price, on his release from
Fort Delaware, (he and another brother
having been surrendered at Appomat-
toxj came through North Carolina on
his way back home to Mississippi.
| Crozier, short time before this, in
| passing through the country on his
way to Texas, had found a friend in
this Mr.. \. Il. Mial, and he had stopped
with him several weeks. Mr.. Mial
gave him some clothes and furnished
him some money to get back to his
| native State.
When these two men left Raleigh in
| 1865, for their respective homes / Joined
them, and our trip was uneventful
until we reached the interior of South
! Carolina. The railroads were torn up
in places, and we sometimes had to
walk from one point to another. On
the night before CroZier was killed we
had marched all the night long, from
some point Il don't recollect the name, }
to Il little place on Broad River then
called Austin. AS the sun rose we
came in sight of the river, and the sight
! was so glorious to me, tired as | was,
had race with poor CroZier down the
long hill into the valley. We were all
soon bathing in the river. This over,
and getting some breakfast, we crossed
over to the South side, and there, for
the first time, we met this Iowa lady in
whose defense Crozier lost his life.
At Austin, on the Broad, we found
transportation, and the depot agent, or
the man in charge there, asked CroZer
if he would not take care of the lady rs
far as they travelled together.
We all left Austin together the same
evening; aud the result is told in this
clipping from the Atlanta Constitution.
CroZier was tried, condemned and
shot without the sanction of law, and
it all transpired in the night. We were
powerless to help him with this regi,
ment of negro soldiers under the direc'
ton Of Federal Colonel as brutal in
his instincts as the horde at his com.
mand. The infuriated creatures
crowded men and women, latter the
death of CroZier) about the derot
cursing and vowing that they "had
had some white blood that morning
and that they were going to have
more"
1t was several hours before the next
train left: Things quieted down, and
we were not molested further than
hearing some Of the most dreadful
threats from the blood thirsty negro
women.
We went from Newberry to West
Point, Ga; then, I think, to Mont.
gomery, Ala; then up the river to
Selma; then to Meridian, Miss; then
via Jackson, Miss, to our old home,
| Oxford, Miss.
| My brother and / were not in the
same car with Crozier when the diff
Guilty with the infamous negro soldier
took place. We occupied that night
another car.
Crozier, after his Identification as the
man who cut the negro's throat, was
hurried away. Some town official, or
county, don't know which now
was notified, and an attempt made, but
feeble one of course, under the condi-
ton of affairs then, to give Crozier a
proper and legal trial, as he was en-
titled to have. But before anything
could be done to arrest the judgment
Of the court martial, ne was shot.
Crozier has an uncle who lived at
Galveston, Texas, and relatives in some
other part of the State. While at his
grave, just before he was shot, he wrote
Armead Price q note, giving his uncle's
address, and asked him to write his
uncle the cause of his death. 1t is my
recollection that he stated in this note
that it was hardly day yet, and he
could scarcely see to write. | insti-
tuted search among my brothers old
| papers for this note and three letters
that he received from the Iowa lady,
one Of the witnesses of the beginning
of this horrible tragedy.
! knew the name Of the Colonel OF
this negro regiment, but it has escaped
me.
| | never knew whether the negro
died. Crozier cut his throat from ear
to ear, and he fell at the foot of the cal
steps as he, Crozier, kicked him down
them. following murder, MURDER" as
he fell.
If further information is desir
about this true knight it can easily be
obtained from Capt. A. r. Mial, Shot.
we'll, Wake County, n. G.
Having my attention called to this
clipping by my sister, | determined |
would write you, that those who in
quired, might learn the name of the
hero who sleeps beneath "the little
mound near the Cotton Mills in
Newberry, S. c."
Please return the newspaper clipping
as | want to send it to Capt. A. T. MiaI
Of North Carolina, who befriended this
man. Respectfully yours,
BEN PRICE.
THE place "Austin," referred tc
above, is meant for Alston.-EDITOF
H & NJ
THE CROZIER FUND.
AS stated last week met ting viii
| be held this Thursday mOrninn in thf