The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1891-12-04
raleigh N C.. Friday Morning. December !, ,So1

ing else. This, therefore. accounts
Tor the charge Of stealing"
The Standard, continuing. saws
the Ooaly Sentinel of the 25th re-
ports even more base and SLAM
derous rumors, against the dead
Senator.
"But few months ago, the
mother, or mother-in-law, of this
man was found dead, in room in
his house, with her throat cut. No
one outside of his family was ever
susplcioned of the murder. No one
but the family had been in or about
the house. There is a rumor that
Stephens committed murder in
Virginia years ago, and that the
friends OF the murdered man have
now, in retaliation, murdered him:
but as this rumor seems to have
originated only since the murder of
Stephens, we give no credence
to it,
The fnger-post of this murder.
points to proclamation, written in
the skies, that we must have peace
or war-a peace of law and order,
or war of bitter retribution,
wherein no public mans life will be
safe IN the Southern States. We
have surely fallen upon evil times.
The Citizens of Yanceyville Condemn it.
The Standard of May 9th said:
A large meeting of the citizens of
1anceyville and vicinity, was held
on the 23rd, in consequence of the
death of Mr.. Stephens, presided
over by Col. j. c. Wilkinson,
during which Hon. John Kerr de-
nounced in forcible and impress
slve manner his utter condemnation
of the atrocious deed. After
speeches by Bedford Brown, Col. f.
b. Withers and others, Judge
Kerr offered a series of resolutions
condemning the murder, discounte
nancing secret political societies,
calling on all good citizens to aid
in the arrest ofthe murderers, which
was adopted.
Wilson Carey's Account.
The Standard of May 9th con-
tains a letter from Wilson Carey,
now and then a prominent colored
Republican, from which we quote !:
"There was a Democratic meet
ing held in Yanceyville on last Sat-
urday, and late in the evening
while the meeting was going on
Hon. j. W. Stephens was called
out as if on business in the clerk
and masters room, and was as
sassinated in the most brutal man.
ner. Soon after the mischief, etc.
occurred he was missed by the COL
ored people, and it being supposed
that he must be in the court house,
they remained there until morning
and searched every room and finally
found him in the clerk and masters
room on pile of wood with rope
around his neck and stabbed in
three places and the knife lying by
his side. The key of the clerk and
masters room has not been found
as yet, and he was only found by
the colored people getting in the
window last Sunday morning and
seeing his stick.
The Hillsboro Recorders Account.
The Hillsboro Recorder, of May
31st, says: Three negroes, it is
said, offered a negro who used to
belong to Mr.. Bigelow fifty dol
lars to swear that he saw three white
gentlemen in Yanceyville take
Stephens into that room. A young
man from Yanceyville who was on
his way to Richmond was under
stood by the conductor to say that
the room in which Stephens was
found dead was thumb bolted inside
and the windows has been fastened
down.
1t is a little singular that the
same brutal manner in which the ne
groes murdered poor Blalock in
Hillsboro, was adopted in the kill
ing OF Stephens, viz, found dead