The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-13

Lutte control over the lives of his children
and all in his power. He held that it was
his right to whip to death, II necessary.
wife or child. He inflicted terrible punish
ments for slight offenses.
The life of Hester was one of continuous
torture. Nose, Josie. all the children beat
her. She was put In the loft, filled with
smoke, TO sleep. She was made to work in
the field and wear mems clothes. She was
not allowed to go 60 the tabie.or sit by the
FIRE. She wore rags around her feet for
shoes. II she tried to escape she was
brutslly whipped. She became de-
mented, filthy woman. The evidence was
so terrible and unclean that only oaths
would make it believed, 1t was so horrible
as to make one shudder. Women could not
hear it, 1t is unfit for print.
In November, 1884, Nose had made of
Hester a mental and physical wreck He
had punished her numerically, and she
was lying on pile of corn with closed eyes.
He said to Josie:
am going to make a cellar to put her
in and let her sleep herself to death, and
then will not have the sin of killing her on
my hands"
''She won't need the cellar by the time
get through with her." replied Josie.
The winter was terrible one. Feb.
10, 1885, John Cation drove Hester to the
new ground with an OK CAD, beating her all
the way. On Feb. 20 she was given a fried
egg for dinner by Josie and it made her
sick; she was sent to the house and went to
the loft. That night Nose asked her:
Would you like to have an egg"
YES. IL you will boil IT. she replied.
The boiled egg was sent her. In the night
she was calling for water and John Bird, a
man employed by Nose, carried her q cup.
DE saw the egg and asked:
Hester, why didn't you eat the eggm
II wanted it very much" she said, but
it had hole in it. The one l had in the
new ground made me sick, aud that is why
l wanted it boiled. But it had hole in 1t. "
The inference was that she feared poison.
Bird gave her water again that night and
Saturday, Feb. %, before day, Nose and
Bird were to cut a coon treen. Bird went
| to carry Hester drink and after coming
down the ladder said:
Nose, Hester is a very sick woman and
should be made comfortable" When they
returned Hester was on a pallet on the
floor.
Sunday night Bird was awakened by the
sound of a heavy fall. He called OUT
'Mose, what is the matter!"
After some time Nose replied: "Hester
fell in trying to get drink of water"
Josie then told dim that Hester was dy-
ing. She was drawn up as though she was
cramped. Josie would turn on her side,
when she would roll over on her back. In
ABOUT an DOur Sne uleQ.
FOUND SHE HAD BEEN HANGED.
Monday morning Josie sent for some neigh
bors, but would not allow them to wash or
dress the corpse. A new shroud was slipped
over the old clothes. Around the neck was
clean handkerchief. Over this Josie
pinned collar hind part before. because
she would not allow the handkerchief to be
taken off. Tuesday a few persons besides
the Cations followed Hester's body to Smiths
mills. where il was buried. Within a few
hundred yards Of the graveyard lives
Squire James V. Lilly. He heard of the
burial and of former rumors of Cations
burial.
By Thursday he was so well satisfied of
foul play that, as a magistrate, he ordered
the body exhumed. This was done, and the
coroner's jury returned a verdict that Hester
Cation came to her death at the hands of
Nose Cation and others.
The body exposed was sickening sight
There was not a spot on il as large as the
palm of hand that was not cut sore or
| SCARED. The torture the woman under
| went cannot be told. Under the -handker-
chief around the neck was a rag, and under
that rag was the mark Of rope. She had
been hanged to the rafter, and the fall heard
by Bird was when the rope broke. About
fifty people saw the corpse, and old gray
headed men said:
Squire Lilly issued warrant. but failed
to find an officer who would serve it. This
man had men afraid of him. He had killed
only women and children, but brave men
looked on him as a demon, who did not
value human life. Every man there knew
what a trip to Coon county after Nose
Cation meant. That he would not submit to
arrest without fight was well known.
Hundreds of men would have Joined mob
TO hang the whole crowd, but here was a
quiet farmer magistrate calling for men to
join him in indicating and upholdin2 the
law. Boys who had danced to his fiddling
for years volunteered to follow his lead,
but not that of any other man.
Arriving at Caton's the house was sur
rounded by men who were to capture If
possible. DO kill If necessary. The first one
seen was John Cation, about q years old.
He broke for the house and was told to stop
or he would be shot. He did not stop and
was shot, but continued to crawl toward
the house. but was caught and secured.
Esquire Lilly called out: "MOse Cation,
demand the surrender of yourself and every
one in the house."
Cation carefully opened the door, and =,
putting out the muzzle of gun first, his
face followed. One OF the posse fired at
him. Annie, 16 years old, was passing the
door, and sixteen OF the shot struck her
Shooting Annie was accidental The shot
was made to save tho posse from Cations
gun. Several other demands were made to
surrender. when Cation said:
Squire Lilly. il you will come into the
house, we can come TO terms.n
mo, you don't catch me in such trap as
that, Mose," replied the brave man. "If
you got me into the house you would keep
me there, and then defy my men to take
you, as in burning the house to get you they
would have to hurt me- II you surrender
without further trouble l promise you that
you and your family will be safely con-
Quoted to jail. II you do not surrender
will burn the house over you and shoot you
as you run"
DESTROYED THE NEST OF MONSTERS.
This positive man and his determined
course caused Cation and his crowd-Josie,
Wesley. Annie aud Tonic surrender
When in the wegon on the way 10 Jail John
Cation venomously said:
10, If l had my way with you follows
would shoot the last one of you"
"See here. young man." said Squire
Lilly, you are In the hands of the most de-
termined set Of men you ever saw. The
only reason why you have not already
swung from q limb Is that they are de-
termined to do their duty. l warn you not
TO exasperate them too far"
This quoted the young brute. Bands of
uen would come from the woods and de-
mand the hanging of the whole brood, but
the courageous man who dared TO do what
others feared to try told all alike that his
men would land the Cations In all or die.