The St. Johns herald., 1892-01-07
WHOLESALE BUTCHERY.
A Story of the Bloody Deeds Of
 Two Brothers.
They Vowed Vengeance Upon Confederate Deserters aad Scores If Deaths Told Of Their Dead
 Iy Work.

Near New Holland, Ga,, there is little swamp near the road. At it's edge stands large white oak tree Years ago this spot was often pointed out as the scene of the murder Of twelve men, and the place bore the reputation Of being haunted. It was said the rattling of chains and groans and prayers for mercy could be distinctly heard by passersby. No enc ever stopped to in- vestigate, as we can testify from per sonal experience, says writer in the New York Dispatch, having heard tho groans some fourteen years ago, and having also done some Of the most dis tinguished travelling in all our eventful career.
 But to the story: Howard Thompson was witness to the killing, which oc- cured in 1863, he being ten years old at the time The killing was done by Bob and Ben Jordan, of Pickens county, and the murdered men were deserters who had been arrested in GilIner county.
 While the Jordan boys were in the confederate army crowd of deserters visited the house Of their father, as saulted their sister and the wife of Bob Jordan and carried their father, who was about seventy years old, through the mountains distance of sixty miles, and subjected him to many shocking cruelties. Then the Jordan boys re- turned home and began their record of killing. Every man known to be de- sarter or sl1ulker became a victim of their unerring rifles. Bob kept list of the names and dates in small book. He was pursued one day and in crossing river lost his book. It contained one hundred and twenty-five names. After that he kept no record. This was be- fore the killing near Gainesville.
 Bob and Ben Jordan became recruit ing officers and arrested twenty six men in Gilman county, and started with them to the front. On the way two escaped and twenty-four were lodged in Gainesville jail Next morning the Jordans picked out twelve whom they had the best reason to be- lieve had been implicated in the out rages upon their family and chained them together and marched them to this white oak tree on the New Holland road. They stood them up in q row and Bob Jordan marched slowly along the line with large army pistol and shot them with his own hand one at Q time. Some fell on their knees and and prayed, while others looked their slayer square in the face and died with an oath On their lips. Among the num- ber was 9 fragile boy about fifteen who was chained to very large man.
 The boy was shot first and the man supported him in standing posture un- til he himself was shot, when they fell to the ground together.
 Those twelve men were hastily buried in a trench, dug upon the spot, but after the war they were eEhumcd by the federal authorities and removed to the national cemetery at Chatta- nooga.
 Acser the war Bob Jordan was shot to deatta in Florida by week, siclly young man upon whom he was impos- ing. Ben was stabbed to death in a barroom in Texas.
 The spot where the killing occurred is now i'll cultivation, but the old tree still remains. The land is part of the tract which Tom Daniels bought about two years ago for eighteen hundred dollars and sold few days ago for six thousand dollars.