The herald., 1895-07-28

|
the march, where. finding the door nm
locked, We entered and murdered Mrs.
Reese in her bed whila sleeping: her sor
awoks. but it was only to sleep the sieer
CT death; he had only time to say, Who
IS .thdt9 and he was no more. From Mrs
Reese's We went TO Mrs. Turner's, lille
distant, which we reached about sunrise
on Monday morning. Henry Austin and
Sam went to the still. where, finding Mr..
Peenles, Austin shot him, and the rest OF
us went to the house; as We approached
the family discovered us and shut the
door. VAN hope Will, with one stroke
of his OK, opened it and we entered and
found Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Newsome in
the middle of the room. almost frightened
to death. Will Immediately killed Mrs.
Turner with one blow of his AK. / took
Mrs. Newsome by the hand and with the
sword had when | was apprehcndeu, l
struck her several blows over the head.
not being able to kill her. ds the
sword was dull. Will, turning round and
discovering it. dispatched her. A general
destruction of property and search for
money and ammunition always succeeded
the murders.
'By this time my company amounted
to fifteen and nine men mounted. who
started for Mrs. Whitehead's (the other
six were there to go through byway to
Mr.. Bryant's and rejoin us at Mrs. White
head's). As we approached the house We
! UlSCOVeTeu MT. hlCnUIu Nulteueau otaHu-
| ing in the cotton patch near the lane
fence; we called him over into the lane,
and VIII. the executioHer, was near at
| hand with his fatal axe. to send MIN
| to an untimely grave. As we pushed on
to the house | discovered: some one run
| ming round the garden, and thinking it
was SONS of tho white family. pursued
| them, but finding it was servant girl
belonging to the house returned to COM
| menee the work of death but they whom
| | left had not been idle; all the family
| were already murdered but Mrs. White
| head and her daughter Margaret. AS l
came round to the door l saw Will pull
ing Mrs. Whitehead out of the house. and
at the step he nearly severed her head
from her body with his broad axe.
Miss Margaret, when discovered her
had concealed herself in the corner form
ed by the projection of the cellar stoop
from the house; on my approach she
fled but was soon overtaken and after re-
peated blows with q sword l killed her
by blow on the head with q fence rail.
BY this time the six who had gone tu
Mr.. Bryant's r~joined Ls and informed
me that they had done the work assigned
them: We again divided. part going to
Mr.. Richard Porter's and from thence to
Nathaniel Francis the others to Mr..
Howell Harris and Mr.. r. Doyie's.
"On my reaching Mr.. Porter's he had
escaped with his family. l understood
there tnat tne alarm nau alreauy peen
spread and ! Immediately returned to
bring up these to Mr.. Doyle's and Mr..
Howell Harris; the party left going on
to Mr.. Francis, having told them 1
would rejoin them in that neighborhood.
! met those sent to Mr.. Doyle's and MIR.
Harris returning, having met Mr.. Doyle
on the road and killed him; and learn
ing from some who joined them that Mr..
Harris was from home. 1 Immediately
pursued the course taken by the party
gone on before; bat knowing they would
complete the work of death and plllage at
Mr.. Francis before | could get there, l
went to Mr.. Peter Edwards, expecting to
find them there, but they mad been there
also.
II then went to Mr.. John T. Bar
rows; they had been there and murdered
him. | rushed on their track to Cap.
;.ajn hewitt Harris. where found the
greatly sff-lpssrt part mo2a,ted and seady to staY !
The men. no% amounting to aDG<.t forty,
shouted and hurrahed as l rode up; some
were drinking. They said Captain Harris
and mis- family had escaped; the property
in the house they had destroyed, robbiDg
him of money and other valuables. 1 or
dered them to mount and march Instant
lv; this was about or 10 O'Clock Mon
day morning. 1 proceeded to MIR. Levi
Wallefs, two or three miles distant |
took my station in the rear. and it was
my object to carry terror and devastation
wherever we went. | placed fifteen or
twenty OF the best armed and most to be
relied on in front. who generally ap-
preached the houses as fast as their horses
could run; this was for two purposes. to
prevent their escape and strike terror IN
to the lnhabitants-on this account new
er got to the houses after leaving Mrs.
Whitshead's until the murders were COM
mitted. except in one case.
tfI enp,atip,aa n sfOhf IN thu
work of death completed, viewing the
mangled bodies as they lay in silent salts
faction. and Immediately started in
quest of other victims. Having nun
bered Mrs. Waller and ten chilren. We
started for Mr.. William Williams. having
there. While engaged in this Mrs. Will
Jams fed and got some distance from
the house, but she was pursued. Overtaken
and compelled to get up behind one OF
the company, WHO brought her back, and
after showing her the manged body Of
her liieless husband she was told to get
down and lie by his side. where she was
shot dead. | then started for Mr.. Jacob
Williams. where the family were mur-
dered. Here we found q young man
named Drurv, who had come on business
with Mr.. Williams. He was pursued, over
taken ana shot. Mrs. Vaughn's was the
next place We visited, and after murder
ing the family there | determined on
starting for Jerusalem. Our mum Der
amonted now to fifty or sixty, all mount
ed and armed with guns, axes, swords and
clubs.
"On reaching James W. Parker's gate,
Immediately on the road leading to Jer-
usalem, and about three miles distant, 1t
was proposed to me to call there, but |
objected. as | knew he was gone to Jeru-
salem. and my object was to reach there
as soon as possible; but one of the men
having relations at Mr.. Parker's, it was
agreed that they might call and get his
people. / remained at the gate on the
road, with seven or eight; the others
going across the field to the house, about
half mile off.
After waiting some time for them. be-
came impatient. and started to the house
for them, and on our return we were met
by party of white men. who had pnr-
sued our blood stained track, and who
had fired on those at the ga's and dis
persed them. linn ediately on discovering
the whites. l ordered my men to halt and
form. as they appeared to be alarmed.
The white men, eighteen in number. ap-
preached us in about one hundred yards.
when one of them fired (ths was against
the positive orders uf Captain Alexander
p. Peete, who commanded, and who had
directed the men to reserve their fire un-
til within thirty paces). and I discovered
ABOUT half of them retreating. / then
ordered my men to fire and rush them.
The few remaining stood their ground
until we approached within fifty yards,
when they fired and retreated. We pur-
sued and overlook some OF them whom
we thought we left dead (they were not
killed.. After pursuing them about two