The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-12
VENGEANCE IN GEORGIA
JOHN 4. PRYORAGREED 10 XIII SIX
MEN AND KEPTHIS WORD,

They Had Killed His Father and He Took
His Time to Get Even-Hunted Down
His Victims Deliberately and Gave Them
Time to Pray--Feud of sherman's March
to the Sea.
Pryors Citation, Ca, Jan. 29.-Six
men have been slain by John T. Pryor
of this place to avenge the murder of
his father. He has never been arrest
ed, nor suffered any penalty for his
half dozen manslaughters. He trav-
eled through Texas and Arkansas in
search of one of the murderers of his
father.
The Pryor family, with large num-
Der of slaves and broad acres Of pro-
ductive land. became wealthy, and at
the time of the firing on Fort Sumter
counted their possessions way up in
the hundred thousands. H. M. Pryor,
father of the avenging son, was a
strong sympathizer with the Union.
He believed the slavery question
ought to have been settled without
war. John T. Pryor went to the war
with Georgia cavalry company, but
after a few months returned home,
having hired a substitute He says he
saw there was no hope OF the Confede-
rate states winning.
In Georgia reign of terror and law
IAe rN11 IL. 4.
the sea. Despite the fact that Colonel
Pryor was such a strong Union sym
pathizer, the soldiers of Sherman
burned his barns and warehouses, in
which were stored three hundred and
sixty-five bales of cotton, besides help
ing themselves to all corn, provisions,
hogs and cattle they wished. Cotton
was then worth 1920 per pound. Just
after the war Colonel John Pryor sold
forty bales he had for fifty cents a
pound, or total of ten thousand dol
lars. The robbing and plundering by
marauding bands became so great af-
ter Sherman passed on that Governor
Brown was prevailed upon to appoint
home militia for protection in vari-
GUS parts of Georgia. n. M. Pryor
town district These depredations
were generally committed, it is said,
| by Gatewood and Co1quitt's scouts.
| These were illegal Confederate scouts
| appointed by the men whose name
| they bore. They carried on guerrilla
| warfare. They killed all the stray
glers behind Sherman, but at the same
| time felt no computations about help
| ing themselves to whatever they want
ed at southern homes. They were
| cordially hated by the people of both
| sides for their sneaking methods and
high-handed deeds. There is no rec
ord of how many wealthy southern
people they hanged or killed, but some
desperadoes under the mask of scouts
| hanged Judge Burrell near Rome and
got his money; killed Mr.. Ombers, and
villain named Phillips, who will
hereafter appear conspicuously, got his
watch; Mr.. Allgood, the owner of Tri-
| on factory, was hanged and left for
| dead because he would not tell where
| his money was hidden; Mr.. Cohen, a
| wealthy miller and merchant, was
hanged until life was almost extinct,
and then he told the hiding place
where several thousand dollars were
| dug up. All the above victims were
among the leading men of north Geor-
| gia. This brings this true history
down to the time Of the Pryor tragedy,
| and it is best to let John L. Pryor tell
| about it in his own words
| after the appointment of my faith
| err, Fl. M. Pryor, as captain of the home
| militia in the Cedartown district we
began active measures to check the
marauding bands" said Mr.. Pryor.
zone day on the road between Pryor
Station and Cave Spring we came upon
q band of five of the so-called scouts,
| whom we had been pursuing. The
| deSperadoes were armed to the teeth,
but my father and ] and the others of
| the party got the drop on them and
| ordered them to ride up one at time
and surrender. All of them did so ex-
cept one, who was riding snowy cali
co or piebald horse. His name, after
ward learned, was "Ducky" Ward,
and that he was from Texas. l had
covered him with my rifle. AS the last
| man was riding up to surrender, Ward,
who could ride like cowboy, threw
himself on the side of his horse and
| SLdIl0Q OIL IA D. SdilOp III lew MN
| utes / sent rife ball after him, and
we know 1t did it's work, as we saw the
dust fly. Just before we took up our
line of march with our prisoners for
Cedartown man came down the road
| leading Wards horse and said that
| there was a man lying dead near a
branch up the road After a few
days in the Cedartown Jail our prison
ers were sent to Newman to the mill
tary prison, but within two weeks had
been set free and were back in this sec
ton. They threatened to kill my faith
err for having them arrested, and a fell
low named Phillips was very bitter.
"In arresting these desperadoes we
often ran great risks. Colquitt, the
leader of the Colduitt scouts, was in
Cedartown shortly after this and his
men were terrorizing everyday. !
was detailed to arrest Colquitt and
went in search of him one night with
another officer. We found him In a
drunken stupor on the counter of a
store in Cedartown. When we aroused
him he was very quarrelsome and
cussed loudly. We let him rave, but
when he reached for his pistol to shoot
| us l saw had not moment to lose
sent bullet through his heart. All
the people said 1t was good radiance