The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-26
SORES NOT HEALED
Two of Sherman's Raid
ers Visit WadesbOrO.
Federal Soldiers Clear up Some WaI
History But Mr., TentOn Asks
Some Questions That Opens
Old Sores.
The wadesboro Messenger ana In

''Wadesboro had two interesting Wis
itors last Sunday They were Capt.
Theodore f. Northrop, of New York
City and Mr. j. w. Landigan, of
Washington, d. c. There was nothing
particularly strange in the appearance
of these gentlemen. They looked like
ordinary well-to-do elderly business
men,, so The interesting thing about
them was not their looks, but the fact
that they had once before visited our
town under very different circum-
stances.
"On the morning of the Bird day of
March, 1865, the first of Sherman's
troops arrived in Wadesboro. by way
of the Camden road. Their coming
was entirely unheralded and it goes
without lsaying that their sudden ap-
pearance on our streets caused great
excitement. These troops. about 80
in number, were a detachment of
Sherman's scouts under command of
Capt Theodore F. Northrop. our Wis
itor of Sunday. Mr. Landigan was
private in Capt. Northrop's company,
and they are now engaged in tour
of the route they took through the
South as a part of Sherman's army.
Both gentlemen seemed greatly inter-
ested in recalling the incidents of their
former visit here and seemed to re-
member perfectly all that took place
at that time, as well as recalling with
out hesitation the geography of the
town.
Our older citizens will remember
that as two Of the Yankees rode down
Green street, past the court house.
they were fired on by some one near
the intersection. of Green and Martin
streets. The person who fired the shot
we have heard was Mr.. Isom Davis,
at present a citizen of this county.
Mr.. Davis, we have also been told,
always claimed that he hit one of the
men, but whether or not he killed
him was never known by our people
until Mr.. Landigan cleared up the
mystery Sunday. Mr.. Landigan in
conversation with gentlemen here,
fred on and that Lieut.. Griffin was the
other Lieut.. Griffin. he said, was
struck near the heart and fatally
wounded. The Yankees remained in
Wadesboro only a short time. and as
they left town a buggy belonging to
the late Jesse Edwards was impressed
and the wounded man. who begged
not to be left behind, was placed in
it. The soldiers left town by way of
the Chesterfield road, Lieut.. Griffin
dying, so Capt. Northrop states. Just
as they arrived at the branch on the
other side of the present residence of
Mr.. Robt. Lampley, which was then
known as the Lilly branch. Capt.
Northrop's command then proceeded
to Chesterfield, S. c., where they re-
NAMED only a few minutes. They
came back into Arson county that
night, arriving at the Tillma nplace
(now the property of Mr.. Fred Till
MANI, in White Store Township,
about 10 O'Clock. At II o'clock the
body of Lieut.. Griffin was buried in
the front yard of the Tillman dwell
h cd
soon afterward to a spot more remote
from the house.
Lieut. Griffin, according to Capt.
Northrop, was an Albanian and de-
serter from the Confederate army.
The captain further stated that Griffin
was one of the best shots in the entire
service and had killed more men than
any other man he knew of in the
army"
Mr.. f. r. Fenton. writing in the
same paper. pops a few questions as
follows:
capt. Northrop stated that he was
the man who led Sherman's cut
threats into Wadesboro in the spring
of 1865. We would like to have met
the captain. There is lots of infOrma-
ton that he could give us. We would
like for him to answer the following
questions: Was it Capt. Northrop or
his command who shot Jas. c. Ben
nett, a venerable gentleman. in his
own piazza? Did Capt Northrop
shoot and kill old Mr.. c. ttingham in
the woods. near Morven? Was it by
his orders that the Rev. II. G. Par
sons, one of the ablest preachers of
the South Carolina conference was so
cruelty treated in order to compel him
to divulge the place where his sup
posed hidden treasure was? Did this
agllant officer order his men to insult
our women, tear the rings from their
fingers, present their pistols and bayo-
nets at their breasts because they re-
fused to tell where they had hidden
their vaIuables? According to his
statement that he led the command.
he must know, for there was only one
squad of the cut-throatS that ever
came to our town that acted in this
dastardly manner. The strange part
of this story is, that Capt. Northrop
should have the effrontry to ever visit
a tiwn that he and his gallant band of
murderers incendiaries and thieves.
passed through in those sad days. We
Try not to- harbor such feelings. but
there are some sores that never heal"