Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-03-29
ELEVEN MURDERS
IN JASPER COUNTY
LAID TO, PE0NAGE
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EHD " l EOINHOE
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ent at the killing of d negro called
| BLACK Strap" who is alleged to
have disappeared a few months ago.
eleven Bodies Recovered
| Mr.. Wismer and Mr.. Chastain went
to Jasper county and interrogated
twelve negroes, including Manning,
| on the Williams plantation.
| Eleven of these negroes disappear
| ed and Manning confessed to having
/ killed them. Mr.. Wismer and Mr..
Chastain went to Newton and Jasper
| counties Saturday and recovered nine
of the bodies. Two more were found
| Sunday, bringing the total to eleven,
| while, according to rumors, there are
| many more missing.
A coroner's jury in Jasper county
held an inquest Sunday over the
| bodies of the negroes recovered, and
| Williams and Manning were formal
| ly held responsible for the death of
| number of them. The three sons
of Williams have not been arrested,
although warrants were ordered
| taken out for them Saturday. Their
| arrest will, i tbs said, of course, de-
pend on whether the authorities find
| evidence sufficient to connect them
| with the murders.
Manning, who led the authorities
| to where the bodies were recovered,
five of whose bodies were found bur-
led on the Williams plantation Sat
urday and three previously in the
Alcovy river, were slain, five at his
own hand with an ak. in order to
prevent them from. testifyng in
| peonage charges against Williams.
Bodies Weighted Down
| The hO6inS fnnnd Snn69v were
chained together and weighted down
| with sacks of stones and iron at
tached to the head and feet.
A coroner's jury investigating the
| deaths of the six negroes whose
bodies were found buried and the
the responsibility in each case. In
| two instances at least, the jury found
| that the negroes were forced to dig
! their own graves.
The bodies were disinterred placed
| in collins and were taken to the Jas
! per county pauper's cemetery, the
! county paying the, expenses, '-
| The coroner's jury conducted the
inquest by numbers. The first in
quest was over John Williams, of
owner, whose grave was dug by him
self. The jury was informed that
the negro was sent to pasture in
ravine not far from a creek to
dig post hole. After digging the
hole Manning's confession shows
hear with an axe, pushed the body
into the hole and covered it up.
Johnny Green was number two.
He was sent to the same pasture to
Manning says he killed Green in
the same way, but had to dig the
| grave.
Willie Givens was referred to as
number three. He was killed on
his way to a country store, in the
was named as the negro who killed
Givens.
The jury travelled four miles
across the country to the Campbell 2bfeL
Williams. Fletcher Smith Smith, body
| Smith was sent to dig a we'll and
when he had dug deep enough to
receive his body, Manning's con-
fession, as repeated to the jury,
axe and then covered up the hole.
Verdict in the case of number
one, John Williams, was that Will
| liams met death at the hands or
Manning, the plantation owner Will
liams. being implicated by the jury's
other verdicts
The same verdict was returned in
the case of number two. Johnny
| Green.
In the cass. of number. three, Will
| lie Ovens. the jury held that CHS
| holm did the killing.
In numbers four and five. FIetch-
err Smith and big John" Manning
wa held responsible.
In the cases of numbers seven and
eight. Little Bit" and John Brown,
the Jury held that the negroes, Man
ming and Chisholm, and John Will
liams, the plantation owner were
responsible.
The verdict for number six, Char.
ley Chisholm. read We. the jury
| find that Charley Chisholm met his
death at the hands of Clyde Man
ming and John S. Williams.
Williams came from near Forsyth,
in Monroe county. 27 years ago. Re
ports that followed him to Jasper in
dictate that his home and other build
! ings on his plantation in Monroe
county were destroyed by fire at that
| time.
Around March l., two department
of justice agents, A. ]. Disner and
ty t. investigate alleged peonage
pra ctices on the Williams planta-
! ton. They called on Williams,
among others, but it is said that
! Williams gave satisfactory eXpla-
| nation.
At that time Williams is said to
have had only twelve negroes. The
| special agents went to the farm of
Hulon Williams, a son of John Will
liams, where they are said to have
seen three or four negroes at work
and Leroy Williams, a son, is said
to have been guarding the negroes
! with a gun.
Afterwards the three sons of Will
! liams were said to have been sent
away from the plantation for three
! weeks. 1t was after they left, the
negroes said, that the bodies were
| disposed of. The sons have not been
Iarrested, as county officials y are said
to hold that there is no information
come citing them with the case.
| Solicitors Statement
| PIedging his cooperation in every
possible way in the investigation, So
| licitor General Doyle Campbell, Of
Jasper has issued the following
| statement:
ION my return from the session
, of the Putnam superior court Satur-
! day. learned about the discovery
of the bodies of the negroes, who
! were formerly employed by Will
liams. | Immediately advised Judge
! Park that a special term of the Jas
! per county superior court should be
! convened at the earliest possible mo-
! ment to investigate this matter so
| that the guilty parties could be
| brought to justice.
"WhiIe it is true that Williams
owes me money, the note is amply