New-York tribune., 1921-03-28
Details of Georgia MUIR
der Farm Revealed as
Last 2 of III Known
Victims Are Unearthed
Rodies Discovered
Chained i'm River
jury to Investigate Report
Of 40 More Dead; Jury
Accuses Rich Planter
spscic, Dispatch to The Tribune


MACON, Ca, March 27.-Bodies of
two negroes were found in the Alcovy
River, near Monticello, to-day as a re-
suit of the investigation of alleged
neouage on the farm of John S. Will
liams. who obtained the negroes from
the county Jail under the law which
permits employment of convict labor.
This brings the total of negroes bodies
found to eleven, the number that Clyde
Manning, negro, said he had aided Will
liams in killing. Manning in his con-
fession said he had slain five of them
an Williams's order with an axe. He
gave as the motive that Williams want
ed to prevent the eleven negroes testi-
flying against him in peonage> cases.
Two Of the negroes dug their own
graves, a coroner's jury ascertained
to-day in fixing the sponsibility for
the death of each of eight cases. Three
other bodies had previously been found
In the Yellow River, in the adjoining
county of Newton.
Reports current tonight are that
there may be as many as forty bodies
Of negroes in the Alcovy River at a
noint where water backs up, forming a
reports probably will result in an order
from the grand jury when it meets in
special session Thursday CT Friday to
investigate the reports
Solicitor Campbell, of Newton Coun-
ty, to-day requested Governor Dorsey
tt appoint Attorney General Denney
20 take charge of the investigation in
Newton and Jasper counties, where the
murders are alleged to have taken
place.
Victims are Reburied
The bodies of the four negroes
buried on the Williams plantation
and the two buried on the Campbell
place. also operated by Williams, were
dsinterred to-day by a gang of five
negro convicts, and all were placed in
separate collins provided by Jasper
County. They were later reburied in
the paupcr cemetery near here.
~ AL the negroes wore shoes that were
so.ed with automobile castings, the
same as in the case of the three ne
weeks ago. The automobile casing
soles appear. in the opinion of county
officials, to have been q sort of mark
Of Identification used by Williams to
keep tao of his negro employees.
The bodies found in the Alcovy
River to-day were those of q man
known as Little Bit" and John Brown.
They were chained together and
Weighted down with sacks of rock and
IRON attached to their heads and feet.
They were in 40 feet of water. Efforts
10 recover these bodies yesterday
failed because the drag hooks broke.
The coroner's jury expressed the
opinion that both these negroes were
thrown into the river alive.
The two bodies were within four
feet of the point where the body Of
Charley Chisholm was found on Sat-
urday. Charley was "trusty" on the
Williams plantation, according to Man
ming
Information of a startling nature was
disclosed before Coroner Thad Cheeks
and his jury at the inquest over the
eight bodies found in this county. 1t
has intensified the feeling against
Williams, but there was nothing
brought out in the investigation that
duplicates the three sons Of Williams
N the killings; hence the warrants for
their arrest were returned to-day to
the Governors Office in Atlanta. Will
liams now is in Jail pending the result
Of the investigation.
Williams worked $50 plows, planted
1900 acres Of land, was one of the
most prosperous men in the county
and had unlimited credit.
The cases were taken up one at
Time, Sheriff w. F. Persons and County
Policeman Bob Oxford furnishing much
of the information outside of what the
coroner's jury actually saw at the
burial places. The officers told among
other things what Manning had con-
fessed to and how this confession had
been borne out by the recovery of the
bodies in each case.
Felled With an Axe
The irst inquest to-day was over
tne body of a negro known as John
williams, same name as the planter,
whose grave was dug by himself.
This negro was killed on Saturday,
March 5, it was testified. A confession
BY Manning, repeated to the jury by
county officers, shows that the negro
was sent to a pasture in a ravine not
Iar from a creek to dig a fence hole.
Manning had said that he was waiting
nearby, and after the negro dug deep
enough to receive the body, he struck
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