Pocahontas star herald., 1924-05-30


conscience hurt him, if such men have
any conscience so being drunk he
hung around Mr.. Mock limiting that he
knew something awful was going to
happen right away. SO Mr.. Mock
finally got Fletcher to disclose to him
the plot under promise Of protection.
The alarm was given secretly that
night and by morning all the men all
over the country had gathered together
with such firearms as they could get,
organized and divided up into squads
and started out TO arrest the con-
spirators. They gathered all they had
any evidence against and corraled
them on Judge Martins farm about
IA mile north Of his house on the
POcahontas and Doniphan road. Here
they struck camp and whipped negroes
for about week. They would take a
negro out TO one side, buckle him over
log and take it time about laying the
lash on and then tell him IL he would
divulge all he knew they would let
him up and generally they would do
so, but some were stubborn. They
kept this up for days until the white
people were satisfied they had gotten
all the information. But number of
the negroes were whipped almost to
death and for many days were in bed,
not able to be up. In the absence of
law or courts the committee tried the
leaders, Purseful, Fletcher and the
negro, Bird Mock, and condemned
them to be hanged within few days.
They released all the others and kept
guards over the three TO be hanged.
II was agreed that Hen Fletcher was
to go with +. NJ. Mock to neighbor's
house to spend the night and Fletcher
was to return with Mr.. Mock the next
day. SO next morning Fletcher was
gone and nobody was surprised and
nobody criticised Mr.. Mock. Couldn't
do ii. IL was Fletcher's confession
that averted the terrible calamity. But
it sure put n quietus on negro upris-
ings for the balance of the war
Everybody went to the hanging of
Purseful and Bird. The slave holders
had all their slaves to witness the ex-
ecution. Purseful was sick and they
tot hf,,, Ia. ~, gn,,,o lind 90 haI Il, IN
OK wagon and Bird was chained to
wheel and lay under the wagon like
dog. / was well acquainted with him.
would sit near and watch him as he
would wall up his big white eyes at
us boys but not a word did hear him
utter. Then there was some dissatis-
faction arouse among the people about !
the trial so the men assembled in
group and divided the lines, for hang
ing and against hanging, and almost
all voted to hang. What esle could
they do in the absence of any kind of
court or low? Then they proceeded
to put old Bird in the wagon and
drove them under a pole put up by
means of forks like a pole to hang
hogs on, and drove the wagon out from
under them dragging their feet over
the wheels and bed and their spirits
swept Off into eternity. There was
some criticism because of the fact that
Bird was hanged and was the only
slave that Aunt Louisa Mock, a widow,
had while all the men who had slaves
IN the trouble were allowed to keep
them.
sherman said "War is He'll" but its
more than that. Hell is only intended
for the vicious and wicked but in war
the good and innocent have to suffer /
the same as the wicked. The war !,
swept ON until only the old men,
women and children were left. Great
destitution existed. The armies Of
both sides were continually coming and
going and soon stripped the people Of
the scanty supplies they had. AL
though | was here and saw with my
own eyes, l can't adequately describe
It.
My father remained home the first
year of the war or part Of it and we
made a splendid crop filled out barns
with corn, oats, fodder, etc. In the
spring of 1852 the Federal armies in
vaded Arkansas and one division
camped at McElrath's mill, now Phipps
mill. At about ten o'clock l was plow-
ing along the lane and looked up and
saw six or eight blue coats coming
down the lane. Although | had never
seen any Yanks before, l knew what
1t meant. They went on down to the
house so | tied up my horse and went
down to see what was going on. They
had ordered mother aud my sisters to
get dinner for them. They hardly
starfad until / could 500 hlup coats