Year: 1868

The telegraph recently outlined the particu
lars of an attempt upon the life of Mr.. Steward,
Washington, Adams county, Miss. the facts
having been reported to General Dudley. com.
several persons, and measures were taken for
an exhaustive investigation. A citizen of
Nstchez has communicated 10 the New Orleaus
Republican MIR, Stewards version of the out
rage, and we extract therefron the following


Before daybreak on Sunday morning. July
10, heard voices sayipg:-' There has been
great row in Natchez tonight, and four colored
and two white men have been killed. and we
were mixed up in the scrape, and we want
your advice and help to get away" replied, Il
know nothing about IT, and can't give you any
advice what to do; and l have no means to
door, and was drawn q little to one 81 lie under a
tree, when third person stepped up to me and
loud word, and III blow your brains out" Tue
other two look each one OF my arms.
and placed pistols at ~ the & SIDE de OF my head
/ saw then that They were white men in dis
guise. They led me forward some distance to
the road, and as we passed along others fell in
until the number had become fifteen or twenty.
1 was marched along the road some distance.
surrounded on all sides by men in disguise, aud
each man with a revolver in his hand. was
halted, and after certain Ku- Klux cabalistic
signs and motions, was ordered to kneel and
say my prayers. The man that was with me
from the start, when l was on my knees.
stepped to the side of the road and brought a
hand and at sign another of the Klan pulled
back my head, and the one with the can





face. Another was with large wisp of hay
rubbing the stuff over my face and through
my hair. One of the Klan said:-"Don't pour
1t all over his head and face pour it all over the
body Of the d. radical son OF -" KEEP
jerking my head about from one side to the
other so rapidly that the man with the can
became enraged and swore at me- and said he
had me now and he would give me taste of
hell n earth before he got through with me.
He cursed me for q G. d radical son of a
-, and made use of words and language that
had been spoken to me at Democratic meet
ing q few days previous to the election. L re.
called the words, and at once recognized the
voice and the language to be that of the same
person who had threatened me.


The ringleader then stepped up and ordered
SILENCE and said to me:T'.You are member of
He then said:S"Give me the signs and pass
words" I told him that could not. He
peated the demand several times, but kept
silent. He became enraged, and cursed me.


Lets hang him and leave him to be seen by
his thieving carpet bag associates Others
fire and let him loose, and he may run and
show himself to others of his crew, that they
may see what is Intended for all OF them; for we
will give all of them small smell of hell before
we get through with them"


was repeatedly told to kneel. The one that
had been counting said Cd d-m him, he will
counting" He resumed where he had left OFF
"Five, six, seven, eight" and as he pronounced
"eight," made one desperate spring back
This brought me among those who were
behind me. Two of them gra6bed me by
the shirt, which they tore away. They then
grasped me by the arm, but the coal tar and oil
and other ingredients had made my SIX In so
slipI cry that they could not hold me. L broke
from them and ran. Several shots were fired,
but fortunately none struck me. 1 ran about
forty PAGES and then rushed into the hedge.
The hedge is SO compact that could not get
through 1t. but / crawled In as far as could
possibly get, and lay there as still as death;
they searched for me awhile, and at length they
mounted their horses and rode off.