Year: 1876

We present this morning portion
of the Testimony asreported III the first
volume of the trial of the Impeachment
of Governor Holden, relative to Kirk s
threats to burn the town If Yancey-
vile aud to xii! the women and child
Ten in case any resistance was made to
him and the orders to that effect is
sued to him by Governor Holden.


Henry F. Brandon. the first witness,
was then aud for long time after
ward clerk of the Superior Court in
Caswell and a gentleman OF unim-
peachable character. Judge John
Kerr is we'll known in every portion OF
the State The venerable Mr.. Bowe,
one of the most respectable gentle
men to he found within the borders of
the State was for many years Justice
of the peace i'll the olden time and
devout and consistent II ember of til
Baptist Church.


The testimony of these gentlemen is
unimpeachable.. LET the people read it
carefully and see what outrages Settle
permitted Holden and Kinks cut
throats to perpetrate npon the defense
less people of North Carolina. A word
from him would have stopped the
whole business instantly just as 81
word from Judge Brooks put a stop to
it. Is man who would thus refuse
to lift his hand in defense of his fel
| low citizens thus outraged fit to be
their Governor ? We rather think
not.


Henry f. Brandon having been duly
sworn testified as follows:


O. State whether you heard any
conversation between Kirk and his
men with regard to the treatT Ell of
the citizens on certain occasions A.
/ did On several occasions.


o. State ANYTHING of the kind that
you heard A Upon has arrival when
| MIR. Bowe was arrested rs / said just
now, there was great confusion i'll the
house, and threats were made in there
bv Kirk and this man Banner that If
there was any resistance offered to
their authority they would shoot the
citizens, the last one of them, and
burn the town.


O. Who said that A. / heard that
spoken by Kirk when he arrested
Bowe.


O, He would shoot the citizens and
burn the town if there was any resis-
ttnce {? A. Shoot the prisoners and
the other citizens too. l heard that
spoken by Kirk when he arrested Mr..
Bowe.


Q. Was anything safd- abont burn
ing I? A. Yes sir he would burn up the
town. l heard that repeated several
times by the men. l heard him make
that threat in a public speech On the
square in the town on the Saturday
before the election.


@. What was the subject of his har-
angue His subject was Ku~Klux and
rebels. He said that he was not a
speaking man, that he was a working
man and he came there to put down
the Ku.K Klux and he intended to stay
there until the last child was grey, but
what he would do it. He remarked he
had got a court constituted and he
would try them, and if they we're
found guilty they would swing, and
if there was any resistance offered to
his authority that the last one of the
|
go up with them. / heard that in a
public speech.


q. In this oratory did you hear
what, he said he would do to the
women and children ? A. They were
classed with the others, he would
shoot them too. That was said by his
men on repeated occasions.
O. They would shoot the prisoners
and the citizens, burn down the town
and kill the women and children A..
That was the general remark. Part
of it was uttered ut the time he ar
rested Mr.. Bowe. The next was
more explicit when hemade hisspeech
heard it uttered by him almost any
} time. Whenever he become excited
about anything he would make that
remark, and not only myself but al
most all the prisoners heard it.


@. Did Kirk state or not when he
made these terrible threats to the peo-
pie whether he had any orders upon
the subject, and if so. from whom !?
A. Yes, sir, I heard him applied to
several times to parole men on bond,
Or to otherwise release them. He re
pied that he could not do so, that he
had orders from Governor Holden to
hold them all subject to his order.
He told me myself that he had orders
from Governor Holden to arrest every
man he had arrested.


q. Did he say he had orders to treat
the citizens of the town in that way ?
A. He said that the Governors orders
were that if there was hair of his
mems heads hurt, the prisoners and
mon were to be shot down-the women
and hiidren were TO be butchered,
0v16 hn 10
excited state when he spoke.


Q. BY the Chief Justice. Had he
been drinking when he said that ? A.
No, sir, / do not mean that. He was
mad; he said it in passion.


John Kerr having been duly sworn
testified as follows:


Q. It was general order A. Yes,
sir, that upon any attempt to rescue
he would destroy the women and
children, burn the town and put the
prisoners to death. [ desire to make
one remark about that declaration of
Kinks. His manner is perfect in nv
memory and [ will state how he ex-
planned himself as I remember it at
the time he spoke of burning the town.
He said with considerable anger that
elf any attempt was made to rescue.
his orders"-he put that word in
"were to shoot down the prisoners"
Then he went on the same connection
to say "And I will burn the town
down and destroy the women and
children"


Q. He did not say this other part
was his orders A. The utterance was
all In the same connection.
VIM. B. Bowe having been duly
| sworn testified as follows:


Colonel Kirk came up in the court
| house very much excited, and called
the attention of all prisoners that he
had credibly informed that ha was To