Year: 1871




burnt hole in It, Just like one in hts own On trying on
be said 1t seemed long Aim though be still believed
WAS his The pOcketbook was like ono MS Iather had
had II 1t was his fathersit would probably contain TWO
ferry tickets which he descrbed. On examination the
two ferry tickets were found but only one OF them
answered the description


From the time the negroes arrested, up to the
ay of their DEATH some agency to have been ac
lively at work disseminating false reports OF evidence
calculated to sten tho murder the negroes. and at
the same time influence the public mnd 1t will be re-
membercd that the first newspaper accounts spoke OF
bloody coat found In TaylOrs house. II this coat was
found 1t was never produced There was also story of
three sets Of tracks in potaOpach about the house,
leading the creek where according to Johnsons con-
fesson the plunder divided According to the news
paper reports these signs described three big
negro tracks," II inches long and correspondingIy
broad. They were represented as distinctly
marking the approach to the house. and the retreat to
the spot where the punder said to have been d.
vidcd described by johnson In his confession This
story about the tracks held the public till the lynch
ing WAS accomplished. The simple truth about the mat
is that there but 0 sets OF tracks, ana they dd
not lead to the spot where JOhnsOns confession repre-
sented the division Of punder taking place one OF
these tracks large and the other small apparently
made by No. or No. boot OF the quality soid Ill
country stores fine boot Marion Park, Mr kirh'
aud many those who assisted in arrcsng the negroes
corroborate this It will be remembered that on the
night succeeding the murder an attack was made on r
Kirk by who though he does not venture to say
that he recognized them he will swear were white men,
The next morning he measured tho tracks OF these TWO
white men, ana then went over to the Park House ana
tracks OF the He found the meas
urcments to correspond in particular and Is salts
| fed the tracks made by the same persons.


The failure Of the Grand Jury to find bill against the
negroes has urged In eXtenuatOn or the lynchig
This had connection with it whatever. 1t was deter
Io,r hnfnr Tho oft
known II may interesting, however to narrate what
traDspre before that august body All the evidence
enumerated was brought out except that OF Mr. XIX
about the tracks, and this was suppressed on account OF
local reign Of terror Since the abrupt suspension of
his testimony before the informal court on the morning
Of the l2th and especially since the attempt on his life
the night Of the 2th Mr.. Kirk has been recent and
uncommunicative. In addition to this evidence young
grandson of Taylor testified that he had heard Taylor
say he must have money for his lawsuit and would have
to steal that he home the morning of the 12t
with bundle, and counted "a lot Of money!" that he
went to town the next day with bundle concealed In
load Of wood But on cross-examinaton this story fell
to pieces and 1t apparent any sensible man that


the boy had cOmtedit TO memory and testified to order
Candid men believe he hired inmldacd to testify
as he did Before the Grand Jury johnson at first
denied his confession aud said he had only made 1t to
escape instant DEATH The Prosecuting Attorney then
went to the who had extorted JOhnsons confcsson
and said: What shall do The Niger won't repeat
The Grand InQuisOr Of the Clark County Ku-kux told


the Prosecutor what questions to ask and to press the
ngger at all points" This course was followed and
johnson finally driven back to his confession At
all times when in the presence OF those he supposed to
be his friends johnson steadily repudiated Ills cones-
sion under intimidation and with the terror OF i'm
mediate death hanging over him, he repeated IT, Ihe
Grand Jury adjourned without finding bill They said
| they had plenty of evidence, but wanted more.


At least members of the Grand Jury active
4 nf
them had killed before in their lives. and been in
dcted purder One of them shot and killed man In
the streets of Charleston and was never brought to trial


Mr.. Park always the friend OF cOlored men. and
had the especial friend OF Tavlor In community
which was essentially "down onxniggcrs he had be-
fricndcd the,n defended them employed Them He had


business dealings with Taylor, and the latter could at
| any time have borrowed of HIM five times the pfu


amount needed for his lawsuit. Indeed Park was In
debt him. Taylor had for years borne the reputation
Of upright honest, sober aud industrious man. lie
| was more than that. He shrewd thinking man
Is it reasonable to suppose that lie would commit an
awful murder to get what he might have had for the
askng9 Would he, community of negro haters have
useessly killed his friend and benefactor Would he as
| a shrewd man, have killed whole family for linen
coat and two ferry tickets, and have left fine silver
watch and pocket-book on the table untonchedi


Davis has also borne the reputation of Industrious
sober, honest johnson alone had bad character
He vicious but what is known in the vernacular
|
negro house of illfame be corroborated at any time
that protection is afforded to the testifyng witnesses
The report Taylor and Davis had confessed Is false
They steadily maintained their innocence to the last.
Under the horrible torture OF fire. with his flesh crspng
beneath the brands Taylor having asserted his in
nocence maintained heroic silence which has few par
alles Not groan escaped him. man who was present
says: "If the thrispg Of dozen frcbrands into a
mans hcsh all at the same time, Will not force him TO
confess, ] know he is innocent"


Much has said about the depot Of stolen goods In
Taylors house. One would think to hear the people
talk that enough had been found to fit out fashionable
drygoods house. The simple truth is that not $50 worth
found and these be honestly accounted for Taylor
| has a daughter who was servant in fashionable
house Of famc at Chicago. She naturally inherited
deal OF casto nery and sent the trumpery home. The


first search Of the negro houses revealed nothing The
search after their arrest brought forth the linen
coat and the old pOckebOOk. The coat found hang
ing on nail in plain vicw and the inmates Of the house
declare they till the searchers found it, The
pocketbOOk found In trunk which had been ran.
sacked two days before Just before he taken out
be hanged johnson solemny told Mr. Boyer that he knew
nothing whatever Of the MURDER that bis confession
false from beginning to end, and he had only made it
| temporary expedent to gain time.


From careful review OF the testimony, the conclusion
irresistible that these negroes innocent and have
been fouly murdered by mob. What is worse. every
thing looks if they sacrificed TO divert attention
from the real assassins II the truth known it
will be found that the Park family were imunO-
lated on the altar Of develis hate-hat the smothered
vengeance OF neghborhood feud, quiet for years. thus
wreaked itself the victims; that the good citizen
| whose name signed to threatening letters which
Park had received. and the TALL shambling apelke
who attacked Mr.. Kirk, one and the same person
Bytheway, forgot to mention that a search among
Parks papers failed to reveal the threatening letters
though Mr. Kirk had them ia short time before the
murder.


Strange to say the girls Evelne and Ieen who were