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- 0^-The following letter to the Editor, by a gentleman well known in thia community, may be relied on os authentic.,WMr Editor .—It becomes my duty t.lt; »o the public a br ief statement of the sit B - of affurs as they now exist, and aa.-Justice of Johnson county. At the special term Daniel Hazel .refused tp testify before the Grand Jury, Upon which he was dropped, ■nd Aliab Farmer was induced, by the hopo of acquittal, through the persuasion# of his relations and other*, to become Stales * witness. Of the accessaries he knew nothing, except of D. Slankard. The principals were tried at Vienna, in October, and sentenced to“i. T .‘eex'stcd for more than twenty years 9 years service in the 1'emteimary 01 in. •h6| IUino s. and indeed since the State of lll.nois. What especially aggraItLfc^nlempnt of this country. It has long j vated the ca £££££«Illinois. «p-5v tlmt portion of It bordering on 'he Ohio C J from the Mouth to the Cave and Am*, been intowl W**was, that when Daniel H. Green and W. B. H»zel entered the house, Mr. Side*, nwakeued by the noise, rose up in the bed, upon which Duiuel H. Green! struck him on the hcud with a club, which left him inacns.blc until they were gone.— Mrs. S des rose, and W. H. Il.iii l struck her. Dj 11.cl II. Green held them down, and W. B. Hazel nn to the other bed and struck Mar-The women remained Bcn-To ime extent mis nn» aiwaysjsm.e. caught Daniel H. Green'sbut not to the extent generally! knife, jerked it loose trom the button, and of the United States. | threw it on the floor; and they eing enga-nver. from the Mouihkidn*prsn. Ac and that it was considered dnngc-JT.'t, “•™*w ttajmgh ■«of this countryif it was known thathThad with him any considerable amount of 1 garct Holman. 1 injiicv To *',me ex,cnl th‘8 hns nl’“)'eiS‘hle. Mrs. SidesOther parts of the Uniteu States.: threw u on uicuw. , *■■- —a-? ,s f.,Sher a storv is earned, the larger K i ged, Green scorching the house for the mon crU. ' There are some goed clt.xeiw. .njjev, .nd «*«•*'“hold.,* the f.m.ly, the) f„ve been since the settlement nf the conn-1 neglected the knifeband of robber.. The binrtevant clan of • .ii. tor, were routed from their hold, andsomcof.hem aneated and confined io prison to await their trial, do break jail before the day ot tr.al. This was some twenty-four years past. Ford and his clan were dreaded for some years, in the vicinity of Ford's Ferry, a short distance a-hovetheOavcandRock. But they were broken by d.fficulties among thcmsolve* .by which Col. Simpson. oldMaj. Ford and Uar-d.mau Leadbetter were shot, and Henry lt;-• Shouse and Win. B. Leadbettor were hung For twelve vears. since the last mentioned circumstance, but few murders, so far us the community have known or suspected, have been committed; but coun'.crle.ting, kidnapping, horse stealing, robbery, bur-jjlarv, and all kinds of theft, hive been committed, and vet the offenders l.ave escaped punishment'by cvad.ng the laws; some by one course of proceed n’« and some by another ; but most generally by broiktng ja hemg assisted from without tions or clsn-fellows ; or by g among their clanmen, snd then both criminal and bail running awnv. In Massac countv the rogues had become so numerous, that by obtaining a fow votes from the honest and unsuspecting part of the community they were enabled to fill almost a ces'with their own menuntil tl*oy forgot it.— Those outside of the house struck two black women and wounded them severely. They have all recovered, but the escape was very-narrow. Mr. and Mrs. Sides are *70 years of age. Margaret Holman is decrepit.Their fr.ends were so numerous that the cit.zens were under Die necessity ot guarding the jail e.erv night for nearly four . months. This course of proceeding encou-tf 11and itraged the citizens of Massac and Johnson counties, to pursue a similar course; but having but little evidence, and the magistrates be.ng of the clan, their efforts were ineffectual. They, therefore, re-orgamzed their regulnt.ng society, end determined to drive from the country such as they were sure were of the clan.' They have driven some already, and hive g.tcu others a few days to wind up their bus.nests, and leave as soon as possible. They (the villains) have applied to the Governor, by petition, for protection, representing to him that the regulators arc driving from the country the best citizens, and the honest part of the community ; that they are driving the officers of the county . to prevent die due execution of the law. 1 lie „ „ j Governor gave orders to Gen. Davia to in-by their rola- quire into the affair, and to act according to, t vfng bail from his own judgment. The General did so. and j told the regulators that unless they found it necessary to proceed, they should desist but otherwise, to “go ahead. The regulators did •* go ahead. At the cutset the regulators arrested several persons suspected of belonging to the clan; some of them voluntarily confessed on themselves and othersthe orti-becainc insufferable for it was useless to attempt to (Those implicated were brought to trial be-hr.ng a criminal to justice, and the law was! fore a court of inquiry, and found guilty, mocked in the face of the community ; and but the magistrates set the bond so low, tliut they could only endure it without any mean* it was not d.ffimlt for them to give bail, and of redress. Attempts from year to year, pay the forfeiture of their recognizance: nor were made to bring those villains to justice,; was it at ail difficult to prove themselves m-but to no effect f and the community nt'nocent. The regulators next arrested Young length become enraged, and were for some! Lynn. Win. W. Turner, and John I.eoy, time strongly tempted to take Die law into und compelled them to disclose. The result their own hands; but still regarding that as j was the implication of a large number, ncar-a bold and dangerous movement, they re-1 |y, or qu.tc all of whom, were suspected be-fraincd from it. ” Some five years ago, one of fore. This tended to confirm previous eus-the earliest settlers, Charles L* Roy, (Charles I picions; yet nothing could be brought forking.) was robbed, and $501) carried away ; ward to convict them in law before uu mter-nnd although suspicion was, and is yet. very cated court. The attempt, or rather plan, tosirong upou sonic three or four persons, yet no evidence could be produced against them, to satisfy the law. This was in l*oj»e coun-iv. 8 miles from Golconda. Within the time year a family of colored children. tw«. miles snd a half from Golconda. were k.d-nspped and sold to s gentleman in Mississippi. Several of the good citizens of Golcon-da advertised, and by this means, recovered the children, and returned them to the r affected parenls. Wm. U. Vaughn, hv some supposed to be the originator of the plan, came before the Grand Jury, and on being asked, asrknotvledged that lie knew something of the circumstances, hut was afraid to give testimony. He was informed by Judge Skates that if lie knew he must d.sclose or glt;.j to prison; he plead fear of his life, but could, not he excused : upon which he testified that | the plan was devised by W. G. W. Fitch.!force confession from Young Lynn was, by winding a rope around his body and a tree, and them twisting it by putting a stick through it, and turning it. The next day he became intoxicated and was thrown from his horse, by which it is thought two of iiis r.ts were broken. His brother Cheatham procured the issue of state warrants for all those engaged in screwing Young Lynn, and reported him os dying, and arrested Hiram Go-lightly and Daniel Freer, and put them under a guard of some ‘.*0 men, composed chiefly of those implicated villains. Shand j Golightly procured assistance for the purposetof reiens.ng In* brother by force, -or otherwise. A omit ^00 regulators assembled at the residence of Charles A. Shelby* and set! out for Metropolis, the Seat of Justice of;T|T).C..A ♦ I • /*»* »*rr rod Mint* ^Massac county. Before they arrived, they met a committee sent from Metropolis, with a cand carried out bv the same, with Johnj whom a committee of the regulators confcr-Snnpkins, I.«h. S.‘Hanley. Caleb Slankard red. and agreed upon the release of Gohght-nnd Pevton II. Gordmi. Previous to this lv and Freer. On tlie.r arrival in Melropo-iiinc. which was nearly, or quite two vctfte k». the warrants were delivered up to the after the transaction, Filch had absconded on regulators, and destroyed. At the OctoberTheydead.acconnt of having been -nd.cted for perjury, in taking the benefit of the Bankrupt Ad. The other four were indicted and confined n jail. In a few days Vaughn died verv snd-denly. and the criminals were hulled, appeared for trial, but Vaughan was mid there was nu evidence against them, s.. they all escaped puinsliiiient.We come now to a circumstance of great; importance l» the people of this country.—( Mr. Dobbs came to this country, and brought Home hlack4libcrated them, and made theni lus heirs to the amount of jsJDDD. Henry j ivdei acted in like manner toward his slaves. I except that he made his wife's n cce, Mar-} caret Holman, the heiress of his estate, , mostly. Mr. Dobbs, upon his death. n|i-j pointed Mr. Sides h.s executor, mid Die guardian for the infunt heirs. The money ($MNI0); was contained in two boxes, and placed under some wool. «»n a clap-bonrlt;l loft .n Mr. Sides' cabin. About 11 o’clock on Die n ght of the llth of June last, the house was broken open by a band of robbers, viz:—Hiram Green. Caleb Slankard. Dan. lloxeland Win. B. Hazel, a ms of Samuel Hazel; Samuel C. IUzel and Wm. B. Hold. * tn-t of King Ha-zel. deceaslt;*d, and Ahab Farmer. Daniel Hazel. and several others were apprehended on •uspicion, produced by the discovery of a knife which Jcssa Davidson hadi m thfoterm of Die Circuit Court, those engaged in destroying the warrant# were iml.cted, and now stand ready to answer to the charge and , n|. ab.de the consequences. A few days since. |n some of the Flat Heads, as the counterfeit-mg party are called, went to the Governor j jn with a petitiou fiotn their party, with char- no ges ugmnst the regulators, as above men-Honed, nud praying him to quell the regula- ^ tors. The regulators prepared u remon-1 jj, .-trance, and have probably sent it before this 1 br time. What the result will bo, is as yet un- jco known; but one thing is certain, either the | y, Flat Heads or the regulators, will be compelled to leave the country.It will, probably, be well to give a list of the names of those implicated. There are the Lynns, Leaches, Spences. Turners, John Lcay*. Win. Matthews, Sami. Arnot, Henry Fouison, Esq., John Cannichall. Clerk of the county court, John W. Read, Shcr.ff; F.nlor,Representative elect from the counties of Johnson and Massac; Bcnj. S. Enlor, father of the preceding; and the Edwards'.Spur.ous po!d was prepared at Spences'; and I hear that George Spence and four others have been arrested in Indiana. The bills are struck by Dr. Irvin, at the White Hall Cave, in the Cumberland Mountains, forwarded to Bedford Lynn, West Franklin. Ind.ana. and bv him to the members of themadeCfor Edward 'Hazel”\t ^the“cJurt *^1 clan in Massac county. Illinois, and other inquiry, Davidson testified to the knife.— placesSamuel Hazel stated that he believed it to he the same, and that Edward Hazel had sold it to Darnel Hazel about a month before. They were all committed, but were all bailed ex-j Daniel Hazel. A bond was filed, and |«*ihie-Intoylt;resewofceptTo :omment on the proceeding.-, we must admit that the necessity that coni|)el* a resort to such measures, indicates to some extent, a low standard of morals—that it is a dangerous expedient and dernier resort; yet we; must contend that much good has been done in Southern Illinois, by the regulat.on of ;tb1840. It is true, it is the same as mob law, myet there are instances when lynching most; pr be done, or the community must sutler, and j wbly he refused to act. or at least, bv' some!lhe PrcW,nt°ne- II is ,c^ ^n8icr V* clmeans avoided it.) for fear of losing the votes | strain men when they contend for morality, o(appro veil by two magistrates ; but suspicion . by this time rested upon several individuals, I some of whose names were to the bond for Daniel Hazel. The Sheriff was at the time a candidate for the Legislature, and (proba-of Die friends of the suspected persons. The' than when they contend for politics. And !withal, he still his accomplice*, composed of the z-nsof Golconda,citizens ofGolconda and vi cinity, organized a regulating association, and appointed an executive committee, und required them to refuse all bail for Daniel Hazel. The prisoner was examined from time to time, but refused to give any satisfaction. lie wa* offered $500 to disclose—he was threatened; he was tied with a small cord by the two great toes, and partially suspended—but refused to make known Again the committee met, following prominent citi-v'.z Dr. Win. S;m, Hon. Waeley Sloane, Hon. Jno. Roiim. Juab W. and James McCoy, John Fox, and Newton I). Clark, merchants. The re.mlt of their consultation was. the conclusion to give Daniel Hazel UK) lashe*. This was the intention of some, previous to the meeting. Some four or five persons entered the jail and began to Vie him; upon which lie agreed to disclose, and mentioned the names already given, in exact accordance with suspicion;, and in twenty hours they were all safely 1 idged in jail. A court of inquiry was held and the criminals were all commuted on the evidence of Daniel Hazel. Also, ns accessaries before the fact, David Slankard, Plummer Abbots. Joseph Evils and James M. Kul-kuiburg. They all, except David Slankard tnd J. Evits, petitioned the Judge for a special term of the Circuit Court, at which they took a change of venue to Vicuna, Scat ofwhen it is done, it must be done with great |]ovcaution and prudeuccYours, respectfully J on x C.tluHanna.
Newspaper Details
Madison Republican Banner
Madison, Indiana, US
Wed, Nov 25, 1846
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Lorie A.
IN, USA 16 Dec 2015
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