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GAL VESTON BULLETIN -WEDNESDAY,. SEPTEMBERsixn «x-liling.) that fail-mimoo ex-has aessivol any-The rong-elieve it suf-elf as* .Jeuse,.vhichcsa m havel.mat-o yes-ful of s and f didY/OIl-, tho id all t the thouwith-t tho that musti, wenew -ind-r ho-0 as-ouri anilers m of fact,irosHaring, chil-tack tho her rs of the help 5ney for 3meydllTr.......^Official Documents—Tho state or the Country.Gov, Poaao:The inclosed communication as to affairs in Van Zandt county, through you I send to Gen. Reynolds • I desire you to know how matters stand in that portion of your “bail-wick, an J bavo not time by this mail to write you much that I would like to say. •Jordan Saline is twelve miles from Cantou. It is a place of rendezvous for a large number of bad characters. In that portion of the country there are many refugees from rebel States, aud many fugitives from justice. The people of over twenty counties get their salt at that place. A large portion of the travel from Dallas nud the wesi to Jefferson, Shrevo-port, and tho east generally, passes through Canton. At Canton, and in the vicinity, is the Union settlement. There aro a few rebels there who act iu concert with the Saline desperadoes, giving iuforipation, c. Several negroes have been shot, beaten and killed by these lawless characters, and upon this class of unfortunates the abuse is great. It is reported that very many of tho negro women nt the Saline have been ravished aud beaten in a most shameful manner. Their grievances are great. West of Cantou fifteen miles is Frainsvilie, around which place there is nearly as bad a set as around the Saline. Twenty miles northeast i3 Cedar Grove, another very bad place, where many outrages have been committed. That locality is entirely disloyal, and there Bickeistaff »nd his gang have frequently quartered. In prairies in that portion pi tho* country, I have been informed by two creditable men, that frtqnently of late, on moonlight nights, from 2 to 300 men have been drilling lor several hours on horseback, and well armed. They swear they are preparing to fight if they are nut allowed to vote at thoPiosideulial election, and iu holding public meetings their speakers make this bold avowal. The Assessors of Kaufman and Van Zandt have been threatened and forced from their work, aud the Sheriffs of those counties are utterly powerless by reason of the general hostility of the people. --I find on this side of the Trinity a far better condition of affairs—am progressing very well with court here. Will write you in regard to condition of affairs in each county in my district. In haete.. Truly, yours,(Signed) A. B. Norton.-3Q.v .AS08.Headquarters Fifth Military District) Austin, Texas, Sept. 24, ISbS. ) A true copy : C. E. Morse,-1st Liout. 26th Inf’y, A.D.C. A. A.A.G.Headquarters 5th Military District, )State of Texas, j-Austin, Texas, Sept. 21, 1868. j A true copy : C. E. Morse,1st Lieut. 26th Inf., A. D. C. A. A. A. G.SI VOton,forfor. s ofertycon-1 at:nedMr.om-rn.,i as-hermcomsouru, iced hen tho said :on-» by ug’sutetingandess.ned or5 tounon.asemghcoersto r ofNG.llldpay.idolay0thiu-atilm-of18-3C-lertierbyhegoinheHillseorough, Hill Co., Texas, ) September 18th, 18C8. fMajor Gcueral EoynoltD, Austin Texas :General :—Enclosed find communication of county officers and ether citizens of Van Zandt county, in regard to affairs in saidcounty.. In addition thereto, I would state that tho Sheriff, iu attempting to arrest parties at the Suline, alleged to have beon concerned in the burning ot Summers’ establishment, was ejected and threatened with violence, where-_ upon ho summoned a posse to aid him, and raised about twenty men at Cauton and started lor the Saline, but finding that they had a much larger force, e_sJunate^at^tT„±Q.niitA--' hundred 'men,’'was unable to make arrests. Subsequently threats were made to kill tho Moore’s, who were promptly on-hand tonid ~- the SheriiF, and to clean out all the Union officers, if they would not leave tho country. Accordingly, an armed force marched to Cau-tou and took possession of ' tho place. What tho condition ot things there today is, I leave you to conjecture. For two days, when I left, they had tho place in their control. I was iu mv carriage, about starting for this place, when I was notified that pickets had been thrown out, and the road I was to travel was guarded by armed men. My attention was then directed to a body of horsemen who rode rapidly into town, and twenty to thirty halted below'my house, under some trees along my garden fence.— My wife and sOn recognised among them several men from tho {Saline. Having heard of threats, and received information leading me to believe that their designs were anything but friendly, I quickly drove back into my horse .lot, where the trees protected me from view, and had my horses unharnessed, designing to make my escape on horseback, but found it impossible to do so. Guards were stationed and kept in front and at the end of my house that afternoon and night, and when I left early the next morning were still there, ou the' watch. Travelers were oidered to “halt, and if they did not instantly obey were fired at aud checked np. Such as they pleased to release were escorted beyond the pickets, and persons were prevented from leaving town or traveling the roads. The discharge of guns during the night was several times heard.— Being credibly informed they were after the rovenuo officers^postmaster, aud otherappoiu-tees, word quickly spread that caused them to suddenly leave, aud I managed to get from homo by an unfrequented way, and came here on horseback to discharge^ my official duties having been compelled to leave my clothing, Arc., necessary for my long service at this season. Before leaving I learned reliably that they had come to the town for tho pur-“jpose of killing certain Union men, and that they were determined to kill them or drive them out of the couutry, they had sent runners out to Kaufman and other quarters for..- reinforcements audihoy expected by Mon ia}r -night (Tith) to have 200 to 250 armed menthere. Ou the way out while I was in the , bush seven armed men passed going from Kaufman county to Canton. The County Judge aud other officers have been forced to leave and many Union men wore in tho brush when I left; and if with Bickerstaff, Ashton and other captains in the field with their lorcos an actual stato of war does not exist in Van Zandt, Hopkins, Kaufman, Hunt, c., I do not know what it would take to constitute it?I have made this statement as brief as possible and liavo left much unwritten. I wrote briefly to tho Commandant at Dallasupon tho subject. 4' Most likely tho Moores, our County Asses-sor particulars* and several of our bestmen 2 aro * killei}. There will not bo any pGaco or quiet in the. county until troops aro sent there. I apprehend that the' troubles there aro just beginning, aud it is anything but pleasant to bo off on the circuit when one’s house may be burned down, and the family left to the mercy of desperadoes. . :Capt Campbell and his men now here, I find to be. very worthy and efficient:Courtis now progressing. Tho grand jury will have a vast amount of business, and I shall endeavor, as far os possible, to disposeof tho criminal docket.I go honco to Cleyburne, Johnson county, week after next, and there spend two weeks, aud thenco on my round.Respectfully yours,'' . A. B. Norton,District Judge.Canton, Van Zandt Co., Texas, )- September 9ih, 1868. jMajor Genoial Iteynolda, CommandingDtli Military District, Austin, Texas:General :—Tho undersigned, citizens of Van Zandt county, Texas, beg leave to make a statement of the condition of affairs in this portion of your district at this time. We congratulated ourselves upon your promotion to the command of this department, and hoped that before this the salutary effect of tho appointment would be manifest throughout the couutry. .Wo yet have faith th it good will co/ne Jroin the change.. For the p;ist two month3 acts of vio’onco and lawlessness have been frequent throughout this county; *desperato characters have been traversing tho land, assaulting and threatening the peaceable aud unoffending citizens, beating, shooting at, wounding and killing iieedmen and Union men. In tbi3 and adjoining counties Union men havo been notified to leave »heir homes, taken out and whipped aud left tied to a tree, or driven off. Mail riders of the United States have been attacked while on tho road, in some cases forced from their horses and beaten over the head with revolvers and left lor dead. Carriers have been frightened and driven from the service, aud our mail arrangements broken up.The private citizens have been interfered with in their daily occupation, and in some instances driven to the brush, a* d, iu others, compelled to neglect their business aud lcayo their homes.The Treasurer of our county, Fayette Sumner, Avho was compelled to leave the country during the war, ou account of his Unionism, and who served during the war iu the 4tli Kanas cavalry in the Federal service, recently had his store at Jordan Saline, brokon into, tho clerk taken out and abused, and then after robbing tho store of money and other valuables burned the same to tho ground, tho whole being a loss of almost everything Mr. Sumner had. Ten or fifteen desperadoes came from Jordan Saline to Canton armed to the teeth, and assaulted and abused W. K. Moore, one of our oldest and best citizens, presenting their six-shooters cocked at his head, and threatening to kill him; aud it was only by entreaty of some of their friends, and alarm given to the Union men, that, who promptly rallied, his lifo was saved. Messages had been sent by Bickerstaff and other desperadoes, threatening to bum down our county seat, and in consequence we have for the past six weeks been compelled to leave onr homes aud gnard at night. The cost and interfer-ance with our business we cannot longer endure.We instance these things from other events, that you may form some idea of the terrible condition of affairs here. Unless we can receive some protection to our persons and property and be permitted to reiffainjquietly at our homos, we must take onr famr ies and leave the cauntry.Respectfully submitted.F. M. Hobbs, County Judge ; Jobn V. Carter, Clerk County Court.;..Wna,„.Wages,-Clerk- Distriut 'Cbuft Van Zandt County ; McD.Moore, Assessor and Collector ;. M. L. Sum-_„ner,-Coimty Treasurer ; X S. Meeks, SheriffVan Zandt County; G. Harrison, Deputy Clerk District Court; A. P. Bag ley, Deputy Clerk 1 ounty Court; M. A. Cox. County Commisioner; Horace Welch, postmaster, late Capt. 125th Ohio Vol. Iufantry ; C. S. Welch, Assistant Assessor U. S. Internal Revenue : L. B. Lantford, F. M. Jones, Revi Moore, Honry Harlan, J. P.; James Moore, G. W. Full, Chas. McLellan, \V. C. Meeks, Deputy Sheriff; Jno. Moore, D. R. Hagiey, W. H. Harlace, E. J. Moore, T. J. Moore, W. B. Moore,’ Wm. L Mims, late 4th Ark. Cavalry ; G. W. Carpenter, late 4th Ark. Cavalry ; W. T. Wages, late 4th Ark. Cavalry ; P. J. Burns, late 14th Kansas Cavalry; Wm. V. Hagiey,C. S. Elliott.H’dqr’s. Fifth Mil. Dis., ) Austin, Texas, Sept. 24, 1868. [A true copy : C. S. Morse,First Lieut. Stitli Inf., A.D.C, A. A. A. G. I -S' ‘1Frightful Torture.M. Emile Audreeli, who took part in the last Polish insurrection on being captured by the Russians, was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment in Siberia, has just published tho first part of his prison recollections. “I was told,” he remarks, “that on two or three occasions an electric battery had beoh made nsc of by „',tho Russian police to loosen the tongues of the prisoners who refused to answer the questions put to them, which shpws that the Russian Government is one of progress and knows how to turn the discoveries of science to account. After all, this was not' moro cruel than the torture of the herring.* I knew several who underwent the latter, and they told me that nothing could compare with the sufferings which they endured. They were confined in a well-warmed apartment, salted herrings with bread and water for the first few days being their only food. If they refused to, answer the questions of the examining commissioners the bread was first of all_withdrawn, and then the water, whereupon the torture of intense thirst commenced, depriving the suffjrer of all moral strength, and even making him abandon^tho—resolution^ which ho formed to die. Very rarely did any one remain mute when, brought before tho commissioners a second time. The Sittings were usually at night, in a splendidly lighted apartment, with refreshments of all kinds temptingly displayed on the side tables. Tho president would usually be most gracious.•By-aud-by,’ ho would say, * wo wifi, if youlike, ask yeti to havo somotbing to drink with us.' The fever and vertigo caused the prisoners to lose their reason, and they generally yielded. Hupger would not havo brought the same result as-thirst, which loosens the tongue even far moro readily than drunkenness does.”King Victor Emanuel recently had a narrow escape from doath ip a mountain pass. Ho suddenly found his progress impeded by a mass of rock, which appeared impassable. Undeterred by its formidable aspect, the King put his foot on it, but the snow with which it was covered rested on n mass of ice*$? which his weight gradually displaced. A 6hepherd a few yards below him, perceiving the imminent danger, scrambled up tho rock and caught him by tho back of his shooting coat The King took off his hat to the shep-hord, and on the ^pot handed him one thou-saud scudi. He has since settled a pension upon him for life.ciu TYV a GbraThedorquaFoi non . eon: elt;An excellent Democrat, who has been trying to find new arguments against the Republican party, calls tho defeat of tho yacht'Sappho in English waters “another result of eight years of Radical misrulo.”
Newspaper Details
Galveston Flakes Semi Weekly Bulletin
Galveston, Texas, US
Wed, Sep 30, 1868
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Teresa N.
TX, USA 08 May 2018
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