Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

THE KU-KLUX CONSPIRACY.

This report consists of thirteen volumes.

Volume I contains the report of the committee and the views of the minority.

Volume II contains the testimony taken by the committee in relation to North Carolina, and the report of the trials in the United States circuit court held at Raleigh, North Carolina.

Volumes III, IV, and V contain testimony taken by the committee in relation to South Carolina, and the report of the trials in the United States circuit court held at Columbia, South Carolina. Index to the three volumes is contained in volume III.

Volumes VI and VII contain testimony taken by the committee in relation to Georgia. Index is contained in volume VI.

Volumes VIII, IX, and X contain testimony taken by the committee in relation to Alabama. Index is contained in volume VIII.

Volumes XI and XII contain testimony taken by the committee in relation to Mississippi. Index is contained in volume XI.

Volume XIII contains miscellaneous testimony taken by the committee, testimony in relation to Florida, and miscellaneous documents.

TESTIMONY TAKEN BY THE SUB-COMMITTEE.

GEORGIA-Continued.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 26, 1871.

SAMUEL STEWART (colored) sworn and examined.

By the CHAIRMAN:

Question. What is your age, where were you born, and where do you now live? Answer. I was forty-nine years old on the 16th day of last August; I was born in Athens, Georgia, and I am living in Atlanta now.

Question. How long have you been in Atlanta?

Answer. This has been my home for fourteen years.

Question. Have you been here all the time?

Answer. No, sir. I am a carpenter, and I have worked about in different places, but this has been my home.

Question. When did you last come to Atlanta ?

Answer. I last came back on the 7th day of August, three years ago; I had been off at work before that time.

Question. Where had you been before that?

Answer. I had been down in Early County, in southwestern Georgia; I was hired out there at building; that was before the war.

Question. Since the war have you been at work in any other county than this county?

Answer. Yes, sir; down in Walton County, at a place called Social Circle.

Question. How long were you there?

Answer. I was there three weeks.

Question. When were you there?

Answer. I disremember exactly what time, but it was at the time of that big massmeeting that was here three years ago, or near about that time, I think; at a time when they had a bush-arbor meeting between Alabama street and the car shed; they were preparing for it when I went from home.

Question. You staid there about three weeks?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Were you molested or troubled in any way while you were there ?
Answer. Yes, sir, I was.

Question. How, and by whom?

Answer. Well, I was there at work on a hotel, or supper-house, as it is called, for Mr. Spencer, the gentleman who hired me to go down there and make some blinds for the hotel. I was working for him by the day, and, after working there perhaps a little over three weeks, on Friday night, the 7th of August

Question. What year was that?

Answer. I do not know what year it was. It was three years ago last August, at the time that General Meade was here in command. About half-past 10 o'clock at night I was sitting out on the piazza running parallel with the railroad, when a couple of gentlemen came up to me and asked me was I the old man from Atlanta. I said I was. They said, "Are you the carpenter working here?" I told them I was. Said one of them, "Don't you want to take a little walk up into the village." I said, "No, for I feel tired, and I am just getting ready to go to bed." They insisted on my going, but I said I could not go, and then got up on my feet and aimed to step up the platform, when they jerked me back. I turned around, and one of them struck at me with a knife and cut through my coat, vest, and shirt, but did not get to the skin. I began to think that they had some idea of trying to injure me. Just then he shut up his knife and put it up in his pocket. He drew a pistol and leveled it toward my face, and I caught the man. Just then one of them ran up behind me and caught me around

I ran.

[ocr errors]

the body and arms. They tusseled with me, I suppose, for about five minutes, trying to get the gun from me, and hollering out, "Let the gun go!" I said, "No, I can't let it go for you to shoot me." They said they would shoot me any how. I held on to the gun until we all got pretty badly worried out. I suppose they thought I might get it away from them, and then they fired it off. I held it pointing up, with the barrel almost against my forehead, the muzzle not more than four inches from the top of my head. They fired off one barrel, and then told me to let it go. I said, "No, I will not." I heard them say that there were sixteen buck-shot in each barrel. Then he fired off the other barrel and I let the gun go. He then threw the gun behind him and said to the other one, Turn him loose, I'll fix him now." As he turned me loose he gave me a shove from him. I jumped up on the piazza, and as I struck it I looked around, and he had a ten-inch navy pistol, a very large pistol, and commenced firing at me as The balls struck the wall of the house as I was running around the corner of the house. Just as I got to the door and put my hand on the knob to open it, a ball struck me on the right arm and broke it. My arm fell, and then the man ran up to me and put his pistol within an inch of my eye and snapped it again, but there was no load in it. He said, "God damn you, I'll shoot you dead; you are nothing but a damned abolitionist from Atlanta. We don't want you here." They then went off. The gentleman who had hired me was reading at his window when they commenced at me. I thought I heard him let the window down; it was down when I jumped upon the piazza, but it was open when they first attacked me. I went back to where I started from, and went into the hotel and sent for a doctor to come and do something for my arm, which was bleeding pretty badly. The doctor did not come until next morning at eight o'clock. Mr. Spencer, the gentleman who hired me, knew these men and was telling me who they were. Said I, "I would like for you to take some step to have these men arrested; they have injured me for nothing; I have never had any fuss with any one here, and have not used a word of politics with any one since I have been here, and I do not know why they should do this to me." He said he was afraid to do anything; that he was afraid that they would injure him and his property there. He was from Tennessee not long before that, and used to own the Crutchfield House in Chattanooga.

Question. Was his name Hedges L. Spencer?

Answer. Yes, sir. There was a two-story piazza, and they made up a pallet for me on the piazza up-stairs, the upper floor. My arm was bleeding very badly, and nothing was done for it. I was waiting for the doctor, but he did not come. While we were up there, and Mr. Spencer and his sister, and mother were standing over me, waiting for the doctor to come, these same men came back again, and came through the house up-stairs. They had their guns; I was lying down, and begged them for God's sake not to let them know where I was. But they were all afraid of them, and they came right in and said, "Where is that old nigger?" Mr. Spencer said, "Here he is; don't do anything more to him, he is about dead now." Said he, "By God, I came to finish him anyhow." He put the gun under my left ear; I did not see, but I felt it. Said he, "You said you were not an abolitionist; if you don't take it back now, God damn you, you will die." I said, "If I have said anything that interrupts your feelings in any way whatever, I will take it back." He said, "That is sufficient," and then went off.

Question. What were their names?

Answer. They were two brothers, John and William Saluda; John Saluda was the one who did the shooting.

Question. How old were they?

Answer. I do not know how old they are; they are both young men.

I never saw

them to know them until the next day. One came up there the next day-I could not get off until 3 o'clock in the evening. Nothing was done for my arm all that time except that the doctor came there the next morning and put it in a sort of a sling, so that I could travel with it. He charged me two dollars and a half for that, and collected the money. While I was staying up there, the one that caught hold of me and held me came up, and asked me if I was hurt. I did not know who he was. I said that I was hurt; that my arm was broke. He came up stairs and stood around for a little while, and then went off. After a while Mr. Spencer came up and said, "What did William Saluda have to say?" I told him, and he said, "That was the one who caught you and held you last night." I said, "I did not know him." I never saw him before, and I did not know him then, and I do not know him now. While Mr. Spencer was up there the other one came down the street, and Mr. Spencer said, "Yonder is the one that shot you." There were some more men off a piece, whether white men or not I do not know. When the row commenced they left. There were only these two that came up to me.

Question. Were they disguised?

Answer. No, sir; they were not.

Question. What did they tell you about the Ku-Klux?

Answer. They asked me if I did not want to go and get into a Ku-Klux arrangement up in the village. I thought there was a party of them that wanted to carry me off.

Question. Has there been any attempt made to have these men arrested and punished since that time?

Answer. Yes, sir; when I could not have anything done down there, I came up here and sent for Judge Pitman, judge of the ordinary's court here; he knew me; my wife had belonged to his father-in-law; I called for him, knowing that he was a lawyer, and thought that probably he could give me some advice, or do something for me; he came to see me, and said that Mr. George Hillyer, a lawyer, was well acquainted all through Walton County, and he would see him and consult him; I suppose he did so, for he came back and said that Mr. Hillyer said there was no use in trying to do anything: that those boys were poor; that the old man had spent about all he had in getting the boys out of difficulties before. The matter dropped there for a time; after a while I thought about the Bureau agent, and sent for him, and he came up immediately; I gave him all the facts, and he made out an affidavit, and said he would show it to General Meade that day, which I suppose he did; he came back to me the next day and said that they had not done anything about it, but that General Meade had told him to hold on, and he would attend to it; he told me he would see General Meade again : in three or four days he came again, and asked me if General Meade had been to my house; I said, "No, I have seen him pass here, but he has never stopped." It went on so for about two months, and nothing was done; Major Mosback, the Bureau agent, came again, and still nothing was done; finally he drew up an instrument in writing and gave it to the Methodist preacher here, and told him to go around among the officers here and they would probably contribute something for me to live on; and he gave me two dollars himself; it passed along in that way, and Major Mosback went away and nothing was done.

گھر

Question. Why did you not go down there in that county and prosecute them before the courts?

Answer. I offered to do so at the time before I left, but I could have nothing done there; and I was afraid to go down there afterwards; I sent for the sheriff right there, and he told me that I had better come on up here, and have it attended to here; he just turned me off in that way; I was in such misery, and in such a fix, that the least little thing would throw me off the track.

Question What was the name of the doctor there you sent for?

Answer. Doctor Gibbs.

Question. What was his first name?

Answer. I do not know,

Question. Does he live there now?

Answer. I heard he was there the first of the year; I think some of the same party have shot at him since then.

Question. What did they make this attack on you for?

Answer. I cannot tell for my life; I never had two words with ony one there, and I used no politics any way.

Question. Had you attended any political meetings there, or talked politics with anybody, or associated any way with political people?

Answer. No, sir; not one. I was a perfect stranger there, and made no acquaintance with any one, excepting there where my wife was, and only a few of them; I worked hard and regularly, and never bothered about political matters.

Question. Did Spencer pay you for your work before you came away?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How long before, your arm got well, so that you could work again? Answer. I did not get able to work for two years, and I have very little use of my arm now. The ball is in my arm yet; it never came to the outside till last year. Doctor Westmoreland opened my arm in two places to try and get the ball out. The ball has worked through now, so that it is next to the skin.

Question. Do you work at your trade now?

Answer. No, sir; I cannot use my right hand with tools in it, and I cannot raise my hand to my head; I have not been able to put my right hand to my face since then. It now feels numb, like it was asleep.

Question. Are those Saludas down there now?

Answer. The last time I heard of John Saluda was last summer, some time; perhaps the latter part of the spring. Some men that I am satisfied knew him, said that he was up on the Air Line Railroad, as a guard over the chain-gang. A colored man that lived down there in his neighborhood, and was well acquainted with him, said that he was up there.

Question. Why not go into Walton County now, and prosecute him before the court ? Answer. I thought I had enough of Walton; I was actually afraid to go down there. Question. Do you believe that you would get justice if you went down there? Answer. I do not know; it is very uncertain. There was no action taken there or here, and I just gave it up.

Question. Did you hear before that time of these people called the Kn-Klux, down there?

« AnteriorContinuar »