From the close of the war, up to the fall of 1870, there resided in
Lowndes county, Georgia, an exceedingly intelligent colored man, named
Edward Thompson. He was noted for his piety, and the peculiar influence he
exerted over the members of his race who resided in Lowndes county, and
Hamilton county, Florida; and being thoroughly imbued with Republican
principles, lost no opportunity in disseminating them among those of his
race with whom he associated. Through his exertion, and by the force of
his example, the negroes voted the ticket of the Republican party at every
election, always seeking his advice before going to the polls to deposit
their ballots.
Thompson's case was brought before the Camp of Hamilton county,
Florida--at that time, presided over by one Elihu Horn, Commander of the
Camp--as one requiring energetic action upon the part of the Order. A
warning was issued to Thompson, the import of which could hardly be
mistaken. The following is a verbatim copy of the same taken from the
original.
"K. K. K.
"_His Supreme Highness of Hamilton to Edward Thompson._
"His Supreme and Mighty Highness has heard of your seditious
practices in leading others astray, and encouraging them in
opposition to the white man's government. Time is given you to repent
and submit as your fathers have done. Now this is to warn you, and
all such as you, on pain of punishment and death, to abandon your
vicious harangues, and abide by our orders. The moon is yet bright;
it may turn to blood.
"By order,
"K. K. K."
Thompson paid no heed to this warning, but continued to pursue the even
tenor of his way. He had resided so long in the place, and been so
favorably known there, both among the whites and blacks, that he scouted
the idea that this meant anything more than a threat intended to
intimidate him, and he continued exerting his influence in the Republican
cause with his brethren, as had been his custom. Several warnings were
subsequently sent to him with no better effect, and it was finally decided
in the solemn conclave of the Camp, that he should receive the long
threatened "visitation."
On the 19th of September, 1870, Thompson retired to his bed between nine
and ten o'clock, as was his usual custom. His family consisted of his wife
and two children, all of whom occupied the same sleeping apartment.
Between eleven and twelve o'clock they were aroused from their slumbers by
the door being broken in with a tremendous crash, and before Thompson had
time to collect himself, he was rudely seized and dragged from his bed by
a number of men, armed and disguised, two of whom fired their revolvers
into the roof of the cabin, as a menace, and assured Thompson they would
turn the weapons upon him, if he offered the slightest resistance. His
wife and children were also dragged from their beds, being at the same
time severely struck by some members of the band, and told to remain
quiet.
"In the name of the Lord, what is this?" asked Thompson, as soon as he
could command his voice.
The response was a blow upon the head from the butt of a pistol, delivered
with a brutality that convinced him that he was in the hands of those to
whose hearts mercy was a stranger. He was then told to ask no questions,
and make no noise, but to dress himself and go with the band.
His wife was subjected to the most revolting indecencies. The last garment
that covered her nakedness was wrenched from her person and torn into
shreds, leaving her utterly exposed to the malicious and lecherous eyes of
the intruders. She was then told "to get her rags on," and go with the
party. The children terrified at seeing their parents thus brutally
assailed, uttered the most piercing screams, but were ordered to remain
behind and not leave the house, or they would be killed. The band started
out with their captives in the direction of the house of John and Samuel
Hogan, two white men who were known to be Republicans, and had thus
rendered themselves obnoxious to the Camp. They compelled the Hogans to
accompany them, and started for the woods, nearly a mile from Thompson's
house.
One Micajah Amerson, a colored man living near the scene of this outrage,
hearing the report of the fire arms, arose, and dressed himself, and
taking a shot gun, started for his son's house on the Joseph Howell
plantation. Amerson was just in time to meet the band having Thompson and
his wife and the two Hogans in custody, and was at once seized and
compelled to go with the party. Amerson seems to be the only one of the
captives able or willing to give an intelligent account of what
subsequently transpired, which he did to the writer as follows:
"I saw the company in the road, and knew they were the Ku Klux from their
disguises. I saw it was no use to try and get away from them, and one of
them told me to go along, at the same time striking me with a club. Edward
Thompson and his wife (colored), and John and Samuel Hogan, two white men,
were with them. Thompson said nothing but his wife moaned all the way on
the road to the woods. We went about a quarter of a mile into the woods,
and were then ordered to halt. When the halt was made, one of the band
gave a peculiar whistle, which was answered almost directly by a similar
sound. This proved to be the signal for the appearance of a party who was
addressed as the Captain, and who at once took charge of the proceedings.
"I and the two white men were ordered to sit down, a pistol being placed
at our heads to enforce obedience. The colored man (Thompson) was then
told to strip himself naked. This he commenced very reluctantly to do,
begging for mercy, and asking what he was going to be whipped for. The
members of the band seemed to be enraged at this, and taking out their
knives, commenced cutting his clothes off, wounding him in several places.
The Captain then struck him a powerful blow with a gun, shattering the
stock and knocking Thompson senseless.
"No one paid any attention to him as he lay upon the ground,--the Captain
and two or three of the band holding a consultation. The Captain then
asked for the "executioners." Two men came forward and said: "Where are
the warrants?" At this another of the party produced two long leather
straps, and handing them to the two men, said: "Here they are."
"These two then commenced to beat Thompson and his wife in a dreadful
manner. The punishment on the wife was brief though cruel. That upon
Thompson was continued until the "executioner" was thoroughly exhausted.
He then handed the strap to another member of the band, who renewed the
assault with great fury. Thompson, at first, made no exclamations, but on
being struck in the more delicate parts of his body, screeched fearfully.
He was brought to his feet several times while the punishment was being
inflicted, only to be knocked down by the strap, and kicked by those who
were standing around him. The members of the band laughed at his agony and
said to the executioners: "Give it to the damned radical; learn the son of
a b...h to keep his piety and politics to himself; we'll teach him how to
lead the niggers."
"Thompson finally ceased to scream. His body was a mass of blood, and he
appeared to be unconscious long before the beating was through with. I
thought he must be dead, but dared not say anything. When the executioners
had ceased, he lay perfectly still. One of the members said: "The d....d
skunk is playing possum." He then jumped at Thompson, kicked him several
times in the side and back with great violence, and turning him over,
ground his boot heel in his face. He lay for a long time unconscious, and
was several times raised to his feet, but could not stand. His wife
continued to pray during a portion of the time, asking God to bring her
husband to life, and begging the Captain to spare him for the sake of his
family, and let her try and get him home.
"The Captain finally said, she might do what she liked. It was easy to see
that Thompson could not live, but some of the band were not satisfied.
One of them called out:
"'Captain Smart, can I shoot the dirty radical?' to which the Captain
replied:
"'No! the black son of a b....h is dead enough.' The Captain then said to
me and the two white men:
"'Now, you take this for a warning, and if we ever hear of you divulging
anything about this, you may expect the same treatment.'
"The white men and myself were then taken to the road, where we were met
by another party, also in disguise, making about forty in all. I was then
told to go to the Joseph Howell plantation, and remain there two hours, or
the rest of the band would take me and put me up the spout.
"I done as directed, and returned to my own house about 6 o'clock in the
morning; I then went over to Thompson's house, and found him dead. How he
came there, I do not know; I heard that his wife got him home, and that he
was not entirely dead, when he got there."
In addition to the testimony of Amerson, as to the terrible details of
this brutal murder, we have that of Mrs. Thompson and the two Hogans. Dr.
Mapp, a physician residing near Thompson, was called to see him, and at
the earnest entreaty of the wife dressed his wounds, although he saw that
the poor victim could not live possibly. He was literally beaten to a
jelly. One of his eyes had been forced completely out of its socket, and
he was otherwise almost totally unrecognizable.
Elihu Horn, _alias_ Capt. Smart, was known at the time as a respectable
member of society in Hamilton county, Fla., and a leader in the democratic
ranks in that vicinity, and violently opposed to the present
administration. He was determined that no one should preach what he was
pleased to term "the heresy of radicalism" in that county, and live, and
his threat was fully carried out upon the body of the unfortunate
Thompson.
In the light of such an outrage, can any one, of whatever creed or faith,
question the policy of the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus and the
proclamation of martial law in such a community, or doubt the wisdom of
the executive head of the nation, in his efforts to suppress the unlawful
assemblages, who aspired to hold the life and liberty of our citizens in
the hollow of their hands, and annihilate the hopes of newly-made freemen,
by imposing upon them a bondage infinitely worse than that from which the
nation, through the blood of her sons, had but so recently released them?