When I arrived there was not a single civil officer in this county.
They had either resigned or had kept themselves indoors. I at once
commenced a vigorous campaign and soon learned that there were two men
charged with being cyclops; one of them resided about thirty miles
down the river on an island; he was charged with killing eight or ten
colored people. I made a detail of about fifty men and placed them in
charge of Captain Sharp and ordered him to go down and arrest both and
bring them up to headquarters. The second day after the scouts started
they returned by steamboat with both men, as well as several other
prisoners. After the boat arrived Captain Sharp came to headquarters
and suggested the release of one of the men as he didn't think he was
guilty. I ordered the prisoners brought to headquarters at once. There
was a man by the name of Edington who resided in Osceola, one of the
wealthiest men in the county; he was well acquainted with one of the
men, as he had been sheriff of the county in which he resided and
a colonel in the Confederate army. He asked me to parole him to the
limits of the city and he would go on his bond for one thousand dollars
until said charges could be investigated. In a few days after he was
paroled Mr. Edington came into the office and informed me that after
his arrest and while on the boat coming up the river Cap. Sharp came
to him in the presence of the captain of the steamboat and remarked.
"Well, colonel, you have got a hard man holt of you now; if you will
pay me one hundred and fifty dollars I can use my influence with Col.
Monks and have you released." The colonel said to Captain Sharp that
he didn't have the money with him. The captain of the steamboat said
to the colonel, "I have the money, I will loan it to you." The colonel
paid Captain Sharp one hundred and fifty dollars. Captain Sharp agreed
to have him released and let him go back on the boat. Mr. Edington said
he had watched all my proceedings since I took command of the post and
had become satisfied that my highest aim was to protect every person in
his person and property.
I ordered the orderly to arrest the colonel and bring him to
headquarters. I told him that I had been informed that after his arrest
and while in custody of Captain Sharp on the steamboat he paid Captain
Sharp one hundred and fifty dollars and Captain Sharp was to release
him and let him return home on the boat. He admitted that he paid the
money and made a full statement of all the facts that caused him to
pay the money. I notified Captain Sharp to appear at headquarters at
once. Informed him of what I had just learned, that while he had the
colonel prisoner, coming up on the steamboat, that he, the prisoner,
paid him one hundred and fifty dollars to procure his release. Captain
Sharp admitted that it was true; I asked the captain if he had the
money. He said he had. I asked the colonel if he had a friend that he
could pay the money to; that I could not pay the money to him, that he
might bribe another one of my officers. He said that I could pay the
money to Mr. Edington. Captain Sharp paid the money to Mr. Edington by
the order of the colonel. I ordered the colonel to the guardhouse for
bribing my officers. I ordered Captain Sharp to report at headquarters
the next day at ten o'clock. The Captain promptly appeared at the
hour set. We went into the back room of my office alone. The captain
and myself took seats. I said to the captain, "I am very sorry that
this thing occurred; that you have allowed one of your prisoners to
bribe you and you have betrayed that confidence imposed in you by
the state. It become my painful duty to place you under arrest and
of all crimes known to the criminal calender the worst is that one
of treason. We claim that we are hunting violaters of the law and if
we become violaters of the law then it will devolve on the state to
place a new set of men in the service so that all violaters of the law
can be arrested and brought to justice. Now I have been informed that
while you composed a part of the command stationed at Cottonplant under
General Upham you was arrested for disorderly conduct and you caused
your company to mutinize. Now I want to say to you that I am going to
put you under arrest and disarm you and I will parole you to the limits
of the city and your first lieutenant will be placed in command of the
company and if you cause your men to mutinize I will arrest the whole
company and send them to Little Rock."
I ordered the whole company to appear at headquarters and informed
them of what I had done. I then sent the orderly and brought out the
colonel and paroled him to the limits of the city under one thousand
dollar bond. I never had a more obedient set of soldiers in all my
service than Captain Sharp's company and they were as true and as brave
men as ever lived. Captain Sharp said he was sorry for what he had
done and I had done my duty and in about one week I returned his arms
and placed him in command of his company. And during the remainder
of service Captain Sharp discharged every duty with honor to himself
and his state. While I was in command of the post I made a vigorous
campaign. Arrested or drove out all the armed Kuklux and had the civil
law fully put in force and the ministers of the gospel reorganized
their churches and business of all kinds was resumed. Intimidations
of the people, of the civil officers, and of the county by the Kuklux
was a thing of the past. I received orders from the adjutant general
at Little Rock to declare the civil law enforced in Mississippi county
and to report with my command to the commander of the post at Marion,
Crittendon county, Arkansas, for further orders. My command was
conveyed by steamboat to Hopefield and from Hopefield we marched to
Marion.
And in obedience to said orders I issued the following order: "To all
whom it may concern, especially to the citizens of Mississippi county,
Arkansas, I send greeting. It affords me great pleasure to say to the
people of Mississippi county that the Kuklux organization is completely
broken up and there is no armed opposition to the enforcement of the
civil law. Therefore, by the power in me vested I declare the civil law
from this date in full force and effect in said county. And I invite
all good citizens to aid in the enforcement of the civil law.