A gentleman direct from the neighborhood informs the Petersburg
Express that the
Yankee vandals are roaming the counties of
Nansemond and
Isle of Wight, stealing negroes, bacon, and horses, and arresting every citizen whose loyalty to the
Confederate States is known.
The following gentlemen have been arrested, some of them manacled and dragged off to the
Rip Raps:
James Dillard,
E. Bev.
Hunter,
James M. Holland,
Wm. Lawrence,
Alexander Ashburn,
Robert R. Pinner,
Addison Ashburn,
Capt,
Charles Holland, J. Y. Council,
M. Norfleet, Joseph Y. Council,
Charles Sumner, and
David P. Wright.
The two latter were placed in irons and marched off under a file of Dutch Yankees from
Pennsylvania.
Mr. Sumner is charged with the
murder of a notorious free negro, named
David Sawyer, under the following circumstances:
The
Yankees have employed for some time past a lot of free negroes, who scour the country, tamper with slaves, and use every means to entice them from their owners.
A few days since, upon going into his field,
Mr. Sumner discovered several of his slaves in conversation with
Sawyer, which greatly enraged him. He ordered his negroes to return to their work, and told
Sawyer that he should not speak to his slaves under any pretext whatever.--
Sawyer replied that he had not spoken to them--
Mr. Sumner insisted that he had, and told him that he had seen him talking to them; whereupon
Sawyer called Mr. S. ‘"a d — d liar,"’ at the same time drawing a huge
Bowie knife, and advancing towards him.
Mr. Sumner immediately seized a fence rail, and commenced backing, while
Sawyer advanced and brandished his knife in a most threatening manner.
With the rail
Mr. Sumner succeeded in keeping the villain back until a corner of the fence had been reached, where his gun lay. He then quickly seized the weapon, which
Sawyer no sooner saw than he started to run.
Mr. Sumner fired, the load taking effect in the negro's back, and literally cutting him to pieces.
The negro died next day in great agony, and
Mr. Sumner's arrest was effected a few hours subsequently.
From
Mr. Dillard, the
Yankees stole some eight or ten thousand pounds of bacon and lard, and then carried him to the
Rip Raps, because he refused to take the oath of allegiance to the
Lincoln government.
Messrs. Ashburn and
Pinner were arrested upon the charge of having purchased bacon for the Confederate Government.
The Rev. Putnam Owen of the Baptist church, was arrested last Sunday at
Windsor,
Isle of Wight, and
Alex. Ashburn, postmaster at Windson, and
Robert R. Pinner,
assistant postmaster, were arrested at the same time.
In many instances the
Lincoln thieves have swept everything from the premises they visited, not leaving the females and children of the family a pound of meat or a single horse.
A perfect reign of terror prevails in some portions of
Nansemond and
Isle of Wight counties, and the people are leaving their homes by night, and secreting themselves in the forests during the day, so that they may escape the clutches of the invaders, and reach, if possible, the
Confederate lines, which do not now extend beyond
Blackwater.
No more true or loyal people than those who are now beneath the despot's heel in that section live in the
Confederate States, and they complain greatly that the
Government does not extend them some protection.
The loss to the
Confederate States in bacon and lard in that section will be immense.
