Horrid Tragedy — Negro Hung — effects of the Yankee invasion.
The Louisville
Democrat, of the 8th, copies the following account of a horrid murder at
Elizabethtown, Ky., from an extra of the
Zouave Gazette, a newspaper published at that place by some of the
Yankee soldiers encamped there.
This murder is but the certain consequence of the teachings of the Abolitionists and the invasion of
Kentucky by the
Yankees:
‘
On Wednesday night last, a negro boy, belonging to
Wm. Smith who resides about four miles below here, entered the house of his master's brother,
Cyrus Smith and seizing the infant child of
Mrs. Smith, dashed its brains out, after which he beat
Mrs. Smith with a club, bruising and mangling her in such a manner that her life is despaired of.--The negro boy, who was about 18 years of age, was arrested by the picket guard of Company F, of the 19th, and committed to the county jail at this place, under charge of Company D, for safe keeping.
Great excitement prevailed among the citizens during Thursday and Friday, and mob law would have reigned had it not been for martial law. The negro will be tried at the next term of the
Court and executed.
Further Particulars.--On Friday, the 1st inst.,
Gen. Sherman, being applied to by the citizens of
Elizabethtown, ordered that the military authorities should hand over the negro to the citizens, which was done.
Our reporter having visited the scene of the murder, gives to us the following statement as coming from
Mrs. Smith, and signed by Mary E
Smith.
"The negro boy came to the house and enquired if
Mr. Smith was in. I told him that he was on the plantation, when the boy immediately caught hold of me, kicked me out, of the house, knocked me down, stamped on my head and breast, until he supposed I was dead; then took the child out of the cradle by the legs and threw it against the wall, killing it instantly.
I recovered enough to get up, when the negro struck me a second time, leaving me dead, as he supposed and run off. The baby was only two months old.
Mary F. Smith."
On Saturday, Nov. 2d, 1861, the boy was taken from the jail about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and hung to a tree about two miles from town.
A large number of persons were present.
The negro admitted that he was guilty, but said he was intoxicated, and that a white man here urged him to the deed — The negro was drawn up three times and after being dead was shot through the body by
Mr. Smith.
Thus ended this horrid tragedy,
’
