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NARA 816

having been attracted there principally on business connected with the County Court now in session at that place, and to attend a "Barbacue" which took place there today in accordance with previous announcement. I at once made known to some of the leading and most reliable men from different sections of the County the object of my mission, and solicited their aide in the matter. The result of such interviews and investigation are fully set forth in the "Tabular Statement," herewith enclosed.

As regards the murder of the Seven persons alluded to in your verbal instructions. I have not been able to accomplish as much in the way of apprehending the guilty parties as I had hoped for reasons hereinafter given, but I have elicited the following facts. It appears that on or about the first of Jany. last the person of a white woman the wife of a Mr. Miller who resides at or near Snow Hill, was ravished by two men, both of whom as she states were Colored men. A day or two subsequently to the above occourance, there were Seven (7) men arrested on suspition and lodged in the County Jail at Snow Hill, Green County. The names of the men so arrested were as follows, Benjamin Owen, Thos. Murphy, Wm Jones, Jack Ormond, Louis Grimsly, Allen Butts and Geo. Blandifield. The six first named were Colored men the other a white man. The four first named it appears were recently Discharged Soldiers from the U.S. Army, the three latter were Citizens who had  never been in any Army and are represented

as being men of Union sentiments and previous to this affair had borne a good character. The above mentioned persons were taken from the County Jail by some persons now unknown on the night of January 8th 67, and taken to a Creek which runs in the vicinity of the jail and after having been more or less beaten were thrown into the stream and drowned. The bodies of five of the men were a few days later found in the Creek a short distance from where they were thrown in, the bodies of the other two it seems have not up to this time been recovered. There seems to have been up to this time very little, if any effort made, on the part of the Authorities to ferret out the Murderers, or any attempt to bring them to justice. From what I could learn from those who are best acquainted with the facts in the case, there is every reason to believe that at least five of the men were wholey innocent of any crime, and there seems to have been no evidence that went to prove that any of the parties were guilty of the Crime charged, at least they were never granted a hearing. I was informed by both white and Cold Citizens of the place that it was to say the least jeopardising a mans life for him to give any information on the subject. There is a Colored man by the name of "Luke Best" who resides but a very short distance from the spot where the men were drowned, who was awakened by the cries of the murdered men, and upon going to the door he distinctly heard the splashing of the water as they were thrown into the stream. Very soon after and while he was still standing in his