Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 June 1873 — Horrible Torture and Murder of a Negro. [ARTICLE]

Horrible Torture and Murder of a Negro.

The following story seems, incredible. It is related, however, bv a trustworthy newspaper, the Austin (Texas) Journal: “Between the Ist and 10th of May, 1873, a party consisting of, say half a dozen, more or less, visited a camp of workmen on the railroad' (Texas Pacific) twenty miles north of Jefferson, in a state of intoxication, headed hy a Mr. Porter, an old citizen of Cass County. Mr. Porter, the leader, commenced an attack on a negro man, who, a bystanding white man said to Mr. Porter was a peaceable and unoffending man: The negro pushed Mr. Porter off. and kept out of -his- way. At this Mr, Porter took great offense, but not considering himself sufficiently strong, wept* back home, recruited his party, and returned in a day or so, and found the du ties of file negro as a laborer had caused him to change to a camp some miles distant on the railroad. Thither Mr. Porter and his increased force followed, finding the negro engaged at his labors Porter assumed to he Sheriff, and the others of the party subordinates, took the negro prisoner, bound him fast, opened his eyes and spit in them tobacco juice, confined him fast to one off the horses, started off at a fast gait, compelling him to keep up or drag ; ordered the negro to bow humbly to every white man they met on the road and on the streets of a town through which they passed en route. Proceeding on their way to a spot sufficiently Tetired for their diabolical purposes, they confined the man between two small trees, so placing him that he could

** •••/ ■ ’ - only move his head. Thus located, they deliberately proceeded to make a cross on his forehead by*inciSion with a knife, and then scalped their victim. After thus inflicting on him all the torture of which they were capable, they retired a few paces ahd finished their barbarous, work by shooting several loads Of ammunition into liis exposed and defenseless body. After thus cruelly accomplishing their work they threw the lifeless tiocfy into a stream • Of water convenient to ,the scene of action. Thus ended this bloody tragedy, .commitr ted in the open light of day, under a pretended cover of law, and in open defiance of the civil authorities. The perpetrators had not, at last accounts, been arrested. The above occurrences took place within thirty miles of the city of Jefferson, one of the largest cities of Texas, and a county settled some quarter of a century. It,is stated that the perpetrators were composed of old citizens of the county of Cass in which the transaction occurred.