Newspaper Page Text
the Teller was wide awake and had
matured his plans, and had resolved
hat the voice of the people shoiildt
not be heard through the ballot-box,
as the sequel of the memorable Ist.
<! ty of January 1837, will abundantly
sTow. Anlwiththe sole object of
electing, even at the point of the
bayonett, a Court subservient to his
nod, the 'Teller of the Central Bank
of Georgia, the evening previous to
that dav, rallied his forces, armed
tmm T .vi:h the State’s muskets, and j
i-sujd orders t) his sentinels, to!
suifer no one to come into the village
without the strictest exam'mat i m in
to their busines, <s*c, &e.. These
citizens being wholly unapprised ol ■
his movements or intentions, enter-',
cd the village late in the evening oil
that day, in an orberly and peacea-j
hie manner. But before they had;
time to reach the tavern they were j
wending their way to, yo.tr Excel-j
eCs Aid (‘ailed them to a halt, and!
enquired‘if they were peace or war.’j
'The response from several of the I
company was, ‘we are for peace.'
ihe Teller of the Central Bank of
Georgia, however, not satisfied with
this reply, peremptorially ordered
them to leave the town instantly, or
he would fire upon the whole coin-
piny. Nome of them attempted to
expostulate with that much abused
and persecuted man. Col. U iliiam
N. Bishop, but were only responded
to by a general lire of musketry up
on the company who were wholly
unprepared for such an event. 1* our
of whom were badly wounded, and
two others, one about 70 years old,
most shockingly and shamefully beat
over their heads with the butts of
muskets bv your Excellency’s Aid.
And wherefore, may I be permitted
respectfully, to ask your Excellen
cy, the necessity of all this crjjel,
col<l blooded butchery of peaceable,
inoffensive, and unarmed hum ui be
ings? Because, sir, ho had, for
years, bullied the Judiciary, baffled
the ends of justice, and then saw
that, tiiat was the last aid only
means left him of evading that pun
ishment his crimes so richly merited
Live Justices of the Inferior Court
were to be elected the next day by
the people, whose duty it would
shortly be to revise the jury-box & '
draw a jury. He too well knew, ili
the people, as they certainly would
have done but for fiis violence, were
permitted to exercise the right of
the elective franchise, unmolested,
that his subservient tools, upon whom
be mainly relied for present relief,
would not, nor could net, be elected.
And hence sir, as on many other
similar occasions, the great necessi
ty of guarding, with a military force,'
the ballot box, and suffering no one
to approach it except those who were
survilc enough to bow to the dicta
tion of a base usurper. 'The result
of the; election, I presume, is known
to your Excellency, Ihe will of
the people was defeated, and a -i
of Justices placed over them, in
whom they had no confidence, by
the most appalling and degrading
violence and blood-shed. I llis, sir,
was but another scene of the same
tradegy that had been kept up for
years. 'The citizens of the county,
who had families and ‘an abiding
place,’a id every thing to lose amt
nothing to gain, in a contest with a
military band, composed of renr
ga les who had no abiding place, at
liie head of which was a lawless bul
-I\, had been goaded by bayonets,
and treated in the most cruel an t
shameful manner until a resort to
force became absolutely necessary.
Under these circumstances, and tor
the purpose of edectualh remove
ing beyond the control of any one.
we resolved be the cost or punish
ment what it would, to destr »v th ■
instruments which have so long been
held over us in tenor. And now.
sir, 1 have too much confidence in
your patriotism and valor to believe,
that had your Excellcm \ been one
of the unfortueatc sufferers, you
would not have been the tir>t man
to apply the torch to the funeral pile
The people boast of the freetlom of
elections’ What freedom i" there
i i that elective franchise that i>
wholly guided and controlled by a
military form * If that be the frcc-
dom of elections so often the boast,
of the American people, it can no
longer have ‘an abiding place’ in
Murray county.
Your Excellency’s corresponden;
states, that those ‘citizens while in
my custo ly, were treated with great
indignity, insult, and the most abu
sive language-’ That is wholly des
titute of truth,or even foundation, as
they and others will bear me wit
| ness.
lie further states, that ‘news had
met those citizens, at New*Echota,
that on the first day of the present
month, several other citizens, their i
riends were whipeJ, abused, shot
at, and nial-treated in various ways,
indeed, (says your correspondent)
it is said that woman and children
were whipped. Moreover, (he says)
it is stated, that an attempt was made
i last night (the 18th iast.) to fire their
'dwellings, and that several Indians,
.'were seen among the number, who
I were engaged in these scenes of
I horror.’ A more false and libelous
j publication, 1 venture to affirm has
never appeared in a public Gazette,
I since the days of EalstaT, than the
o.iecoutained in the above paragraph.
i Mich a scene of horror, was never
heard of, untij it appeared in the col
umns of the ‘Standard of Guion,’ up
on the authority of a g ntieman o'
. high standing and character.’
it is represented by your Excel
cy’s correspondent, that these men
have applied to him far advic , and
that he has advised them to rely up
on Ihe laws of their country. Wh\
have t hey not done so before? We
' have never sought any more. We
have not asked for a military force
to put us in power, nor one to put
them out. We arc content to abide
the laws of our count! y, and now re
joice to see a disposition manifested
in them, during the late term of our
Court, to do the same. But (says
your correspondent) ‘these men say,
nn \cv (‘.ci c>rcii:ti ;f’>c s, the law*,
if the Mate cannot b ; execute !.’
: i’lie law> oi the Et itecatm t be ex
iecuted! In t e name ol Heaven
I when were they ever executed in
i Alurrav? Nover since the estab
imentofa military des mtisu by your
xcellency’s ail, Col. vV iliiam
Bishop, until our la-st -uperior* ourt
| \o, *Ar, the laws of mob-ocracy can
no Ivnger be executed in Murray
county, as the times during our Life
Superior Con t abundantly e*im e.
Your Excellency's con espondent
further alledges, that the opp mmh
of the 'Teller of the Central Bank of
Georgia, have ‘resohed to drive
them from their homes and th ir
state*,’ and th. t these arc chieHv
composed of i\ nagodocs, who le 1
no attachment t » any abiding place.’
This sir, v\ e view as a wanton and
malicious i i.ult add *d to oar repea
ted injuries If a fixed ami deter
mined resolution to luing oilcndi rs
i jjustie •, ami rcNtorc the admini*.-
iraiion of the laws of our co i di v
i»c a resolve to drive from th nr
home, and their state, these ofien
'er; and disturbers of the public
peace, then indeed, have we resolv
ed to drive them from their homes
aa l their stale. e have co nmen
ced the work oi reform, which, wiih
the aid of au energetic Co.i t, goes
bravelx on.’ Ami il . a . not great
ly mistaken in th.- signs of ih ■ pre
sent ti nes, nor the Jmiiviarx is ag u t
pro'trated by a military force, the
Courts of our couutrv will soon <1 -
velope to your bx< elhmcy a.id the
world, the true cause of so orirh
blood shed, and honor m -lUirav
county; and who are renegadoi ", and
who has ‘an attach neiit lor an abi
ding place.’
\ our Excellence *s correspon lent
expresses strong doubts, ‘wh • h-r
the civil a Imiui-trillions of justice
can any longer be maintained in
Murray county, with mt miiitai \ ai 1!
‘Can it be po*M de that ‘ge itlemm
of high st Hiding and character,’ is
\gai \ disnosrd to give ai I ,‘ycomr
nance to a repetition of the tra le-l
gies of Murray <_• > i ity, bv inducing
your Excelh icy to sen I an >th t
m litai y force into our countn ! 1 ’
I tru-t ii t Bit 'li.it n the r i i- n t ! mt r- -j<»
I" hi* m; I- and tin: •■> < i m- •, i, u .
If j -«• re, -s e intimate*. a- i; J >_’ it ij.ii
■<• be a/u.-te .tdnnms ored . . .11 , v, by
military mob, hen it dr« d, 1 r , he well ex- j
press b.s doubts, “vvheiaer toe civil 'tmiii.irvl
he slwnld have, sai<l) administration of justice! 1
can any longei be maintained in Mirrav
county, without m.liiary aid?’ For sir, the
civil administration of the laws have <»n"e •
more been planted in the soil of Murray coun
ty, and from the number of bills of indictment
found by a Grand Jury of the County, the
most of whom, tn their credit and praise be
it spoken, were Um friends of Owl, William ,
N* Bishop, civd justice will soon reap a rich
and abund mt harvest. But sir, if the sugues- ,
■ lion of your correspondent is to prevail civil ;
'justice a<i»ir, must hide her head, and the
. scenes <>f M-uriv coun'y acted over ajjain—a
j state of ihirgs we cannot, ought not, nor will,
;mu longer submit io. We have planted «ur
I selves by il e side o f the judr iary of our State
and are determined to maintain and support i;
jut the risk of every hazzird.
WILLIAM MeGWGIIY,
Sheritf-wl Murray Cobnty
P. S.— Will yout EKcellencv <1 > me the
justice to have this letter published in ‘‘the
Standard of Union,’ W. McG.
FOR THE MINER’S RECORDER.
HEAD QUARTERS, ARMY,
Cilrokee Nation,
J\’ew Echo? a Go.
March 22m1, 1837.
Cherakees s
it is nearly a year since T first
arrived in this country. 1 then in
' formed you of the objects of my
coming among you. I told vou
’ that a treaty had been made with
■ your people, am! that your country
■ was to be given up to the United
• States by the 25th May 1838. a
hide more than a year from thi*.
- time, when you would all be com
i polled to remove to the west. I al
! so told you, if you would submit to
■ the terms of the treaty I would pro
tect you in your persons and prop-
1 erty, at the same time, 1 would
furnish provisions and clothing to
; the poor and destitute of the natton.
lou would not listen but turned a
• deaf ear to my advice. You prefer
ed tne council of those who were
' opposed to the treaty. They toi ;
■ I you what was not true, that your
people had made no treaty with the
i United States, and that you would
be a'.fc to retain your lands & would
not be obliged to re nove to the
'wast, (he place de* iguaic i for your
new bom s. Be no 1 nngcr leccived
by such advice. It i> not only un
true, but iflistcncd to may lead to
your utter ruin. 'The President as
j well as congress have decreed that
!you should remove from this coun
try. The people of Georgia, ol
\orth aroliiia, of 'Tennessee, &of
j Alabama, have decreed it. Your
fate is decided and il you do not vol
untarily get ready and go by the
time fixed in the treaty, vou will
then be forced from the country by
thesoi iers of the United States.
Under such circumstances what
will be your condition? Deplorable in
the extreme. Insiead ol tin* bene
fits now presented to you hv the
treaty, of receiving <>ay for the im
provements ofyonr lands, j our hou
ses, your cornfields and \ our ferries;
and ‘or all ihe property unjustly ta
ken from you by the white people
at the same ti tie blankets clothing
and provisions for the poor, you will
be driven from the country
without a cent to suoport you on
your arrival at your new homes.
You will m vain flee to your mouu
tains for protection. Like the
Creeks, you will be hunted up and
dragge l from your lurking places
aid h (iTied to the west. I would
as i arc vou pre parch f. ,r >mh srem*-.?
I trust not, yet such will be your
fate if 'you persist in your present
determination.
Cherokees 1 have not come
among you to oppress you, but to
protect you and see that justice is
done you as guaranteed by the trea
ty. Be advised ami t irn a deal ear
to these who would induce \ou to
bclive that no treat; has been made
with you andth.it yon will not be
obliged to h ave this country. I hey
cannot be triends but the worst of
enemies. Their advice if longer lis
tened to will lead to your certain de
struction. The President lias said
that a treaty has been made wi h von
and must be executed agreeably to
its terms. The President never
changes.
Tuerefore take my advice, it is
ine advice, of a friend, who would
ted you the truth &, who feels deep
ly intersted in yo r welfare, and who
will do every thing in his power to
relieve, protect and secure to yuu
the benefits of the treaty. And’why
not ab mdon a country no longer
yours? Do you not see the white
man daily coming into it, driving you
from your homes anti possessing
your homes, your cornfields & your
ferries? Hitherto I have been able
in some degree, to protect you from
j their intrusions, in a short time, it
will no longer be in my power.
If However, I could protect you
you could not live with them. Your
habits, your manners and your cus
toms are unlike and unsuited to
theirs. They have no feelings, no
sympathies in common with your
selves. Leave then this country,
which after the 25th Ma' 1838 can
afford you no protection, and re
move to the country designated for
your new homes, which is secured to
you and your children forever, and
where you may live under your own
laws, an I the customs of your fathers
without further intrusion from the
whit • m in. It is a country much
better than the one you now occupy,
where you can gro w more corn and
where game is mire abundant.
Think seriously of what I say to y >u.
Remember that you have but one
sum net* to plant corn in this country.
Make tie best u-m of tiiis time and
dispose of your property to the best
advantage. Go and settle with the
commissioners and with the emigra
ting Agent, G. n’l. Smith, receive the
the money due for your improve
ments your homes, cornfields and
ferries, and for the property which
has been unjustly taken from you by
the whitemen, an 1 at the appointed
time be prepared to remove. In
the mean time if you will apply to me
or mv agent, 5 will cause rations,
blankets and clothing to be furnished
to the poor and destitute of your
neoplc.
J32IN E. POOL
Brig. Gen’l.
Cornd’g
PRES ENT?.'ENT.
Lumpkin county. Man.li i’erin, 1837
*L Grand Ju y hating gone through
-L oith the bu-'iiieMs of the present feim,
beg leave i<» m-ue th»* following presentments:
We piesent as a pnblir giirvtnce of no
ordinary ni ignitml -, (he bad ewiidii ion of the
Rods, and miiiy of the pubi c Bridges of
om roiinly, anil lheref. r- . e irnesily mge upon
the Inferior (,'<> r , ’he absolute necessity of a
prompi and r.omtiiis < n ,, *i •■■ineni of (he ra id
la ws, which tn ike ample, provisions lor ibo
punishment of delinquen' road Commissioners
md Overseers. The Grand Jny are up. i
pnsed o| the t>rea( difficuliy and Hie immem e ]
lab.mr r <|'iiri d to open, and k ep m good
order, the public roads in a Moontairomß
ciiumrv |,ke mirs, y. t they are compelled t«> |
say, mm h • fiisme is j isily attributable to
le, se ut)i>s'‘ dmy it is to keep the putdie ro d
hi g 1 od order.
I'lie Grand Jury have examined the Jail,
and ake ore u ;>!< as .re in say rig n is in a
fieri! ami -ale rendition, txcepl (be want of a
secure out side I.ock, and hat it is kept in a
sp l<* htTlily < r doable to the Jailor.
In the prose, mum of the various dutvs ,
which imve dev Hved upon this body, during |
the present term, t>i“ Gra •< J iry regret ex- !
tr* in ly the n d •'P , »«i I'm ol our County Trea ;
surer has provs uted itiern, for the want of hns j
books and o iier cecess.h v rnformaiion, from >
muk ng such an ex immilion into, and report !
upon he rendition and slate of t lie fimirici.il
cuncerns of the rountv, as ih<y othei wise j
would have wished to do, yet they doubt Ho '
llie < (>i i hh ss wiih winch the county fund
have been dispui -• d.
T e Gr iid Jury have nothing more o f aj
special na lire tr» pre-eni, except .such matters!
and things is tfiey have bt foie made known, |
winch tmy derm unnecessary Ij be again
i epr.ited.
1 i ihe ‘u'’h. r dis' bxrgr of tficir duty, the
(»i .nd J•' v com r vr it io lheir duty, al
tlmugii e may no lie cons d> r< d strictly within I
die r-mg’c of t ieir ; ujn-ial duly, to nonce in :
n special, though if'il in inner, the
.tj’jmmitn* n: of O 11.1 J\ M N Bl> 11 OP.
in i.e < ill «• of I • I-i, of the Cemral Bank of
Georgia. Hi view that ins'imtion us one
etnphaiu al y In ‘ongmo io the p< o le, and
llii retuie, < d i n of gre u importance to
hem. ihai if?, \dmini>tr > ion sh>> -Id be placed
m me ’• at d- ol no. only -kdhil timmrn r.s. lint
a s i in liio-c win se ni 'al repiii itmu are on
s tilted t»v anv of ihe h o i ..(T <■<■<•s known io
me law- oi the I ind. Ifi In- deliiiei iifdy and
• mparit.il y conceived opinion of this J .ry, lhe
.jipomtmem ol hat imimd ml io an oilice so
bunnr.itiie and respectable ait (hat of I’eler,
under all the cm msi-mres. pr« -• nt lo our
mind a M-rcf'i* mi j m li'rr wl invesijoatmri
lor hr people <>| i,Hinia, ihc numerous uffen
. e.i, AhriiK r j-i- ,y or 1 j i*lly, wo pretend not
u siy, coai-ned up m ihai individual and umi
1 in'd Im indt-r ii'i- i .vv-, o| our country, must,
-i, we ar. i >ily per-waded. h ive be n known, lo
- imr I'X »-m, lo the pow» r lliul < nnfi-red the
,» i mitnien , lone b< :or» it was rn ide. If this
r ie,ii i i'-aie.-. m our :nn.ds,a serious dis rusi
■> lidt b y and fitud nrr in those who made it,
•im ii cad- lou jt, f..( rehirm ition, and when
we speik ihis we .mt rci-.craie the voice of the
people of our county.
In taking leave nf his Honor Judge
KENIOM, we respectfully under to him our
unfeigned thanks, for the prompt and euereetic
manner in which he has discharged his duty
in the administering <>i justice, and particu
larly for his prompt and energetic manner of
enforceing the law against offenders of all
grades during the presesent term, from which
ve confidently anticipate a thorough revolution
in the morals of our county.
The Solicitor General Henry L. Sims,
Esq. also has oiir thanks for Ins courteous and
prompt attention to tins liody during the
present 'Term.
'Ac request that these our presentments be
published in the Miners Recurder.
XV ILLI AiM STOCKS, Foreman.
' P. M. Oliver, A. Christopher,
Ze.if.tis Miller, J. ,W. K-nh,
J »hn P Odom, B Wdliam Anderson
B M. Stn.th, ’•Benjamin Goss,
liobert B McClure, Joo. IV. Whisenhunt.
| A true extract from the Minutes, March
Term, 1837. M P. QUILLI \N, Cl’k.
GEORGIA, Cherokee county.
FEBRUARY Term, 1837.
The Grand Jurors sworn, chosen, and se*
lecied for the county of Cheiokee, ai the
present term of the Superior Court, in addition
lothe prestmimi nis already rn uie by the Gr md
J ny, diey als » presem John Poor Bear, a
Cherokee mdi in, for st .t»u, n , Gourd
and W.ilatan .h, oil the 23d of January 1837
in said cimnty ol Cheiokee Witnesses Rat
ilmg Gourd and Walatamih.
We pr-sem \ r m Se i.m.re, William Bar
ker and Lewis Roberts Im malicious mischief
eoinmiilj-d bv ihrowmg down the chimney of
(tie house occupied by Edy Siorv ui said
cuuniv, someiime aho It .be last of January
1837 Winn ss, Eady Story.
Ou an ex unmation of ihe condition of the
J 01, we fi,.d he Io we. room in g,md order
the uppi r room is hi a very bt-d condition—
we therefore request the Infcrmr Court (<» tak«
it into consideration, and compel Hie Sheriff
or J .dor to have it < learn d.
H .vmg gone through the ordinary business
ol the coumy, we beg leave to take into con
sider.itmn a matter in which the whole people
of Georgia are particularly interested. We
consider the ippmiiimrnt of C<d. ILLI AM
N. BISHOP o| Murray comity, t<> the office
• I I eiler of ihe Cimtral Biuk of Georgia, as
calculated in a gre it degree to para ijze tlio
confidence ol the public in die true adminis
tration of its finam iaf t.ffa.rs. From the
character o 1 Col. Bishop, great distrust will
arise in he managem'm <d ihe B .i.r, and wn
believe H to be aur duty as citizens to teinon
stlale against ihe ... , (! .e
In taking leave of Ins h'..i<»r Judge Ken tv,
;vo tcndci to him <mr anirinc / ihanhs for the
able manner m winch i.e u.as o s. ti re d ttie
arduous duly of J dge during die present
fern). Also to H L Sims. S diciier for tiis
pnliic intention to Hus bmiy, duimg the pres
ent term.
W' r quest that so much of our presenf
tnents as are ol a p> biic na'ure, bo published
in the M mei s R,- order
ELI M CO WELL, Foreman.
J lines S. Elliott, I'ohver Bostick,
Ruber I . Giiffin, Hr iel Evng,
! ilbam (.'htiruler, Peer B-mer,
M‘h'ili Di li. rsori, Hilum Dim-dile,
'I d>ez J I! Icomb, Burw-dl Hobbs,
J tines U. D . ly, Sul Humphries,
Je-se Br.-r vn, Divid Rusk, sen.
William Wlntaker John T i e,
\ndrcw S.-mt, W dliom iLitrdeman,
James II Chambers, I• dw rd Townsend,
GEORGIA Union County.
MARCH bun 1837.
i he Grand Jury havir v gone through the
d Mies cneumhem <>n them. beg leave Io stale,
ib.tf Hie .several "fli. er.s co_u z i Jr? by ibis
. Giaud nupit»<t, havi dis< h ng» d lie ir respsc
■ I've duties, will . redi'—but have to regret
lite bad condition of 'ho roads generally
I thro ighout 'he county and leqnust the cmin
iv court H at they closely enquee into thia
mailer, and bave the del.inheres bruugh' lus
tier*.
VV e would also notice as a subject of deep
b<«» pun'iil interest the appointment of
William N Bism.p to tl,»- high and r. spon
sible olli u of Beller of the Cenird Bunk of
Georgia: an Institution of such magnitude as
to merit and dem nd (be rn"si uuslumtM'riH.'
vigil .nee of the F l( u m.m of ibis Sian; as a
[»<>r ion of wl.kiii we feel bound to express our
•ndigna! reprehension of ihe promotion of
such a cbm icier to »(ie wl its must u sponsi-.
ble posts—and do exceedingly regret the
blindness or depravilj of tli.»se who can sanc
tion such a measure.
W»* would beg tn return to Judge Kenan
our unfeigned ibanks for the prompt and rfli
cicn manner he Ims di-'haiged his doty at
this teiru of the comt. Ihe Sehcitur General
also men's om regard fm his .mention to bu
siness, and courtesy Io this body.
Ltz” request that our presen'inen’s bo
t> Wished in me Miners R-cmdera.id F< deral
(J ti.on.
JOHN M \R ri X Foreman*
John Kirby Joel C. ff. e
w Illium Loyd John Hunter
Abner Chastain Young H. Crumby
Enos .M< 11 nry Jonn Hmtgms
Henge Deuton IM des M. Roberts
rttlicini Patterson Daniel Mathews
John Jones Jonathan Denton
John Chastain Ebenezer Fain
Arthur Gibbel John .McC'lme
Jarrett T imer.
On motion of Hcry L. Sims Solicitor Gen
eral Ordered by the court th.n the present
ment ut the Grand Juty be published accor
ding to their it quest.
THOMAS BERRY, Clk.