had shot his mother pulled off her stockings and took $220 in currency
that she had hid there. The men then came to the door where the boy was
lying and one of them turned him over and put his pistol to his breast
and shot him again. This is the story the dying boy told as near as I
can get it. It is quite singular that the guards and those who had
conversed with him were not required to testify. The woman was known to
have the money as she had exposed it that day. She also had $36 in
silver, which the plunderer of the body did not get. The Negro was
undoubtedly insane and had been for several years. The citizens of this
community condemn the murder and have no sympathy with it. The Negro was
a well-to-do farmer, but had become crazed because he was convinced some
plot had been made to steal his land and only a few days ago declared
that he expected to die in defense of his home in a short time and he
did not care how soon. The killing of a woman with the child at her
breast and in her condition, and also a young boy, was extremely brutal.
As for Hamp Biscoe he was dangerous and should long have been confined
in the insane asylum. Such were the facts as near as I can get them and
you can use them as you see fit, but I would prefer you would suppress
the names charged by the Negroes with the killing.

Perhaps the civilized world will think, that with all these facts laid
before the public, by a writer who signs his name to his communication, in
a land where grand juries are sworn to investigate, where judges and
juries are sworn to administer the law and sheriffs are paid to execute
the decrees of the courts, and where, in fact, every instrument of
civilization is supposed to work for the common good of all citizens, that
this matter was duly investigated, the criminals apprehended and the
punishment meted out to the murderers. But this is a mistake; nothing of
the kind was done or attempted. Six months after the publication, above
referred to, an investigator, writing to find out what had been done in