Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Georgia
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands 1865 - 1869
National Archives Microfilm Publication M798 Roll 32
Reports Relating to Murders and Outrages 1865 - 1868
List of Freedmen Murdered or Assaulted 1867

Report of Freedpeople who have been murdered or attacked with intent to kill in the counties of Richmond, Columbia, Lincoln and Wilkes during the year commencing January 1st and ending
October 31, 1868

COLUMBIA COUNTY

Victim: PETER ASHMORE. Injury: killed. Cause: not known. Attacker: HUBERT GAISSON (white) and others. Arrested: no. Remarks: ASHMORE was killed by a pistol shot in the fall of 1867. Attacker at large whereabouts unknown.

Victim: ALIC. Injury: killed. Cause: difficulty in reference to some wood. Attacker: JOHN CALROTH (white). Arrested: no. Remarks: This happened in the fall of 1867, on Dr. SMITH's plantation. The difficulty arose by ALIC burning some timber on said plantation. He was accused of doing so by CALROTH, the overseer, who told him not to burn them. It appears ALIC burnt them having no other wood to burn. When he told the overseer this, he, the overseer, took a piece of rail and knocked ALIC down, who died from thro' the effects of said rail. Said CALROTH after hearing of his death fled to some parts of Florida.

Victim: BILL. Injury: whipped. Cause: political. Attacker: (white). Arrested: Remarks: this happened the latter end of October 1868. Bill and his wife were badly beaten by the Ku Klux Klan in no. 4 District.

Victim: MRS. IKE CURTIS. Injury: beaten. Cause: not known. Attacker: HENRY EVANS (white). Arrested: no. Remarks: CURTIS was struck on the head with a piece of a plough 2 feet long and who was also struck in the legs with a large piece of pine by said HENRY EVANS. This happened in the summer of 1868.

Victim: DINAH LUNDER (THUNDER?). Injury: shot in the head. Cause: accused of stealing clothes. Attacker: WM. FLEMING (white). Arrested: no. Remarks: FLEMING accused the woman of stealing cloths from Mrs. FLEMING, which she denied doing so, who shot her in the head, said FLEMING paid her husband a certain amount to let the matter drop. This happened about 4 miles from HARVEY's mills, sometime in the summer of 1868.

Victim: JOHN COLVER. Injury: stabbed in the shoulder. Cause: none. Attacker: overseer on JIM HAMILTON's place. Arrested: no. Remarks: none.

Victim: LUCY RAMSEY (RUMERY?). Injury: beaten. Cause: for not cooking to suit. Attacker: NAT HAYES (white). Arrested: no. Remarks: RAMSEY was beaten on the head severely for not cooking to suit HAYES and struck on the head by his son for the same cause.

HENRY PUKE (colored) states that at Thomson a colored man was hung by the side of a black Jack tree, the man hung, with others was guarding these places for fear the KK would murder them. The KK went to his home took him and hung him to the tree, all the others fled. This happened about October 1868.

LINCOLN COUNTY

Victim: MRS. NATHAN FLEMING. Injury: killed. Severely beaten which caused her death. Cause: Attacker: (white). Arrested: no. Remarks: FLEMING was beat severely with a pistol over the head. There were (3) men engaged in this affair who were after her husband. She died from the effects of the said beating August 3 of 68.

WILKES COUNTY

Victim: BEN PETOSE. Injury: killed. Cause: political. Attacker: Ku Klux. Arrested: no. Remarks: PETERS (PETOSE) was killed by the Ku Klux at BERRY ARNET's plantation about Nov. 6 of 68.

Victim: Colored woman. Injury: shot in the neck. Cause: Attacker: Ku Klux. Arrested: no. Remarks: the woman was shot in the neck in the middle of Nov. 68 in the upper end of Wilkes Co. by KKK.

Victim: Colored man. Injury: shot in the head. Cause: Attacker: supposed white. Arrested: no. Remarks: this man was shot on the head the day the Circus was at Washington Nov. 16 of 68. He was severely hurt but likely to recover.

About November 16 of 68 a Colored man (name not known) was killed by the Ku Klux at the upper end of Wilkes County.

Augusta
December 30, 1868

Since completing this report the following report has been received. POLLIE EVANS was beaten by JAKE FLENN (white) for no cause. It appears EVANS was ordered to wash all the dishes up before leaving MRS. JAKE FLENN, who she was employed as cook. It appears she left the house at night, leaving one tin pan not washed. Upon her arrival at the house the next morning, JAKE took POLLIE in the yard and beat her so severely she is now lying in an unconscious state. This happened at Deering, Columbia County.