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 the number of Freedmen murdered, assaulted in the sub District of Athens from January 31 to October 31, 1868

Victim Assaulted: ELBERT. Date: January 4. Injuries: shot through the thigh. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JAKE FESSLER (supposed) (white). Remarks: has left the country, whereabouts unknown. Incident happened in Clarke County.

Victim Assaulted: GEORGE PIERSON. Date: April 7. Injuries: badly beaten in head. Cause: PIERSON contradicted HUFF. Attacker: JIM HUFF. Remarks: nothing was done in this case. Instructed PIERSON to go to a magistrate, have not heard anything from him since. HUFF lives in Oglethorpe County. Incident occurred in Oglethorpe County.

Victim Assaulted: MARGARET MARTIN. Date: 16 April. Injuries: badly beaten and choked. Cause: she went to see her sisters child & stayed too long. Attacker: JAKE EDWARDS (white). Remarks: advised her to go to a magistrate and have not heard from her since. EDWARDS resides in Oglethorpe County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: UNKNOWN. Date: 16 April. Injuries: shot, flesh wound. Cause: unknown. Attacker: W. S. BIMYARD. Remarks: attacker has left the county. Incident occurred in Oglethorpe County.

Victim Assaulted: MARGARET REILY. Date: May 4. Injuries: shot at (not injured). Cause: unknown. Attacker: ED HILL & R. LAMPKIN (white). Remarks: parties compromised. LAMPKIN resides in Athens, Ga. Indecent occurred in Clarke County. ED HILL resides in Virginia.

Victim Assaulted: NANCY FINLEY. Date: May 11. Injuries: struck her on head with a rock. Cause: because she sent her children to school. Attacker: WM. PLEDGER. Remarks: turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. PLEDGER resides in Athens. Incident occurred in Clarke County.

Victim Assaulted: HENRY BURNS. Date: May 12. Injuries: shot at (not injured). Cause: unknown. Attacker: unknown. Remarks: incident occurred in Jackson County.

Victim Assaulted: WM. FOSTER. Date: May 21. Injuries: beaten with a pole. Cause: unknown. Attacker: POPE DAVIS & ED CORGON (white). Remarks: parties made compromise. Attackers reside in Clarke County where incident took place.

Victim Assaulted: ANDREW ADERHART. Date: 22 May. Injuries: knocked down & beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JEROME MATHEWS (white). Remarks: parties made compromise. MATHEWS resides in Jackson County were occurred.

Victim Assaulted: SAM FORD. Date: May 29. Injuries: shot at (not injured). Cause: unknown. Attacker: JOHN DEAN. Remarks: turned over to the civil authorities. No action taken. DEAN resides in Clarke County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: HARRY & CLARY MATHEWS. Date: 1 June. Injuries: badly beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: GEORGE & WILLIAM MATHEWS (white). Remarks: turned over to civil authorities. Attackers reside in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: JACK HILL. Date: June 8. Injuries: beaten nearly to death. Cause: unknown. Attacker: CLAY DURHAM. Remarks: HILL left and went home to his father. DURHAM resides in Clarke County, where the incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: ELLEN MAYNE. Date: June 29. Injuries: badly beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: NICK OBEY (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Action taken unknown. OBEY resides in Clarke County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: HOWARD PAYNE. Date: June 27. Injuries: badly beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: J. R. LYLE (white), former bureau agent. Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Action taken unknown. LYLE lives in Long Branch, Clarke County. Incident occurred in Clarke County.

Victim Assaulted: PHIL WATSON. Date: 18 July. Injuries: struck on head with rock & his life threatened. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JOE GLENN (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Action taken unknown. GLENN resides in Oglethorpe County. Incident occurred in Oglethorpe County.

Victim Assaulted: ELLA FELLOWS. Date: July 21. Injuries: knocked senseless. Cause: unknown. Attacker: DANL. MATHEWS (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. MATHEWS resides in Jackson County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: SARAH DEADWYLE. Date: July 29. Injuries: badly beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JEROME MATHEWS (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Action taken unknown. MATHEWS resides in Jackson County were incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: PETER FANBOROUGH. Date: 3 August. Injuries: shot at and beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: MITT MARABLE (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Action taken unknown. MARABLE resides in Clarke County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: ARMSTRONG JONES. Date: August 3. Injuries: shot at and beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: A. RUTHERFORD (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. RUTHERFORD resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: FRANCIS ELDE. Date: August 3. Injuries: head cut with hoe. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JAMES BRANCH (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. BRANCH resides in Clarke County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: ANGELINE BROWN. Date: August 10. Injuries: badly beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: DICK MOBLEY (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Action taken unknown. MOBLEY resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: MOSELY ANDERSON. Date: August 11. Injuries: beaten with a hoe. Cause: unknown. Attacker: GEO. COOK (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. COOK resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: CLEMENT WARREN. Date: August 13. Injuries: shot at and beaten. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JNO. JONES (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. JONES resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: JOHN BOUGH. Date: August 25. Injuries: beaten with sticks. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JOHN MILLICAN (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. MILLICAN resides in Clarke County where the incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: BEN SIMSON. Date: August 25. Injuries: beaten and pistol drawn on him. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JNO. JORDON (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. JORDON lives in Jackson County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: SIM JACKSON. Date: August 25. Injuries: beaten with a club. Cause: unknown. Attacker: HARRY TOWNS (bailiff, white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. TOWNS resides near Athens, Ga. Incident occurred in Clarke County.

Victim Assaulted: JOHN STRONG. Date: August 25. Injuries: beaten with a club. Cause: unknown. Attacker: RICHARD WALKER (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. WALKER resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: MARY WALKER. Date: August 29. Injuries: beaten and life threatened. Cause: WALKER's son beat PRUITT's son. Attacker: SAMUEL PRUITT (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. PRUITT resides in Athens, Ga. Incident occurred in Clarke County.

Victim Assaulted: JOHN THOMAS. Date: September 4. Injuries: gun drawn on him. Cause: unknown. Attacker: SAML. BRITTAIN (white). Remarks: case turned over to authorities. No action taken. BRITTAIN resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: JANE JOHNSON. Date: September 7. Injuries: beaten with a club. Cause: unknown. Attacker: SIDNEY WARD. Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. WARD resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: LIETHA THOMAS. Date: September 17. Injuries: beaten with a rock. Cause: THOMAS had been impudent to DORSEY's wife. Attacker: JAMES DORSEY (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Action taken unknown. DORSEY resides in Athens, Ga. Incident occurred in Clarke County.

Victim Assaulted: HARIETT GRIFFITH. Date: October 5. Injuries: beaten with stick. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JOHN KETTLE (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities, and settled amicably. KETTLE resides in Athens, Ga. Incident occurred in Clarke County.

Victim Assaulted: ALFRED CRANE. Date: October 8. Injuries: beaten with a stick. Cause: unknown. Attacker: WM. JONES (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. No action taken. JONES resides in Clarke County where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: LUCINDA MARABLE. Date: October 20. Injuries: beaten with stick, pulled out of bed. Cause: unknown. Attacker: AUGUSTUS MARABLE (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Settled by Sheriff BROWNING. MARABLE resides in Clarke County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: NOAH THRASHER. Date: October 20. Injuries: stabbed in arm and head badly. Cause: dispute about whipping Noah's son. Attacker: ISAAC THRASHER (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Settled by compromise. THRASHER resides in Clarke County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: MITCHELL STROUD. Date: November 3. Injuries: shot in hand. Cause: unknown. Attacker: VAN DELAY. Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. Not tried yet. VAN DELAY resides in Jackson County, where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: JOHN ARNOLD. Date: August 18. Injuries: badly stabbed. Cause: dispute with boy named KIDD. Attacker: CUNNINGHAM (white). Remarks: case turned over to civil authorities. CUNNINGHAM resides in Oglethorpe Co. where incident occurred.

Victim Assaulted: NANCY FLOWERS. Date: (none). Injuries: drew a gun on her & threatened to kill her. Cause: unknown. Attacker: JAMES FLOWERS (white). Remarks: it was not reported what was done in this case. FLOWERS resides in Gwinnett County, where incident occurred.

Letter of JNO. J. KNOX to Capt. M. FRANK GALLAGER, Athens, November 19, 1868:

Office S. A. Com. Bu.
R. F. & A. Lands
Athens, Ga., Nov. 19, 1868

Capt. M. FRANK GALLAGHER
A.A.A.G. Bu. R.F. & A. L.
Atlanta, Ga

In compliance with circular letter, dated office asst. commr. Bu. R.F. & A. L. Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 21, 1868, I have the honor to report the following.

A col'd man named ELBERT on the 4th Jany. 1868 when near the Widow KELLEMS, was shot thro' the thigh, supposed to be by one JAKE FESSLER (white) as a colored man named TYRRELL HITCHCOCK, who saw the shooting, recognized the voice of TYRELL (FESSLER?), this in Clarke County, nothing ever done in this case.

About Jany 25, `68, RITTA GLENN & RHODA ROBINSON col'd of Oglethorpe County, were stripped & beaten by BILL TURNER & ALECK GLENN & others (white) saying they were paid by the Bureau to do so. This case was finally turned over to the civil authorities, have not heard further since. April 7, 1868 GEO. PIERSON col'd living in Oglethorpe County, working at Dr. ELDERS plantation, was badly beaten about the head by one JIM HOUGH or HUFF (white). Jim accused George of idleness & George denied it, hence the beating. I instructed him to go to the Magistrates in his dis't & have HUFF arrested & report what he did in the case -- heard nothing from him since. On April 23 `68 JACK BISHOP col'd was pulled off his horse & much bruised by MARK OBEY (white) for voting a Republican ticket. I investigated the case & found that both were somewhat to blame, so I dismissed the case. About April 15 `68 W. S. BIMYARD (white) of Oglethorpe Co., shot a col'd man, inflicting a flesh wound which laid him up for some time, BIMYARD ran away & has not since been heard of, no cause assigned for the act. Mrs. HURD (col'd) on July 13 `68 was kicked & a pistol drawn on her by Col. D. TAYLOR of Athens, GA. & he badly beat a col'd girl named SUE, 11 years old, directed them to a Justice of the Peace & take out a warrant for his arrest. They refused to do so & went back to work with TAYLOR. August 18 `68, JNO. ARNOLD col'd, was stabbed three times by one Mr. CUNNINGHAM (white) living near the line of Madison & Oglethorpe Cos., ARNOLD was mauling (?) peaches with a white boy named KIDD -- who kept annoying him & finally raised a stick to strike him, when ARNOLD raised his maul to defend the blow & the maul struck KIDD on the head, which CUNNINGHAM seeing knocked ARNOLD down & stabbed him. I wrote to Mr. COBB of Danielsville directing him to take the boy to a Justice of the Peace & have the case brought before the civil authorities. Have not heard from him since. PELEY CARSWELL of Jackson Co., recommended by me for Notary Public, was murdered along with a col'd man named JNO. MORGAN just across the Savannah River in S. Co., it is supposed he was followed from Jackson Co. No clue has been obtained of the murderers.

On receipt of your Circular requesting the reports of murders &c I wrote to different parties in my Sub-Dist for information required, but have not as yet any reply, hence the delay of this report. I don't think it embraces half the assaults in my dist., but only those under my immediate notice.

Very respectfully
Your most Obdt.
JOHN J. KNOX, Sub Asst. Comm'r