Today in History:

452 Series I Volume XV- Serial 21 - Baton Rouge-Natchez

Page 452 W.FLA., S.ALA., S.MISS., LA., TEX., N.MEX. Chapter XXVII.

heard their plan for his capture. Secreting himself under a bridge he saw armed men thrown out for his capture or cutting off his advance. About 2 o'clock in the morning they retired, supposing he had effected his escape. He then left his comrade's gun, being unable in consequence of his wounds to carry more than his own, and succeeded in reaching the station, distant about 11 miles, at 4 o'clock. Here, greatly fatigued and exhausted, he lay down to rest. About 7 o'clock 2 men drove up from the direction of Thibodeaux and attempted to take him prisoner, but he resisted until assured by them that their object was to protect him from a body of armed men, who were pursuing him to take his life. He accompanied them to Thibodeaux, where the shot was extracted from his wound; after which he was carried 14 miles into the country and delivered to General Mounton, where he remained until late in the evening of the same day, when Captain Rose, who had in the mean time reached Thibodeaux, demanded his surrender, which was effected by one of the parties who had taken him away going after and immediately returning with him from Mouton's. The wagons containing Private Morris and the bodies of the murdered men were

driven into Houma. Morris was taken into Berger's Hotel, and questioned relative to the assault and murder and his written statement under oath taken. He was then charged with having murdered his own comrades, and upon this shallow protect thrown into jail, in the same cell with a negro under sentence of condemnation to the State prison for life, first having been deprived of his arms and accouterments. Hewas detained through the night, when, by taking the oath, a copy of which is herewith transmitted and marked A, he was liberated and furnished with the accompanying passport, marked B, by means of which enabled to reach Terre Bonne Station, where he met with Captain Rose, as hereinbefore stated, on his everything of value, even to their caps, boots, and socks; from that of Sergeant Frakes was taken letters to General Butler and Major Hays, and a number of private papers of value only to the dead and his family. These bodies, after being brutally and disgustingly abused, being kicked and beaten, the face of Sergeant Frakes scarcely retaining the semblance of a human being, the proposition was then made to cast the bodies into the bayou, but more humane counsel prevailing, they were handed over to negroes for disposal. They, under direction, dug a hole some 2 feet deep in the open public square a few feet from the market-house stalls, directly in front of the court-house, and in the most frequented place of the town. Into this hole, without a coffin or box, and with but a single blanket thrown over them, they were unceremoniously tossed and hastily covered up. The unsightly mound produced by the piling in of the loose earth was the only monument of their resting-place, but this was sufficiently conspicuous to attack the attention not only of every resident of the town but all who might pass through it.

The facts thus far narrated were ascertained with them we were unable for some days to obtain, and then only by a resort to the measures hereinafter described. One of my first cares was to make provision for the exhumation and decent interment of our murdered men. Accordingly the citizens were required to furnish resectable coffins and prepare graves in one of their most prominent church-yards. This done, on the morning after our arrival we took with us a number of the leading citizens, who were arrested on the previous day and still held in custody and such others as we found upon the streets, to where our


Page 452 W.FLA., S.ALA., S.MISS., LA., TEX., N.MEX. Chapter XXVII.