REFLECTIONS ON THE FOREGOING, AND ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF INABILITY TO REPRESS SUCH FLAGRANT AND WELL KNOWN CRIMES.
The masterly description of the terrible clans as they have heretofore existed, and as given by the natural as well as artistical pen of the Jackson county correspondent, cannot be overestimated. It will well pay for perusal and re-perusal again and again. Let the following quotations never be forgotten:
“The worst of human crimes had been reduced to a system, and it was rare that anybody was brought to justice. If any party was arrested some of the clan was always on hand to prove an alibi. Suspicions often pointed to an individual, but people were afraid to hint their suspicions lest they might draw down upon them some secret vengeance—the burning of their dwellings or assassination. Thus crime was committed with impunity. A peddler, known to have considerable money, was found murdered in Hancock, and though there was but one opinion as to who committed the deed, no one was arrested. McArthur, though personally known to be an abject coward, became, through desperate men which he commanded, an object of terror to the timid; and even respectable men were weak enough to court his favor. The late Colonel Glenn would often say, after his attendance on the Hancock Circuit Courts, that he was shocked to see decent men jesting and drinking with such a wretch! The secret was that these men dreaded him and his gang.”
The above is a whole volume for contemplation. Decent, respectable, and distinguished persons jesting and drinking with renowned and scientific criminals through fear of conflagration and assassination. No efforts made to bring to justice—crime passing with respectable impunity.
Honor crime, and numbers will soon increase prodigiously. Make escape easy and almost certain, and the law will carry no terrors with it. Grievances, real or imaginary, and opportunities will be sought to bring in play the bowie-knife and revolver. Let life’s warm stream flow freely, the sight common, and human life will soon be worth no more than the dog’s. Let a callous indifference pervade the community when the tidings of outrage, robbery and murder are brought, and soon will the great arteries of a State’s wealth and prosperity begin to languish and decay. Under such a system, can civilization progress? Will capital invest to set the springs of industry at work? Can wealth and intelligence thrive under such blighting influences of desolation? Is not government strong enough to protect its subjects? If not it should be, and the sooner it can be accomplished, the better it will be for all classes of society. Even affluent railroad companies have to bend to such men as Jim McArthur. To produce wide-spread fear and social insecurity, it is not necessary for crime and murder to be of an every-day occurrence; it is the hopelessness of getting redress from the courts as they are at present constituted that is so pernicious in consequences.
THE HORRID MURDER OF W. C. STANLEY AT ESCATAWPA.
W. C. Stanley came to Escatawpa with a small capital, and invested to the amount of two or three hundred dollars worth of goods. On or about the night of the 6th of June, 1872, he was brutally murdered, and was not found until one or two days afterward, when the woods hogs were discovered eating up his lifeless body. An inquest was immediately held, and one on the jury by the name of Oye, tried to implicate a colored man, William Powe, on a plea of his having made some threats previously, but this insignificant plea was quickly ruled out of consideration as unworthy of any credit whatever, and properly so, for the colored man satisfactory proved himself clear immediately afterward. A verdict of murder by some unknown hands was returned. However, one by the name of Frost began to get very uneasy, and left the place the second or third day succeeding. The passions of the citizens around became greatly inflamed by having such a horrid murder committed within their midst. And this was not the only one; no less than ten other brutal murders had occurred in and about the place within a very limited period of time. Blood and terror reigned to an extent never before experienced. To such a pitch of atrocity had this neighborhood got that no man could reasonably feel safe twenty-four hours.
Almost under any plea life was taken with but little hesitation by lawless violence. However, these good citizens held meetings to protect themselves against such diabolical outrages which then, of late, had been perpetrated in large numbers. They, well knowing Mr. B. F. Woulard to be a close observer, and active and energetic in every other respect, appointed him as the most suitable and reliable person in the capacity of detective to ferret out and apprehend the guilty parties. He obeyed the call, and, after Frost, took the first train to Mobile, Alabama, where, after much trouble, he learned that Frost had departed for Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Still forward, and without delay, he very soon reached that place, where he found him stopping with one of his aunts, and arrested him almost without disturbing the family. There taken before the City Marshal, who was acquainted with Frost, and knew him to be of very bad character—knew that he had sometime before endeavored to induce young men of that city to engage in the counterfeiting business. Mr. Woulard well knew that Frost, prior to the murder of Stanley, was without money, and did not really have respectable clothing to wear, though, when arrested, he had two valises well packed with good, substantial clothing, which he had purchased when passing through Mobile, as learned by detective Woulard on his return to this city, with Frost still under arrest. Then and there, the firm of Jacobins & Brisk gave information to the effect that Frost had purchased from seventy to eighty dollars worth from this firm. It was now plain to detective Woulard that Frost had received money some where, and was required to give an account of the same. He answered by declaring to have obtained it by registered letter. On further investigation, it was satisfactorily shown that he had received no registered letter; and now finding it was vain to attempt to conceal any further, he was about to make a confession of the whole affair; but a person by the name of Cotton, in Mobile, stepped up and learned the cause of arrest, when, to detective Woulard, he proposed for Frost to be turned over to him for a while, during which time he would be apt to get from him a full confession of all the facts connected with the case. Accordingly, Frost was placed in Cotton’s custody for something like an hour, when he returned with this report: “You have certainly got the right man; go now and arrest Oye and his wife, at Escatawpa.” In compliance with such advice, detective Woulard lost no time, but hurried back with Frost, and there did arrest Oye.
But here Frost’s confession should be given, which in substance, was as follows:
“At the time Stanley was absent from home on business, Oye availed himself of the opportunity by going to Mrs. Stanley, and by an attempt at strong reasoning, he persuaded her to leave him—all the while believing that Stanley, in such an event, would become so dissatisfied to an extent sufficient to cause him to sell his goods, which could be so managed as to give Oye the preference of purchase, when the money paid for same could be got back by a devised scheme of robbery. But in the interval between the commencement of the plan and Stanley’s return, two Irish shoe-peddlers came into the neighborhood. Oye purchased the remnant of goods they had on hand. Forthwith one left—the other remained and boarded with Oye. Now, Stanley returned home, and found that his wife had left him, and his store, with all other of his effects, in the hands of Oye. This unexpected conduct of his wife had, according to Oye’s calculations, the desired effect. Frustrated and discontented to an extent better imagined than described, he at once desired to dispose of his whole interest in the place. This was what Oye wanted, and quickly proposed to buy him out, which proposition, under the circumstances, was readily accepted. Oye paid the full value of the goods without any scruples whatever, and put Frost in charge of the same. Stanley, during the time he intended to remain in the neighborhood, and Frost now became room mates, and boarded at the house of Oye. Up to this time, the progress had been attended with very little trouble, and everything seemed to promise continued success. The next movement was a secret consultation among the three—Oye, Frost and the Irish shoe-peddler, the latter of which, from inference, seemed to have before affiliated with such company, and likely his appearance as an Irish shoe-peddler at the time had all been previously arranged to produce the desired effect. This consultation was for the purpose of decoying Stanley out on a fishing excursion, so that he could be ambushed, robbed and murdered. Frost was the person agreed on to perform the part of betraying Stanley out, but, on more mature consideration, Oye could not repose sufficient confidence in the Irishman—entirely ruling him out, and broke up the first agreement. The next one adopted was for Frost to inform Stanley that Mrs. Oye had been receiving letters from his wife, Mrs. Stanley. Frost further intimated that he could so manage as to get hold of one or more of these letters, and would, the first opportunity, do so for Stanley’s satisfaction. Stanley, very much wanting to know the whereabouts of his wife and children, urged Frost to get possession, if possible, of the letters the first convenient opportunity. So far, there was a mutual understanding between the two. But little time elapsed before Frost made known that sure enough he had succeeded in getting the letters from Mrs. Oye, and was then in possession of the same. Night being present, it was agreed for Stanley to retire with him, for the purpose of reading the letters, to a place some two hundred yards in the rear of Oye’s drinking saloon, which place is a pine thicket or grove. Matches were procured, and forward they went to this designated place. Here Frost handed Stanley some sort of a paper package; and while Stanley was in the act of making a light from a match to a candle, Oye suddenly rushed up with a loaded revolver, and shot Stanley through the head—followed by five more discharges at him. After he had fallen, Oye was about to put his hand in Stanley’s pocket for money, when a hollow groan was heard, indicating that the last sign of life had not departed, to fully effect which, Oye, with his pocket knife stabbed the victim several times in the breast, and then cut the throat from ear to ear. Oye now leaves Frost to get the money and drag off the corpse to some old well near by, while Oye would return and see that all was right outside. In this operation of dragging to the well, Frost became alarmed and left the spot.