A Man Chopped To Pieces!

As Mr. Frazee has called in qnestion thc correctness of the statement made by Rcv . Mr. West at the lafe Anniversary of the An tislavery Society, we publish the following 1 account of the transaction, as found in Wcld'e j "Slavery As It Is," page 93. It is fiom one who lived in lhe neighborhood, ond was personally acquainted with tlie actors 111 the trngedy. Wc have no doubt óf its truth . En. Signal. The Rev. WittiAM Dickkv, of Bloomingirigburgh, Fnyettc county, Ohio, wrote a letler to the Rev. John Rankiii, of Rijjley, Ohio, 13 yeors since, contoininfj a description oftlie cultmg vp of a lave with a broad axe; begin ning al the feet fc gradtially cuttmg the leg?. !mns & body in pieces! This dinbolical atroci j ty was cominitted in the State of Kentucky. ii? the year 1807. The perpetrators of the deed were two brothers, Lilburn nnd Isham Lewi?, iNKPUKWS OF PRKSIDEKjT JEFFKKSON. Theicr oí mis iiavmg been inforined by Mr. Dic key, that some of the facts connected with this j murderweie not contained in this letter pub lisbed by Mr. Rankin, requested him to write ' the account rnor, and furnish the additional facís. This he did, and the letter containinw it was published in the Human Rights ' for August 1037. Weinsert it here, slightlv a bridgcd, wilh the introductory remarká wJiich appeared in that paper. "Mr. Dickey's first leder has heen scattered all over the country, south and north; and iho' multitudes have nrTe.:tpd (o disbelicve its statements, Kentuckians know the truth of them quite too well to cali tlipm in qnestion. The story is fiction or fact- 'it'Jiction, why has it nol been nailed to tlic wall? Hundreds of pcople around the mouth of Cumberland Rivor are personally knowing to these facts Thcre are the reenres of the court that tried the wretches. - Therc theirncqnnintances and kindrodstill live. All over that región of coun try, 1 lic brutal butchery of Georcfe is a Iier oí puDiic notoripty. Jt is quite neeIess pcrhaps, to add that tlie Rev. Wm. Dickpy is a Presbyteriai clernrymn, onc of tlie olilest members of the Cliilicothe Presbytery, and greatly respected and beloved by the chürches in southem ühio. He was boni in South CnroHni, and was for many jears pastor of a church in KcnUicky. REV. WM. DICKKï's LETTER. "In the county of Livingston, Ky. nenr the moutii of the Cumberland River, lived Lilburn Lewis, a sister' s son of tlie celebrnted Jeffèrson. He was the weolihy owner of a considerable gang of negroee.whom hedrove constantly, fed sparingly nnd lashed severely. - The consequence was, that they would run away. Among the rest was an ïll-thrived boy of about seventeen, who, havinjj just returned from a skulking spel], was sent to t!ie spring for water, and in remming let fnll an elegant pitcher; ït was dashod to shivers upon the rocks. This was made the occasion for reekoning with hitn. It was night and the slaves were all at home. The master had them all collectcd in the most roomy negro-bouse, ond a rousing fire pat o. When the door wns secured, that none might escapo, eithcr thro' fear of hitn or sumputhy with Gtorge,he open ed to them the design bf the interview, riamely, tliat they might be effectually advised o stayI al noine ana ooey las orders. All things now I in train, Ije callcd up Georgr, who npproached i liis master with unrcserved submission. Me bouiul him witli cords; and by the assislnnce oflsham Lewis, liis youngest brother, laid him on a brond bcnch, the meal-block. He i'ien proceede.l to htck off Giorgc ai the anieles! It was wilh tho bruad axe! ín vaijJ lid the unliappy victim tereám and roarl for he was completely n bis mn6tcr's power; not a liand nmong so many durst interfere cnstin l he feet into thc firc, he leclured tliem af some length. lio next chopped him off bcloic tlufcnecs! Gcorge roaring ovt and praying1 hs mastet to begin at the olhcr end! Ileadmonished tliein again, throwingf thc egs into the lire- then above the knei'P, lossing tiie joints inlo thc fire - thef nrxt stroke eevered i the thiglis írom the body; tliese were nJso comtnitted lo the fiamos - otu so it may lm said ofthe arms. hnad, and tr.mk, nniil : :i!l uüs in the fire! Ue thrcatcned anv of thcm with similar punidiment who shonld in future di.-obey, run away, or disclose Ihe secrets nf that eveninor. No'.hing now remained but lo consume "í lio flesli and bones: ond i fur t))is pupuse the fire was brighlly síirred i until two hours after midniglit; when a coarse ' heavy bnck-wall rouiposed of rock and clnv, ! fioverod thn fire and t lie rernans ofGeorge. It was the Sabbath,tliiá put m end to theanuisements of tiie eveuing. Tlie negroes were now pernuted to disperse, with charges lo keep tliis matter among thêmselves, nnd never tb whispor it in thc neighborliood, underthe I ality ofa l.kc punishüiciit,"Wbcn he reuimod homo and retired, his wife exclaimcd, why Mr. Lewis, where havo you been and what wcrc you doingT' She had hcaril a strauge povniïng and dreadful screams, and hnd smeüed eowething liko fresh ment burning. The onswer be returned was, ihat he had nevcr enjoycd himself t a Uall 8o we II as he had enjpyed himseH" tlial night. "Ncxt morning Jje ordered the hands to iebuild tho back wall, ard hirnscf auperinteed tbework, throwing the picces of flesh that st'.ll remained, with the bones, behimJ, os it went up- thus hopins to conceal the matter. But U cuuld not br. hid - much as the negroes seerned to hawird, they did whtsper the horrid deed. The neighbors come, and in his presence tore down the wal!; and finding the remam of the body, they opprehended Lewis nnd his brothcr, and testified against them Niey werc committed to ja il, that they might an=wer at the coming eourt for this shocking outroge; but finding security for their appoaronce at court. thki wkke admitted to jmil! " In the interim, other anieles of evidence leoked out. That of Mrs. Lewis hearing a oounding, and screaming, nnd her smelhng tresn meat burning, for not till r.ow had this come out. He was offended with her for disclosing these tbings.allcdging that they might lmvcsome wcight against him at tho coming trial. "In conr.ection with this is anotber item, tul! of horror. Mrs. Lewie, or her gir), in mak ing her bed one morning after this, found, under her bolster, a keen butcher knife! The nppallingdiscovcry forced from her the con. fession thnt she considered her life in jeopardy. Messrs. Rice and Phillips; whoss wives were her sisters, went to see her nnd bring her away if she wished it . Mr. Lewis reccived ihem wit li all the expressions of Virginia Hospitality. As soon as seated they said, "WeU, Letitia, we suppoeed that you might beunhappy herr, and afruid of yourlife; nnd we havo cometotnke you to your fatl-.er's, if you desire it." she said, 'Thank you, kind brothers, I am indeed afraid of my íife.' We need not interrnpt the story to teil how much surprised he nñected lo be with this stranee proceeduro of his brothers in-Iaw, & with this dcclaration of his wife. But all iiis professions of fondness for her, to the contrary notwithstanding, they roc'e off with her belbre his eyes. Ho followed and overtook, and went with them to nerfather'a; but she wos locked up from him, with her own consenr, and he returned home.huw nú saw mai nis characier was gone, his respcctablc fricndd bclieved that ho hnd mastncred Gcorpe; buf, worst of all, be saw tlint they considcrcd the life of the harmlesa Letitia was in danger from his pertidious hands, h was too much for his cl.ivalry to suslain. The proud Virginian sunk under tho accuinulDtcd load of public odium. He proposed to liis brother Isham, who had been his laccompüce n the George nfTair, that they shoiild finish the play of hfe with a still deeper tragedy. The plan wns, that they shonld thoot one onolher. Ha ving1 made the hotbrnined bargain, they repaired with thei gons lo the graveynrd, rvhich was on an eminenco in the midft of hls plantation. U wos enclosed wjth a raiJing-, ?y ao feet siare. One waa to stand at one raiiing,fc the other over against hun at the other. They were to make readr, take aun, and coiint deliberately 1, 2, 3, and then fire. Lilburn's will waa written, and tlirown down open beside him. They cocked their gnus and raiscd them to their faces; but tho )cradventure occurring that oue of the guiis niiht miss fire, Isham was seut for a rorl, and whon it vns brought, Lilburu cut it offat about thelenirih of twn fort .,)f-nowing lus brotber how tlie survivor wight do, provided one of the guns should fail; ifor ihey were deterroined upon gomg (ogeiher-) bijt forgctting, perhaps, in the puiturbation o! the moment that tiie gun wascocked, when lie touched the trigger with tbe rod the gun fireri, and he feil, and died in a few minutes- and was with Georgo in the eternal world, where the slave is f ree f roa kis masler. But poor Isham wa3 so terrificd with this unexpected occurrence and so confounded Uy tha nwful contortions of his brother's face, thst he had nol nervo enough to follow up the jilny, and finish the plan as was ntended, but Buffered Ulbnrn to go alone. The negroes cnme running to see what it meant that a gun should be fired in the fi-rave-yard. There lay theirmnsler, dead! They ran for the neighbors. Isbom still remained on the spot. The neilibors nt the lïrst charged him with tho murder of his brother. But he, as though he had lost more than hall his mind, told the whole story; and the course or range of the ball in the dead man's body agreeing with his statement, Ishom was nót further cbarged ui tli Lilburn's death. "The Court sat- Ishim was judged to be pnilty of a capital crime in tbe affuir of George. Hewiisto be hanged at Salem. The day was set. My good old father viVifed him in the prison - two or three time talked and prnyed with him; 1 visiteJ hini once myI self. VVe fondly Iioped that he was a sincere I penitent. Before the day of execution come, by some mean?,! never knew whsf, Jsham was missiiff. About iwo ycars after, we learned Ihat he had gone down to Natchejs, and had íiiarried a lady of ponie refinemont and piet). J saw lier letters to his sisters, who were wortliy atemben of the church of which I was pastor. The last letter told of his death. Ho 'was in Jaclfson's arniy, and feil in the fnmous battle of New Orleans. "I am sir, your friend, Wm. Dicket." The Ohio Staïe Journal says that no bill for the incorporation of ttirnpike or inanufocturiiiir companiep, insurancpK, colleges, sci- OHtific associntion?, or for religiotis pui poses, is now permitted to become a law, unlrss it hns in it a. sect'.on mak in? rvery body subscrj, binp to the charter mdividually liable for tho debtfofthe incorporation. All the church hil's before the lcgislature contain this ir.w feature.