to Mrs. Turner's, a mile distant, which we reached about
sunrise, on Monday morning. Henry, Austin, and Sam, went to the still,
where, finding Mr. Peebles, Austin shot him, and the rest of us went to
the house; as we approached, the family discovered us, and shut the
door. Vain hope! Will, with one stroke of his axe, opened it, and we
entered and found Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Newsome in the middle of a room,
almost frightened to death. Will immediately killed Mrs. Turner, with
one blow of his axe. I took Mrs. Newsome by the hand, and with the
sword I had when I was apprehended, I struck her several blows over the
head, but not being able to kill her, as the sword was dull. Will
turning around and discovering it, despatched her also. A general
destruction of property and search for money and ammunition, always
succeeded the murders. By this time my company amounted to fifteen, and
nine men mounted, who started for Mrs. Whitehead's, (the other six were
to go through a by way to Mr. Bryant's, and rejoin us at Mrs.
Whitehead's,) as we approached the house we discovered Mr. Richard
Whitehead standing in the cotton patch, near the lane fence; we called
him over into the lane, and Will, the executioner, was near at hand,
with his fatal axe, to send him to an untimely grave. As we pushed on to
the house, I discovered some one run round the garden, and thinking it
was some of the white family, I pursued them, but finding it was a
servant girl belonging to the house, I returned to commence the work of
death, but they whom I left, had not been idle; all the family were
already murdered, but Mrs. Whitehead and her daughter Margaret. As I
came round to the door I saw Will pulling Mrs. Whitehead out of the
house, and at the step he nearly severed her head from her body, with
his broad axe. Miss Margaret, when I discovered her, had concealed
herself in the corner, formed by the projection of the cellar cap from
the house; on my approach she fled, but was soon overtaken, and after
repeated blows with a sword, I killed her by a blow on the head, with a
fence rail. By this time, the six who had gone by Mr. Bryant's, rejoined
us, and informed me they had done the work of death assigned them. We
again divided, part going to Mr. Richard Porter's, and from thence to
Nathaniel Francis', the others to Mr. Howell Harris', and Mr. T. Doyles.
On my reaching Mr. Porter's, he had escaped with his family. I
understood there, that the alarm had already sp