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Title
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The Killing of Aleck Webb and Events which Followed
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Source Type
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Newspaper
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Publisher
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The Alabama Beacon
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Publication Place
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Greensboro, Alabama
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Publication Date
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June 22,1867
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Transcript
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We noticed briefly in our last week’s issue a most painful and deeply regretted occurrence which had taken place in this community on the afternoon of the 13th inst.—the killing of Aleck Webb, a colored man, by Mr. John C. Orrick. As the paper was put to press on the morning of the 14th, we had very little time to gather particulars as to the cause of the difficulty. Nor did we state that the deceased was one of the Registers for the district composed of the counties of Greene and Hale—for we did not know, certainly at that time, that he had accepted the appointment.
We had been apprised of the fact that he had conferred with several gentlemen in town, whom he looked upon as particularly friendly to him, as to the propriety of his accepting the appointment; and we know that one of them had promised to write a letter of inquiry for him, as to the probable amount the office would pay, and as to the certainty of collecting that amount promptly—points upon which he wanted information before he determined to accept.
As to the cause of the difficulty: though no one heard what passed between them in person in the very brief interview they had immediately preceding the fatal occurrence, the facts which have since been brought out show clearly that Aleck’s official position had nothing whatever to do with the affair. The difficulty, we are entirely satisfied, had its origin in a private matter, which was in no way connected with Aleck’s official position or political opinions.
This we believe to be the opinion of the community generally. Though we have heard enough of the cause of the difficulty to fully justify the conclusions above expressed, yet, having received two versions of the affair, and from persons who obtained their information from others, we refrain from stating the facts, not considering them in all respects reliable.
A word now to place the community right. The result of all that we have been able to gather on the subject is the most thorough conviction that the citizens of the place generally were entirely ignorant, until the killing took place, that there was any matter of difficulty between the parties; and that so far from approving, or being in the slightest degree responsible for the lamentable occurrence, we do not believe there is a man in the town, who is the head of a family, who does not deeply regret it, and who would not have used his influence to have prevented the difficulty, had he known that there was one pending.
The community, then, is in no way responsible for the killing of Aleck Webb. Nor is it for Orrick’s escape. But notwithstanding there were not the slightest grounds for holding the community responsible either for the one or the other, the colored people of the community became greatly excited, and many of them were out most of the night after the occurrence in the streets, indulging in the most violent remarks, and making threats of what they intended to do. The diabolical idea of setting fire to the town was believed to be seriously contemplated by some, as also that of murdering the whites of the community.
During a period of three days the town was the scene of great excitement, some negroes armed with guns, others with pistols, and carrying formidable knives, evidently showing that they were ripe for the commission of the most atrocious crimes. As a natural consequence of such demonstrations, and the threats that were known to have been made, apprehensions were felt by even the coolest men of the community that an attempt would be made in the night to burn and pillage the town.
On Saturday afternoon steps were taken to secure preparation on the part of the whites to meet such conduct, which they had endeavored by promptly appealing to the more reasonable of the colored people to avoid. Happily, however, the precautions taken by the whites, aided—as we are willing to believe—by the counsel and influence of some of the more conservative of the colored people, prevented a collision. And Major Pierce, who had been written for, having arrived on Saturday night, with intelligence that a company of U.S. troops were on their way here from Selma, excitement commenced subsiding on Sunday morning.
But in the afternoon a scene was witnessed which aroused the feelings of the whites and came very near precipitating a conflict. A gross outrage was perpetrated by a self-appointed company of armed negroes upon a young man living some eight or ten miles from town.
The facts of the affair, as they have been related to us, are briefly these: A company of negroes went from town on Saturday afternoon in search of Orrick. During the night they went to and surrounded the house of Mr. Ben S. Evans, searching, they said, for Orrick. Mr. Christopher Evans, a young man some eighteen years of age, brother-in-law of Mr. Evans, was spending the night with him, and at the time when the house was surrounded by the negroes, was in the yard in his night-clothes, having gotten out of his bed a few moments before to get some water, and then stepped out into the yard.
In that position he was discovered by the negroes—pursued by them and fired upon—until he at last fled to the woods and wandered about, being quite unwell, until he met a gentleman of this place on the Green Springs road, some four or five miles from town, fatigued and exhausted, and not knowing where he was. On receiving information as to where he was, he went to the steam mill of Messrs. Melton & Reed, on the same road, lay down and fell asleep—in which condition he was found in the afternoon by a band of armed negroes, who had been out searching for him.
He was arrested and brought to town as a culprit, his life being repeatedly threatened on the way, and he treated with the grossest indignities. The scene presented as he was marched through the streets on Sunday afternoon aroused the indignation of the whites, and would, we confidently believe, have produced a collision.
