Monticello, Ga., March 28—State authorities were planning today to push their investigation of alleged peonage practices in Jasper and Newton counties following the recovery of two more bodies of negroes from the Alcovy River here, making a total of 11 bodies found since the authorities began an investigation of peonage and murder charges against John Williams, a Jasper County farmer. The last two bodies found yesterday were chained together and weighted down with rocks and iron precisely as were the first three previously recovered from the river.
Following a coroner’s verdict yesterday in an inquest over eight of the bodies, declaring the slain negroes met death at the hands of Clyde Manning, a negro employed by Williams, and naming Williams as an accessory, Judge Park of the Ocmulgee circuit court, was awaiting orders from the governor today to call a special term of the Jasper County superior court and bring the two men before a grand jury.
Manning, who led the authorities to where the bodies were recovered, declared in a confession that the 11 negroes, five of whose bodies were found buried on the Williams plantation Saturday and three previously in the Alcovy River, were slain, five at his own hand with an axe, in order to prevent them from testifying in peonage charges against Williams.
The coroner’s jury conducted the inquest by numbers. The first inquest was over John Williams, same name as the plantation owner, whose grave was dug by himself. The jury was informed that the negro was sent to a pasture in a ravine not far from a creek to dig a post hole. After digging the hole, Manning’s confession shows that he struck Williams over the head with an axe, pushed the body into the hole and covered it up.
Johnny Green was number two. He was sent to the same pasture to bring cows back to the stable. Manning says he killed Green in the same way, but had to dig the grave.
Willie Givens was referred to as number three. He was killed on his way to a country store, in the same ravine, but Charlie Chisholm was given as the negro who killed Givens.
The jury traveled four miles across the county to the Campbell plantation, also operated by John Williams. Fletcher Smith, body number four, was found there. Smith was sent to dig a well and, when he had dug deep enough to receive his body, Manning’s confession, as repeated to the jury, showed that he killed him with an axe and then covered up the whole.
Verdict in the case of number one, John Williams, was that Williams met death at the hands of Manning, the plantation owner, Williams, being implicated by the jury’s verdict.
The same verdict was returned in the case of number two—Johnny Green.
In the case of number three, Willie Givens, the jury held that Chisholm did the killing.
In numbers 4 and 5, Fletcher Smith, “Big” John Manning again was held responsible.
In the cases of numbers 7 and 8, “Little Bit” and John Brown, the jury held that the negroes Manning and Chisholm and John Williams, the plantation owner, were responsible.
The verdict for number six—Charley Chisholm, read “We the jury find that Charley Chisholm met his death at the hands of Clyde Manning and John S. Williams.”
Williams came from near Forsyth in Monroe County 27 years ago. Reports that followed him here indicate that his home and other buildings on his plantation in Monroe County were destroyed at that time.
Around March 1, two Department of Justice agents, A.J. Wisner and E.S. Chastain, came to Jasper County to investigate alleged peonage practices on the Williams plantation. They called on Williams, among others, but it is said that Williams gave a satisfactory explanation of his operations.
At that time, Williams is said to have had only 12 negroes. The special agent went to the farm of Hulon Williams, a son of John Williams, where they are said to have seen three or four negroes at work and LeRoy Williams, a son, is said to have been guarding the negroes with a gun.
The Williams are said to have resented the visits of the government agents and, after the agents left the premises, Williams is said to have become apprehensive of the results. The three sons of Williams were at that time said to have been sent away from the plantation. These sons are Hulon, LeRoy and Marvin. They were gone for three weeks.
It was after they left, it is alleged, that the bodies were disposed of. The sons have not been arrested. Warrants for their arrest were returned to the governor as county officials said that there was no information connecting them with the case.
From the front page of The Charlotte News, March 28, 1921
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