Randolph County AlArchives News.....Public Outrage at the Arrest of Joel T. Morrison and others August 20, 1878
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Linda Ayres http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00031.html#0007674 October 28, 2022, 1:00 am

Wedowee Journal Reprint In The Montgomery Advertiser August 20, 1878
The Montgomery Advertiser [Montgomery, Alabama] Aug 20, 1878

On Tuesday last the United States Marshal from Montgomery passed through our 
place with ten prisoners arrested in the northern portion of Randolph County. We 
learn that the arrests were made in Carter's and Morrison's Beats, and that Mr. 
Enoch Carter and Joel T. Morrison were among the prisoners. At our late election 
Carter's and Morrison's Beats voted almost solid for nominees and these men have 
been arrested on trumped up charges without hope of convicting one of them, all 
for the purpose of annoying and harassing our citizens. When will we be free 
from Radicalism?

The Montgomery Advertiser [Montgomery, Alabama] Aug 31, 1878:
Wedowee Journal and the author is Republican Editors Journal: I wish, through 
your paper, to call public attention to the conduct of certain U. S. Officials 
toward many of the best citizens of Randolph County. For the past year or more 
many of the best citizens of this County have been dragged to Montgomery upon 
unfounded charges of violating the Revenue laws of the United States. I am free 
to confess that there were frequent violations of the Revenue law in this 
respect, but everyone knows that such violations have almost entirely ceased. 
For those who willfully violate the laws. I have no complaint to make. On behalf 
of such men as John Blake, Enoch Carter, Joel T. Morrison, Richard Pace. Mr. 
Caldwell, Robertson and Green, as well as several colored men, who have been 
arrested and carried to Montgomery to appear before Commissioner Hunter; and 
when so carried to Montgomery, mere was no witness to appear before them, as you 
correspondent is informed and believes. do say that the conduct of the officials
has been a great outrage. These men all stand well in the communities where they 
reside. There has been no proof upon any public trial that any of those parties 
ever in any was willfully violated any of the revenue law of the United States. 
All but three or four of the parties mentioned (and there is no sure proof 
against them.) were discharged by Commissioner Hunter or bound over to await the 
appearance of a witness. These parties have been arrested in almost every case 
upon affidavits made in Montgomery in some cases by vagabond negroes, and white 
persons unknown to the defendants, or to the people of Randolph County. In the 
case of Joel T. Morrisson, upon the affidavit of a notorious woman by the name 
of 0gle. who was herself the only illicit distiller known to the people of her 
neighborhood for the last two years or more, and who in other respects, is 
publicly known to be one of the lowest and vilest of her sex a fact well known 
to the U. S. Marshals who have frequently visited her neighborhood and know her 
character. Yet Joel Morrison, a man between seventy and eighty years of age. A 
poor man, and the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather of about seventy-
five children, was the other day arrested and carried to Montgomery upon an 
affidavit made by this woman, some five or six weeks ago, when she was right 
fully in Montgomery under arrest for carrying on an illicit distillery. When he 
arrived in Montgomery, she did not appear against him. neither had she been 
subpoenaed to do so. This statement is made upon the authority of Deputy Marshal 
Perdue, who stated to one of Mr. Morrisson 's friends that he had no 
subpoena for her. This woman lives however in six or seven miles of Wedowee and 
the Marshal in carrying Morrison from Wedowee to Montgomery had to pass 
in one mile of her and made no effort to carry her to Montgomery and the Marshal 
said in conversation with Morrisson's friend that he knew she was a woman 
of notorious bad character, and from what he heard her neighbors say, he could 
not believe her on her oath. Now I presume for three conclusive reasons, 
that Commissioner Hunter, or whatever Commissioner issued the warrant knew when 
he issued it, she was a woman of bad character and not entitled to be 
believed on oath. 1st. Any man who has sense enough to be a commissioner could 
not come in contact with her without perceiving her want of chastity. 
2d. No woman of good character carries on an illicit distillery. 3d. It is fair 
to presume that the Marshals who arrested her and earned her before 
the commissioner told him of her character. I can only account for the conduct 
of a commissioner who thus violates the spirit of the constitution and 
laws, by supposing that he is actuated by a desire to make money out of the 
Court, however much it may vex and harass innocent defendants for it must be 
remembered that the Commissioner gets as much for trying an innocent man as a 
guilty one, and the court pays it the same, and the Marshal gets the same
for making the arrest and the further the arrest is made from the Commissioner, 
the more pay he gets. Mr. Editor, how long is this to go on? Will not the 
Senate at its next session allow the President to remove the present Marshall, 
and will not Judge Wood remove Hunter, and break the ring and give the 
people some relief? We shall see.  Republican

The Montgomery Advertiser [Montgomery, Alabama] Sep 11, 1878

Wedowee Journal: I have just read the card of W. H. Hunter, and the statement of 
Benjamin Gardner published in the Advertiser, in answer to a communication to 
your paper, even the signature of Republican. Hunter evidently wishes to create 
the impression that Republican can find no ground of complaint against him but 
aims only over his bark at the Marshal. In this Mr. Hunter is mistaken. The 
article in question, is a plain and undisguised complaint against Hunter for 
issuing warrants and harassing many of our best citizens, without just 
cause, in order to make money out of the government, under pretext of executing 
the revenue laws and also for putting defendants to the unnecessary trouble of 
going to Montgomery to make bond, when there are Commissioners in Cleburne and 
Randolph Counties who could approve their bonds, and save the government the 
expense of mileage, hire for guards, wagons and teams, to carry prisoners to 
Montgomery. Mr. Hunter makes a general denial that the charge is true but makes 
no specifics denial except that be denies that he issued the warrant for Joel T. 
Morrison. Republican did not specifically charge Hunter with issuing the warrant 
for Morrison, but need this language: Commissioner Hunter, or whatever 
Commissioner issued the warrant knew, etc. He cannot, therefore, relieve himself 
by getting Benjamin Gardner to state that he issued the warrant
against Morrisson, upon the affidavit of one Gilbert of Clay County. It only 
proves that Gardner too, is guilty of unnecessarily harassing a good 
citizen. Republican was probably mistaken in saying that the warrant against 
Morrison was issued upon the affidavit of a notorious woman by the name of Ogle, 
whose Christian name, Tabitha, seems so well known to Hunter, but not to 
Republican, which proves the assertion that she has been engaged in some dirty 
business in connection with Hunter I suppose swearing out warrants to harass 
other innocent people, to help Hunter make money. But Benjamin Gardner comes 
boldly of Hunter's relief, and says he issued the warrant against Morrison, on 
affidavit of one Gilbert, of Clay. Now, Mr. Editor, who is this man, Gilbert? He 
is the Gilbert who lived in open adultery with the woman Ogle, and while so 
living with her, was accused of breaking into John Currie's store, on amount of 
which accusation he left her place of abode in Cleburne, and went to Clay 
County, and in a short time after going to Clay, broke into the store of Mr. 
Minter and stole therefrom a large amount of goods, for which he was last week 
indicted, and he plead guilty to the indictment and was sentenced to the 
penitentiary for seven years. If Benjamin Gardner had inquired about turn, as he 
ought to have done before issuing the warrant, he would have saved the 
government much expense, and Joel T. Morrisson the trouble and expense of going 
to Montgomery, to answer a false charge. A few more words about Mr. Hunter and I 
am done. He seems to think the arrest of seven or eight men on trumped up 
charges, is no ground for complaint. But, Mr. Editor, you must not think that 
because Republican only mentioned seven or eight outrages that it is a 
confession on his part that they are all. Not so. The names of citizens of 
Randolph County who have been outraged by Hunter in order to increase his and 
the Marshal's fees, would fill too large a space in your paper for convenient 
publication. Many of the parties, it is true, were guilty of violating the 
revenue laws, but that is so reason why they should be unnecessarily harassed to 
increase the fees of Commissioner Hunter and the Marshals. There have been in 
this county, Clay and Cleburne, for a long time, United States Commissioners, 
authorized by law to take and approve appearance bonds; not withstanding Hunter 
issued special warrants, returnable before him at Montgomery, in order thereby 
to increase his and the Marshal's fees, which put the defendants to unnecessary 
trouble and expense. Such conduct as this even towards the guilty ought to be 
sufficient cause for the removal of Hunter and the Marshal. Another specific 
charge I make against Hunter is, that if anybody does not believe that Hunter, 
while making a tour through this county. holding courts as he traveled, 
captured about fifteen gallons of brandy from one Mr. Abbott, and gave it out 
for the purpose of procuring affidavits for the arrest of other parties, let 
such person's as Columbus Spears. Another outrage of Commissioner Hunter. About 
the first of June last, "Mat" Smith, of Cleburne, was arrested and carried 
to Montgomery, gave bond for his appearance to Circuit Court, went home, and in 
a few days, he was again arrested, carried back gave another bond, and again 
returned home; and in a few more days, was arrested again, and again earned to 
Montgomery, and gave another bond, so I am informed and believe, all of which
was done during crop time. Mr. Smith is a poor man, has no one to cultivate his 
farm but himself, and on account of these several arrests has lost his entire 
crop. It matters not whether Hunter or Gardner did this, it is an outrage. I am 
glad Mr. Hunter has undertaken to defend himself in the newspapers. 
I would like to pursue this subject, not to gain notoriety, but to show up Mr. 
Hunter and whoever co-operates with him in his oppressions of the people. 




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